Weekly roundup: Whitefish rural fire board, city nearing contract deal
The Whitefish Fire Service Area and the city of Whitefish appear to be nearing agreement on a contract that would provide fire service to the rural area for the next five years.
Since spring, the rural board and the city have been negotiating a new contract for fire service for the area outside Whitefish city limits. In a draft contract, the city would provide service through June 2026 but would allow the rural board to explore the possibility of creating its own volunteer fire department after June 2024.
Dennis Oliver, a member of the rural fire board, outlined key points in the contract he says the board expects to sign.
“We’re committed to a five-year contract,” he said. “We also plan to set up a long range plan committee that will look at where we should be after that. We want to look at where we should be 20 years from now.”
Whitefish City Manager Dana Smith says the city and the rural board have reached a verbal agreement and both are reviewing the draft contract. If the board approves the contract, she expects to take it before City Council likely in January for a vote.
The fire contract outlines an increase in the payment schedule for the rural area with the first payment set at $314,189 and increasing until the final year of the contract with a payment of $367,557. This year, the rural area paid $299,272 to the city.
That works out to an increase of 4.9% in the first year of the contract and a 22.8% increase in the last year of the new contract, over the 2020 payment amount.
— Whitefish Pilot
St. Ignatius schools get a makeover
An extensive renovation of St. Ignatius schools is underway.
A $5.8 million bond passed by voters, a $537,000 grant and a $1.2 million loan to be paid back with annual deferred maintenance funds are enabling the St. Ignatius School District 28 to put the finishing touches on many new facilities and fix maintenance projects that have been deferred for years while awaiting funding.
Some of the work may not attract a lot of attention. The old gym’s ceiling (the “Dog House”) that dripped and oxidized the beams has been reconditioned and new lighting has been added. Bathrooms have been remodeled, new lockers installed. Electrical and plumbing systems have been upgraded. The elementary school has a new roof.
Far more conspicuous, a new gymnasium with seating for more than 600 graces the Bulldogs’ skyline, with a full-service weight room included. Eventually, a second side of bleachers can double the capacity, and the gym was designed to be expanded in the future.
The elementary school has new siding to match the middle school and high school upgrades from a few years ago. A new double-classroom building has replaced the old administrative office across the street.
Perhaps most welcome of all is the new Career and Technology Center and new art room, which allowed these programs to move out of the cramped Quonset hut they shared and into spacious, state-of-the-art facilities.
— Lake County Leader
New sewer main on tap for Bigfork
A project to construct a new sewer main in downtown Bigfork has been amended to include an additional 920 feet of sewer main and 29 service connections at a cost of $547,000, bringing the project total to $4.17 million.
The aim of the Bay Sewer Main Replacement Project is to install a sewer main along Osborn Avenue, replacing the existing line that runs along the Bay from Bridge Street to a lift station on Grand Drive.
A significant difficulty with the current main is access for cleaning twice annually to remove grease buildup.
— Bigfork Eagle