Columbia Falls streets need $2.2M in repairs

Columbia Falls city streets need about $2.2 million in work over the next few years, according to a recent report by Public Works Director Tyler Bradshaw.

One of the top roads needing repair is 12th Avenue West from Burger King south to the Truck Route, Bradshaw noted. Not only does it need new pavement, which has been battered by heavy truck traffic over the years, the former Plum Creek administrative offices, known as the Cedar Palace, need city sewer and water services.

Glacier Medical Associates is purchasing the offices and nearby land for a new medical facility there and will eventually need city sewer and water. It’s estimated that fixing the street and bringing utilities to the Cedar Palace will cost about $1.683 million.

Other roads that need work very soon are Third Street East to Nucleus Avenue and Fourth Street East. Fourth Street East doesn’t see much traffic, Bradshaw noted, but it’s almost dirt.

Vans Avenue is another rough road — it actually has old timber products poking through the surface.

About 71 percent of the city’s roads will need some sort of work in the next 10 years. The city has 39 miles of roads in its system — 34 miles are paved — the rest are unpaved alleyways.

There are a fair number of streets that need overlays or complete reconstruction fairly soon — in the next six years or so.

Paying for them is another matter as well. The city looked for federal help to rebuild 13th Street in front of the high school and up Fourth Avenue to the Truck Route, but it wasn’t awarded the grant.

City Council member Darin Fisher noted the proposed resort tax, if approved by voters, would set aside some funds for city streets.

— Hungry Horse News

Plains-Paradise Senior Center may close

Declining membership and a lack of staff may force the nonprofit Plains-Paradise Senior Center to close down, according to the Sanders County Ledger.

The center also has no cook, on-site manager or a full board of directors. The organization will hold an election in January to fill the president position.

“This is a vital lifeline for seniors, John Sheridan, acting president of the center, told the Ledger. “They need this.”

The senior center was chartered for Plains in 1937. The Sanders County Council on Aging in Hot Springs funds the centers meals and helps to ensure recipients get nutritional meals.

— Sanders County Ledger

Sports bar in Eureka calls it quits

The Eureka Sports Pub, a longtime downtown business, closed Dec. 6 after 22 years in business, according to the Tobacco Valley News.

Pub manager and co-owner Wilma Wood retired. Wood opened the Eureka Sports Pub with business partner Glen Alexander in 1997. Through the years she spent more days at the bar, “working alongside her help,” never leaving for more than a week’s vacation, the newspaper noted.

— Tobacco Valley News

Lake County probe yields three arrests

Three Mission Valley residents are behind bars after Northwest Montana law enforcement authorities completed a investigation that lasted multiple months.

According to information from Lake County Sheriff Don Bell, his department, Montana Highway Patrol and Flathead Tribal Police, deputies have made three arrests in connection with a series of Mission Valley thefts and burglaries. The Sheriff’s Office and Highway Patrol also recovered parts of a stolen truck owned by the state of Montana, and developed suspects in a couple of troubling cases in which law enforcement officers were targeted by local criminals.

Authorities served eight search warrants on suspect properties, with numerous items being recovered and returned to their rightful owners.

Those arrested and jailed included the following suspects:

- Todd Lozeau, 36, of Charlo, was arrested after allegedly running from officers during the execution of a search warrant. He has been charged with one burglary, two counts of tampering with evidence, felony theft, and other theft and burglary related charges are pending.

- Paul Groom, 43, of Charlo, was arrested on an outstanding warrant and has been charged with one burglary and one theft.

- Tanya Phillips was arrested on an outstanding warrant and has been charged with one burglary and one theft.

In search warrants, parts and pieces of a truck owned by the Montana Department of Transportation were located and recovered. Deputies recovered a utility box, bumper, miscellaneous parts, the frame and engine. The truck was stolen from the Dillon area in mid-October and a suspect in the theft has been identified.

Lozeau is charged with crimes related to the possession of the vehicle parts and for crimes related to the dismantlement and concealment of the vehicle.

Through this investigation, deputies have also developed suspects in the case of buckets of nails being dumped on county roads directly in front of the homes of law enforcement officers. Thousands of dollars in damages resulted in this case due to the officers and area residents running over the nails.

Also through this investigation, deputies have developed a suspect in a case where a local law enforcement officer’s family dog was abducted, beaten, and dumped at a truck stop in St. Regis. The dog was returned to its family.

— Lake County Leader