Looking Back: Twenty-nine-year-old chosen as City Councilor

A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler 

50 Years Ago 

Oct. 7, 1976 

The Flathead County Commissioners presented letters from the Highway Traffic Safety Division of the Montana Department of Community Affairs and from the Department of Highways to the Whitefish City Council recommending that the Columbia Avenue bridge be closed. After inspecting the bridge, Director of Highways H.J. Anderson stated, “The piling, caps, deck and bracing had extensive decay at key points throughout the structure. The condition of this bridge is such that the bridge is no longer safe for even light traffic. I recommend this bridge be closed as soon as possible to all vehicular traffic until such time that suitable repair or replacement of structure is considered.” 

40 Years Ago 

Oct. 8, 1986 

Ann Shaw Moran was chosen from a field of nine, to become the newest member of the Whitefish City Council. Moran, 23, was chosen by a unanimous vote. The vacant seat had belonged to Dale Jessup, who retired in August. “I have always been interested in watching the way Whitefish has developed and thought it was a good opportunity to become a little more involved,” Moran said. “I guess you could say I'm interested in orderly development around here. I have no burning goals that I want to accomplish or anything like that.” Moran moved to Whitefish about six years ago and works on Big Mountain as a ski instructor in the ski school, supervises the staff at the Chalet Motel and was a long-term substitute teacher in the English department at the Columbia Falls High School. 

30 Years Ago 

Oct. 10, 1996 

In order to pay for the city's mandatory new water system, the Whitefish City Council was considering an increase in local water rates. “The time has come to pay the piper, basically,” City Manager Dale Ennor said. At the council meeting, water and sewer Supervisor Greg Acton presented two possible plans for implementing the rate increase. Currently, the base rate for water is determined by the size of the meter. Most Whitefish residents have a 5/8- to ¾-inch meter and pay a base rate of $4.50 per month. The city charges this rate for residents who use from zero to 3,000 gallons of water a month. Acton estimated that 48% of Whitefish water users consume less than 3,000 gallons per month and pay only the base rate. 

20 Years Ago 

Oct. 5, 2006 

The latest polls show organic farmer and Montana Senate President John Tester D-Big Sandy ahead of Senator Conrad Burns in the U.S. Senate race, but the differential could easily be made-up by undecided voters. Born and raised on the highline, Tester farms 1,800 acres of land where his grandfather homesteaded in 1916. He taught music for two years in Big Sandy after he got back from college in Great Falls and served five years on the Big Sandy school board. Citing the difficult financial straits farmers face, Tester said his family farm turned to organic methods to get a better price. The Tester family farm now grows organic wheat, barley, lentils, peas, Millet, buckwheat, alfalfa and hay. 

10 Years Ago 

Oct. 5, 2016 

An extensive evaluation of Muldown Elementary reinforced the need to find solutions for issues facing the 50-year-old building and a community stakeholder group was beginning that work. L’Heureux Page Warner, the firm hired by Whitefish School District to complete master planning for the school, spent the summer analyzing the building, including a failing original heating system, structural issues with the roof, lack of insulation and vapor barriers, inadequate drainage in parking lots, a failing irrigation system and many mechanical systems far past life expectancy. Superintendent Heather Davis Schmidt said the analysis took a deeper look at the issues the district already knew were facing the building and provided more information for what the solutions look like moving forward.