Time Capsule: From the archives of local weeklies

Lake County Leader, Aug. 14, 1997

State clears Wal-Mart construction start 

Polson — Developers of a Wal-Mart store here have come to terms with neighbors and the state highway department, which issued a temporary construction access last week. 

Wal-Mart can now start building a 57,000-foot retail store near the junction of U.S. 93 and Montana Highway 35. Wal-Mart had initially planned to open before Christmas 1997, but that was based on a late spring construction start. 

Wal-Mart officials could not be reached for comment. Lake County planner Forrest Sanderson said he was recently told by a company real estate specialist that Wal-Mart will still shoot for a fall opening by breaking ground within the next several days. 

Jim Weaver, Missoula-based district engineer for the Montana Department of Transportation, said Wal-Mart made required visits to area neighbors before the temporary access was granted. They — and the state — want the retailer to extend an existing 24-inch storm drain culvert onto its property, instead of using a guard rail and retaining wall. 

“For the most part, we’ve reached agreement,” Weaver said Tuesday. He hopes to approve a final construction access within a week. 

Wal-Mart already has its city permits in hand. 

Ronan gets a shooting range

Ronan — The Mission Valley Shooting Club, Inc. (formerly the Mission Valley Rifle and Pistol Club) is hard at work redeveloping shooting range facilities three miles west of Ronan. 

The club has leased 30-plus acres on Leighton Road – about one-half mile north of Round Butte Road. 

“We’ve been actually working on getting this up and running for the past year,” said club president Fred Webster.

Plans are for one 100-yard covered range with five benches and an outdoor 100- and 200-yard rifle range with 10 roofed firing points. The outdoor lanes will “hopefully be well done by the end of August,” Webster said. 

This will be a rifle and pistol range – not a shotgun range. 

The covered range should be done before the end of 1997 …

Super-stocks take spotlight

Pablo — A cool breeze blew over the track and stands at Mission Valley Speedway while drivers made laps around the track Saturday night. The cool, but clear evening made for a great night of racing. 

The late model super stock mid-season championship capped out the evening. 

Opening were the hobby class trophy dash winners: Wade Shepard followed by Miles Hackman and Jarred Burland third. In street class, trophy dash winners were Rockie Erickson, Mike Lyons and Mark Fairchild. Late model trophy dash winter was Randy Kozek, with Tim Elliott second and Corey Wolfe third. 

All classes ran the track at a good pace. The new track layout makes for higher speed and excitement in the turns, which are much wider than on the old track. 

“This is one of the nicest tracks I race on,” said Lyons. He's been racing three years and said he enjoys a full track, too. “The more cars running, the better.”

Lyons said the cars run 118 octane gasoline (compared to 91 octane premium gas from the pumps). Other drivers explained the engines in the classes are capped out at 360 cubic inches, but each class has different rules for the fuel system, suspension and weight. The street stocks run in the 350 horsepower range and hit speeds in the eighty mile-an-hour range, while the late models power out at over 400 horses and can top 100 mph in the back stretch of the new track. 

Heat winners in the hobby class were Burland, first, with Hackman and Shepard following. In the street class heat Lyons led with Erickson second and Fairchild third. In the late model heat Kozek took first, with Ken Keldschmidt second and Wolfe third …