What's in there?After the piñata was split open on the lawn of the CPC and the children had gathered up all the candy inside, Jesse Roberts took a look inside the decapitated head of the colorful toy. Piñata was but one of the games children enjoyed last week as part of the lunch program sponsored by Action Inc. See photos page 16.
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Heated words over lease for campground
by Cathy Harding
As it has been for many months, the issue of the KOA lease agreement was once again on the agenda. City Administrator Brian Bender said the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recommends against selling the property to a private owner due to it possibly complicating relationships with agencies involved in the Superfund cleanup.
“The recommendation from DEQ is not to sell that property,” said Mayor Caleb Burton.
Burton said Cahill requested a change to the proposed lease agreement to exclude the city’s ability to review the rent on that lease with a future tenant who she might transfer the lease to. Cahill explained that she was asking to have a cap put on rent increases and was not seeking to eliminate rent increases altogether. “It’s two totally different things,” she said. “I didn’t ask you to give up your right to raise them, I just asked you to put a cap on it.” No motion was made to change the lease per Cahill’s request.
Burton said he was approached by a member of the community who wondered why the council was making a special deal with one person. This person compared the situation to that of people who rent pasture land from the city. When their leases expire, there is a request for proposal (RFP) process before any new lease is signed. “This individual is asking why it is that we were exclusively offering this property to one property owner for 30 years,” said Burton. “Which made me think. I wondered if perhaps we were setting ourselves up for a situation where we’re going to get nailed by somebody else who is upset that we made an exclusive offer to just Cass.” He then wondered if the city should be opening up the process to anyone who submitted a RFP.
City Attorney Peter Elverum proposed a possible letter that would outline the city’s next steps in its dealings with Cahill. Her lease expires at the end of August, and since there is no roll-over provision in the lease, Elverum recommended a 60-day termination of the lease, meaning Cahill would have until the end of October to vacate the premises and set a time and date for the inspection of the property. Cahill could submit a proposal during the RFP process.
see City page 10
As it has been for many months, the issue of the KOA lease agreement was once again on the agenda. City Administrator Brian Bender said the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recommends against selling the property to a private owner due to it possibly complicating relationships with agencies involved in the Superfund cleanup.
“The recommendation from DEQ is not to sell that property,” said Mayor Caleb Burton.
Burton said Cahill requested a change to the proposed lease agreement to exclude the city’s ability to review the rent on that lease with a future tenant who she might transfer the lease to. Cahill explained that she was asking to have a cap put on rent increases and was not seeking to eliminate rent increases altogether. “It’s two totally different things,” she said. “I didn’t ask you to give up your right to raise them, I just asked you to put a cap on it.” No motion was made to change the lease per Cahill’s request.
Burton said he was approached by a member of the community who wondered why the council was making a special deal with one person. This person compared the situation to that of people who rent pasture land from the city. When their leases expire, there is a request for proposal (RFP) process before any new lease is signed. “This individual is asking why it is that we were exclusively offering this property to one property owner for 30 years,” said Burton. “Which made me think. I wondered if perhaps we were setting ourselves up for a situation where we’re going to get nailed by somebody else who is upset that we made an exclusive offer to just Cass.” He then wondered if the city should be opening up the process to anyone who submitted a RFP.
City Attorney Peter Elverum proposed a possible letter that would outline the city’s next steps in its dealings with Cahill. Her lease expires at the end of August, and since there is no roll-over provision in the lease, Elverum recommended a 60-day termination of the lease, meaning Cahill would have until the end of October to vacate the premises and set a time and date for the inspection of the property. Cahill could submit a proposal during the RFP process.
see City page 10
Boxing brought back to the fair
by Michael Stafford
It’s been a number of years since boxing has been brought to Deer Lodge. For Chris Aman, a man who has been sparring for around 53 years and who lives in Anaconda, he believes the last time boxing was in this city was sometime in the 1980s. So when Monte Klistoff with Nxt Gen Fight League asked if he would help get involved with setting up a boxing match in Deer Lodge as part of the Tri-County Fair, he was happy to jump on board. “I said yeah, bringing back boxing to Deer Lodge would be great,” said Aman. The two started getting things set up including a list of boxers who would face off against each other - especially ones from the local and regional area. “But we needed a main draw,” said Aman. He knew exactly who he wanted - a boxer of well known fame who would certainly draw out the crowds from her hometown city of Deer Lodge and surrounding cities where she is a perpetual favorite. He wanted to get Ariel Beck for the main event. see Plenty page 10 |
Congressional hearing held in dairy barnby Michael Stafford
In the last question he asked, United States Senator Steve Daines questioned the witnesses testifying about what one thing they would urge Congress to do to increase visitation at smaller National Parks in Montana and specifically at Grant-Kohrs National Historic Site. The last person to respond was Park Superintendent Jacque Lavelle and her answer was simple - do exactly what the senator himself was doing that day. “Senator, I would say that the one thing that would make a difference is just what you’re doing here today. You have made a conscious decision to come to a lesser known park and have a public event,” said Lavelle, “in my tenure of six years here this is the first elected representative that has ever visited Grant-Kohrs Ranch, so I applaud you.” On August 9 the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks held a field hearing in the dairy barn at Grant-Kohrs. The hearing was headed by Senator Steve Daines and the subject of the hearing was on “Opportunities to Expand Visitation at Lesser-Known National Park System units.” see Senator page 15 |
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