Looking Back: Millions in federal discretionary funds to expand Highway 93
Whitefish Pilot | UPDATED 1 day, 6 hours AGO
The frigid job of reparing water mains befell the WHitefish CIty street crews and water commission workers as service lines and city mains cracked from the extended cold. This break at the corner of Second Street and Kalispell Avenue caused streets to be knee-deep in water in 1975, (Steve Schunk photo)
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
Dec. 18, 1975
Bids for drilling a test well as a possible supplement to the city's water supply were opened at a City Council meeting. Liberty Drilling of Kalispell bid $10,589 to drill a 250 foot well with an 8-inch diameter line. Billmayer, Inc. of Kalispell bid $12,550 to dig a well of the same specifications. Representatives from Liberty Drilling, Jim Walker and Bill Osborne, were presented were present to answer any questions the council might have. The men confirmed a par linear foot price of $25.60, should the council decide that the well be drilled any further than the specified 250 feet. The bids were turned over to the Finance Committee with the power to award following examination of the city engineering firm Morrison and Maierle.
40 Years Ago
Dec. 18, 1985
The boil advisory for Whitefish drinking water was lifted for part of the city by state health officials. Any customers of the city's water system who live south of the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks have been told that the advisory issued this summer is no longer in place. However, the advisory is still in effect for north of the tracks. The advisory was issued after tests revealed giardia cysts in the city's water supply. They can cause the sickness giardiasis, which causes stomach upsets. No cases of the illness, often called backpacker’s disease, were reported that could be traced to the city's water, however.
30 Years Ago
Dec. 14, 1995
The expansion of Highway 93 got a $5.5 million boost after the federal government approved Montana's application for public lands discretionary funds. Money had been set aside for the improvement of public lands. Highway 93 became eligible for the federal dollars earlier this year when Montana Senator Max Baucus negotiated an amendment to the National Highway Systems Bill. “Because much of Montana's land is owned by the federal government -- over 51% in the Flathead -- it only makes sense that public discretionary funds are available for the project,” Baucus said.
20 Years Ago
Dec. 15, 2005
About 30 people showed up. At a meeting in the City Council chambers to learn more about the 2006 Wisconsin Ave. bike path project. Aerial photos were available, and information was provided about the longest stretch of protected bike path in the city-wide network. Construction bids were scheduled, and construction is slated to begin in May or June, depending on whether construction is estimated to take 60 working days. The city's share of the $1.4 million project would be $675,000. The project would begin with installation of a storm drain from the Baker Avenue viaduct north to Colorado Avenue.
10 Years Ago
Dec. 16, 2015
From the Highway 93 strip to downtown, signs of new commercial development and Whitefish were everywhere. More than $22.5 million in valuation for commercial permits had been issued in the city through November, surpassing the 2014 total and ranking it as the highest year since 2005, and there was still one month to go. “It certainly appears that investors are bullish on Whitefish right now, and that development has bounced back to levels that match those of the boom years of the mid 2000s,” said Whitefish Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kevin Gartland.