EDITORIAL: Evergreen gets a welcome boost

Flathead County lost its bid to buy the Walmart building in Evergreen for a jail expansion, and that’s OK.

It would have been a good deal for the county to acquire the box store and 14 acres for $2.8 million, but it was always a long shot the facility could have been retrofitted for use as a county jail. Using it for the county’s proposed multipurpose gymnasium didn’t seem workable either, given the low ceiling height.

Commissioner Pam Holmquist summed it up, saying the county’s loss is Evergreen’s gain. U-Haul Co. of Montana bought the long-shuttered Walmart building and already has moved in, offering truck and trailer rentals and all the accessories. The company also will provide climate-controlled storage units, and expects to employ 10 to 15 people when fully up and running.

It’s good to see life breathed back into that stretch of Evergreen and the U.S. 2 corridor. Welcome to the neighborhood, U-Haul.

Good luck, Starla!

We continue to marvel at the accomplishments of Starla Hilliard Barnes, the young Kalispell woman who was paralyzed in a 2009 hit-and-run accident. She had regained feeling and movement in her legs and was even able to stand before she was re-paralyzed in another vehicle accident a few months ago.

Starla has been breaking down barriers for people with disabilities since she was first injured, and she’s still at it. She will be the first-ever wheelchair contestant in the upcoming Mrs. Montana pageant. Starla and her husband also operate a nonprofit foundation that gives sporting opportunities to disabled athletes, and she’s a motivational speaker who has brought her positive message to students throughout the valley.

Her infatigable spirit should be an inspiration to all of us.