Remember When?

30 YEARS AGO • APRIL 15, 1993

VALLEY BANK OPENS

HOT SPRINGS DOORS

The new Valley Bank of Hot Springs opened its doors for business Monday morning, April 5, with a bit of paving and landscaping still needed to complete the exterior view.

Allen Burk, president of the Ronan and Hot Springs banks said the move into Hot Springs had been exciting, as it constituted a major expansion for their business.

“The response has been overwhelming,” Buhr said. He said the community has been so cooperative and appreciative of the new facility he feels assured of its success. In addition to Buhr, other bank employees include Scott Geda, branch manager, Ruby Stobie, loan secretary, and Romona Heidegger, teller.

BANK GETS BIG DEPOSIT

The new Valley Bank of Hot Springs had an unexpectedly large deposit Monday.

Either that or the open house came sooner than planned.

After being open only one week, a car driven by Alfred Millet crashed into the front entrance Monday morning.

Millet was reportedly backing away from the post office next door when for some unknown reason, he kept on turning and backed over a six-inch curb, eventually coming to a stop with the corner of his vehicle inside the bank’s entryway.

The car hit with sufficient impact to break the front seat loose. Millet, however, was not injured.

The Hot Springs Ambulance took Millet to Plains to the Clark Fork Valley Hospital

Oddly enough, Allen Buhr, president of Valley Banks, was in a meeting at the ambulance barn in Hot Springs at the time of the accident. He was discussing medical care in Hot Springs, and heard the call for emergency service over the pager.

WORK BEGINS ON WASTE STATION

Contractors began work this week on the Sanders County transfer station, a state-of-the-art facility for handling the county’s solid wastes.

Project Manager Tim Willcut said Campbell Construction of Thompson Falls subcontracted to do the cement work and started that portion of the project Monday.

Willcut said he doesn’t anticipate the project will be completed until mid-August and local contractors are being encouraged whenever possible.

The project, constructed at the current roll-off site east of Thompson River Lumber, will include the main transfer station building for collecting and sorting solid waste, a compactor and some storage. The plan for dealing with the wastes has not been finalized, but it appears the wastes could either go to Missoula or Great Falls, said Willcut. There are no current plans for locating a landfill in Sanders County.

One potential that should delight many county residents is the possible purchase of recycling bins. Tentative plans, said Willcut, are to purchase two recycling bins and place one at the transfer station and rotate the other. The idea would be to place the other recycling bin in different areas of the county so that it could be accessible at different times and to different residents.

CITY COUNCIL NOTES

Council members approved an emergency ordinance banning the overnight parking of recreational vehicles along Main Street, in city parking areas and along the intersecting north-south streets south of Main Street.

Although the request for such action came from RV park owner Walt Haynes, Chief of Police Don Manfred reminded council members that he had followed a vehicle down Main Street that dribbled raw sewage out onto the highway. Other council members mentioned complaints from business owners that Main Street was being used at times like a recreational vehicle park by travelers needing a place to park for the night.

Council members rescinded a decision of three years ago and formally closed the road going through the Rose Garden Park.

Closed since the reconstruction of Main Street, the park has become more of a pedestrian park rather than a drive-through facility. Council members reasoned that the expense of opening the roadway and creating an intersection at the east end would not necessarily benefit the town. With the increased use of the Wild Goose Landing Park, the facility is not used or needed like before.