Looking Back: Big Mountain’s Chair 3 still called Chair 3
Whitefish Pilot | UPDATED 1 week, 2 days AGO
Machines tear into the historic Whitefish City Hall on Oct. 27, 2005. The building was demolished to make way for a new City Hall and parking structure at the same location. (Matt Baldwin photo)
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
Nov. 27, 1975
The Big Mountain was progressing towards a gala grand opening weekend on Friday, December 5. Holding out hope to the very last minute, the resort, on Tuesday at 10 a.m., measured 12 inches of snow on the lower slopes and 30 inches at the summit. Monday's storm dumped 7 inches of heavy, wet snow on the mountain, which is considered ideal for a skiing base but insufficient to bear up under skiing traffic. The December 5 opening of the resorts facilities for the season would, hopefully, see chairlift 1 and the new triple chair, called Chair 3, for lack of anything better at the moment, gliding into action.
40 Years Ago
Nov. 27, 1985
It would be known as the year January arrived two months earlier than usual. Whitefish Lake was beginning to freeze over many weeks ahead of schedule. No other November on record was ever so extremely cold for such a long period of time, three weeks, explained local climatologist Cliff Harris. Harris said that only one day since Nov. 8 saw the mercury climb above the freezing mark. The remaining 21 days in November were all below 32 degrees, and many were at record lows. November 1985 was not only the coldest November on record, but it was actually colder than a normal January. The normal average January maximum reading in Whitefish is 28 degrees, with a low of 14 degrees and a mean average temperature of 21 degrees.
30 Years Ago
Nov. 23, 1995
A congregation in need of a home failed to find one as the City Council denied a request to build a church on land zoned for agricultural use south of Whitefish. Jay and Patricia Wartnow, owners of the five-acre property on JP Road, asked for a conditional use permit so the Church of the Rockies might build a 6,000 square foot facility with assembly seating for 200 people there. The council cited neighbors' protests. “This represents the creeping urbanization we're trying to stop,” Councilor Chet Hope said. During a public hearing, speakers from the neighborhood overwhelmingly opposed the building of the church. Most of the complaints focused on the sorry state of the gravel road in the area and the dust increased traffic would cause.
20 Years Ago
Nov. 24, 2005
Despite numerous attempts to table discussion on the controversial Boardwalk at Whitefish project, the Whitefish City County Planning Board forged ahead until 1 a.m., to be sure everyone had a chance to speak -- City staff developer Bayard Dominick and his five consultants, and 12 members of the public. At the end, the board agreed to take up the significantly reduced project for a third time. It would go to City Council sometime in January.
10 Years Ago
Nov. 25, 2015
A record number of developers applied with the Montana Board of Housing to receive a slice of $26 million in housing credits available to assist with projects aimed at addressing affordable rental needs across the state. Applications came from 18 cities, including one for a project in Whitefish. “We have a really large number of applicants this year,” said Penny Cope, spokeswoman for the Board of Housing. “It's always competitive for the funding, but this is really something different.” Developers compete for the housing credits through the application process, which allows scoring based on need, population served, energy efficiency, proximity to services and use of Montana products and labor.