Looking Back: Sanitarian advises upgraded sewer system in anticipation of population growth

A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler 

50 Years Ago 

Oct. 21, 1976 

State sanitarian Will Aiken explained to the Whitefish Council why he stated in a Missoulian interview that Whitefish should have a sewage plant to accommodate a projected population of growth of at least 10,000 people. “We have been working on upgrading our present sewer system for the last three years,” stated John Thorson. “But we are having trouble justifying to the Environmental Protection Agency, why we think we will be needing a sewer plant for a population of 10,000 to 12,000 people. How did you arrive at that population figure?” Aiken said that his office has had to file environmental impact statements on 360 major development subdivisions in the Northwest in the last three years, and most of those were in Flathead County. 

40 Years Ago 

Oct. 22, 1986 

Whitefish Public School trustees filed suit against the contractor and subcontractor for “failing to design, plan, supervise, inspect and construct” the high school's roof in 1980. The roof has proved to be faulty, they said. Stewart and Janes of Kalispell was awarded the contract to construct a new high school. Missoula Sheet Metal was employed by the company as the subcontractor for the roofing portion of the contract. The school board claims that the construction of the roof was scheduled to begin in early fall of 1979, but due to the failure of Missoula Sheet Metal to order materials, construction was delayed and the roof was not completed until the summer of 1980. 

30 Years Ago 

Oct. 24, 1996 

With a shutout season and a No.1 ranking in their conference, the Whitefish girls soccer team earned a week off. “We are the first Class A to take the division,” head coach Lini Hilbun-Reading said. The girls ended their best season with two cold weather wins over Columbia Falls 5-0 on Thursday afternoon and Sentinel, 3-0, Saturday. “We want to maintain that shutout season,” Hilbun-Reading said. By closing out the season in first place in the conference, the girls would skip the playoffs and go directly to the state tournament in Kalispell on the first weekend of November. Hilbun-Reading plans to use the time to get her girls ready for the tournament. “We still have a lot to work on,” the coach said. Since Whitefish had not been scored on in regular season play, Hilbun-Reading believed that other teams are gunning for her girls. 

20 Years Ago 

Oct. 19, 2006 

The loss of 90 students could translate into a $405,000 budget decrease this year, School District 44 Superintendent Jerry House told the school board. Muldown Elementary School is down 23 students, Whitefish Middle School is down 50 students and Whitefish High School is down 17 students, House said. “Attendance is a roller coaster with a seven-to-eight-year cycle,” House said. “We are nearing the bottom of that cycle with 90 kids. The loss of funding could affect staffing of personnel, curriculum, staff development and activity programs. All need to be evaluated with less money than currently budgeted. Hard decisions are coming down the road.” 

10 Years Ago 

Oct. 19, 2016 

Whitefish was generous again this year, donating almost $1.5 million to the Whitefish Community Foundation's annual Great Fish Community Challenge. The two-month campaign began in July and raised a total of $1,486,526. The Community Foundation distributed the money last week to 40 participating nonprofits. The challenge received 2,420 contributions totaling $1.15 million. The foundation match amounted to 55% on the first $15,000 raised by each nonprofit for a total match of just over $322,523.