Falls Council reviews bear program, moves forward with annexation

The Thompson Falls City Council met for its monthly meeting on Monday, and the packed meeting room left standing room only.

Kim Annis, Bear Management Specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), gave a short presentation on the steps to become a Bear Smart community. Council member Katherine Maudrone had presented information to both the council and the Community and Public Relations Committee of the council about possibly pursuing the program. Annis said the program’s goal is to increase human safety and decrease conflicts where bears and humans exist. “It’s to find balance for everyone and find a way to facilitate a successful sharing of the landscape,” she added. Annis said the number of bears inside city limits has increased significantly in Thompson Falls, and the most common conflicts involve bears and attractants such as garbage or fruit trees.

The Bear Smart initiative involves creating an assessment in the community and then developing and implementing a plan. Annis said the program is a way to give information to communities about efforts that have worked in other communities. Some of the communities in Montana that have become involved in the program include Big Sky, Whitefish and Missoula, and Annis said Frenchtown is also pursuing the program.

The committee of the council met after the regular meeting to further discuss the program and identify residents who may want to be on the Bear Smart committee. The committee currently has six members.

Also at Monday’s meeting, the council passed a resolution that they intend to annex a property that is wholly surrounded by city property. Owner Kristen Wing said she objected to the forced annexation of her property and said she was told previously that the city wouldn’t do anything with her property unless she developed it or sold it. Mayor Mark Sheets told Wing that when the city looked at neighboring properties in regard to the sewer system, Wing’s property was the only one within Thompson Falls that was wholly surrounded by properties in the city. He said the goal was to keep the city limits as one unit.

“I have legal issues with this,” Wing told the council on Monday. She alleged discrimination, saying “this forced annexation attempt has not followed MCA (Montana Code Annotated).” The council voted unanimously to pass the resolution of intent to annex the property.

The council also voted on Monday to join the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, lending support to the effort to reinstate the southern route of passenger rail service in Montana. The effort could lead to a train stop in Sanders County, even Thompson Falls, Mayor Sheets stated. “I think the city would benefit in general and it would be in our best interest to join at this time,” said council member Raoul Ribeiro.

Mayor Sheets detailed changes to the sewer project in phases one and two, including that service for the elementary and junior high schools was updated to use a gravity flow system instead of a double grinder pump, but that the pump planned for that area would be utilized at an apartment complex on Ferry Street. The council approved the change order.

Sheets said he met with NorthWestern Energy representatives to review recreational opportunities as the company is in the process of re-licensing for the Thompson Falls dam. Sheets said NorthWestern Energy gives $11,000 to the city for maintenance at Wild Goose Landing Park, and last year the city spent about $21,000 on maintenance and operations for the park. Sheets and company representatives discussed ways to improve maintenance, as well as potential changes to the road and parking at the park. NorthWestern Energy will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 23, to discuss updates to studies on factors including operations, fish behavior, hydraulic conditions and other factors. Sheets said that NorthWestern Energy also told him they will need to drop the reservoir 16 feet starting October 1 to replace lower boards on the main dam and the dry channel dam, and that the work will take approximately two weeks.

The city will not be able to allow fireworks at Wild Goose Landing Park on July 4, Sheets explained, as the Montana Municipal Interlocal Authority does not provide liability insurance for such events. Sheets also stated that work to repair the Thompson Falls Pool around the gutters will start next week. Aspen Ridge Technical Services will repair the top foot of the pool this spring, and then in the fall after the pool has closed will work to grind and recoat the remainder of the pool. Sheets also informed the council that the pool changing rooms and office were broken into and vandalized recently. The crime is under investigation, and he said the repairs will mostly include cleaning up the mess left by the vandals.

The council will hold a special meeting Monday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. to review bids for planning the city’s wayfinding sign project. The next regular city council meeting will be Monday, June 12, at 6 p.m. in City Hall. The Bear Smart program committee will meet Wednesday, May 31, at 5:30 p.m. in the conference room at the Clark Fork Professional Building.