Former Plains mayor joins council

The mayor of Plains swore in the newest member of the town council last week, but it was almost a form of déjà vu. Seven years ago, the roles were reversed. Then Mayor Michael Brinson was swearing in councilman Dan Rowan, who is now the town mayor.

Brinson served as the Plains mayor from 2006 to 2013. He sold Brinson's Building Supply in 2014 and in retirement has more time on his hands. He decided he wanted to be in the decision making process that "will keep the town headed in a good direction," said Brinson, who is replacing Ward 2's Sandy Chenoweth, who resigned in December after 12 years.

Brinson immediately took his seat on the council last Monday after his swearing-in and volunteered to sit on the public works committee, which will be discussing the paving of Willis Street at a meeting at City Hall Feb. 28 at 6 p.m.

Plans are to pave Willis Street from the railroad tracks to Stanton Avenue, but Rowan said the distance that gets paved will depend on the overall cost of the project, which is scheduled to begin this summer.

The council last week also unanimously approved a resolution to apply for a Community Development Block Grant of $450,000 in an effort to protect the shoreline at the town's sewage treatment plant. The council held a special public hearing prior to the monthly council meeting. Mark Rohweder of KLJ Engineering of Kalispell was on hand for the hearing, but only one person showed up.

The Community Development Block Grant is one of three grants the town is applying for to construct a steel barrier between the lagoon's UV station and the Clark Fork River. The water came within 90 feet of the building last year before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dumped thousands of pounds of boulders along the shoreline to block the river. Army Corps officials notified Rowan recently that it has $200,000 toward the barrier project. The mayor said that even if they get all the grant money for the $1.2-million project, construction wouldn't begin until next year.

This year's snowpack, so far, is much lower than last year, but if the sewage plant is threatened again, Rowan would again have to declare an emergency and request the Army Corps' help. Some 50 percent of last year's riprap has washed away, said Rowan.

The council unanimously voted to approve an amendment to the town's Decay Ordinance, a six-line definition of the shielding clause. The ordinance, passed last year, noted that a resident could conceal a cluttered yard with some type of barrier, called shielding, but the ordinance had not defined the term.

Most of the definition mirrors Montana law and gives a list of several items that can't be used for shielding, such as railroad ties, wood pallets, tires, rubble, tarps or salvaged material. The mayor feels the Decay Ordinance is working well. "We have not accomplished all we need to accomplish, but we're headed in the right direction," said Rowan at the council meeting. He said the purpose was to clean up the community and to protect homeowners' values from depreciating.

There have only been four or five complaints, but no citations. According to the ordinance, there are no fines, but violators could be charged for cleanup costs. "There were some people who took the initiative and voluntarily complied with the ordinance. That's why there's only been a handful of cases," said Rowan. He's already seen three or four fences go up and some of the biggest offenders have made efforts to clean up their yards.

The council is also reviewing a new floodplain ordinance, which is mandated by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The council was to have its first reading of the ordinance, but tabled it until the March 4 meeting because by law the town is required to first hold a public hearing, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall just before the council meeting. About 10 percent of Plains – around 35 homes – are within the floodplain.

The mayor is looking for three people to serve as police commissioners, which are two-year volunteer positions. The role of a police commissioner is to review police applications and to address disciplinary actions of police officers. Interested parties can apply at City Hall.