Document Whitefish_doc_9b1e34ff87

Scoop Within this issue of the Stumptown Scoop, you will fi nd updates about ongoing capital projects, as well as helpful information such as snow and ice removal requirements, winter parking restrictions, exciting youth program opportunities, and much more! With the end of 2022 fast approaching, it is a great time to refl ect on our successes and challenges during the past year. Following are some highlights from the City’s past year: It goes without saying that addressing the aff ordable housing shortage continues to be a top priority for the City. This year the City worked with consultants to update the 2016 Whitefi sh Housing Needs Assessment. The update was completed in August 2022 and is available on our City website under Community Housing. So, what are our housing needs? By 2030 our community needs 1,310 more homes comprised of both rental and for purchase units with at least 75% of these homes priced below market to support residents and employees. The next question is how do we achieve this goal? With the updated needs identifi ed and with support from our consultants, the City has worked with a team of community members to create the Whitefi sh Community Housing Roadmap (Roadmap), an update to the 2017 Whitefi sh Strategic Housing Plan. The Roadmap provides strategies for our community to address our housing needs including tasks such as local policy changes, building private-public partnerships to develop housing, securing funding opportunities, and program development. A public hearing and consideration of adoption of the Roadmap is scheduled for the November 21, 2022, City Council meeting. On October 17, 2022, the City Council adopted the 2022 Whitefi sh Transportation Plan, which is an update to the 2010 Whitefi sh Transportation Plan. More information is shared within this issue of the Stumptown Scoop. Another high priority item is the update to the City’s Growth Policy as we have faced record growth over the past two years. Staff has started the internal review process and is in the planning stages. A work session to discuss the timeline and process is tentatively scheduled for January 17, 2023. With extensive opportunities for public input and the extensive amount of work, completion of the update is currently planned for December 2024. The Fiscal Year 2023 Budget was adopted in August 2022. As adopted, the budget continues to support the City’s endeavor to provide exceptional services to our community, adjust to growth and demand, and improve our facilities and infrastructure all while providing relief to our property taxpayers during this period of rising costs. With a record year of property tax relief generated from Resort Tax collections during Fiscal Year 2022, most property taxpayers should see a reduction in the City portion of their tax bill this year. Continue to page 10 ---PAGE BREAK--- There are many ways to pay! Utility bills come to you once a month with a short turn-around time on payment due date. The standard options of coming in and paying in cash or mailing your payment by check are still available. For your convenience, we also have an ACH (Automated Clearing House) option or the Online Bill Pay using the website portal option. $ ACH – This option allows you to sign up, relax and know that your payment is being made on time every month. Access the ACH sign-up form on the City of Whitefi sh website. Download the online form and mail to: City of Whitefi sh, P.O. Box 158, Whitefi sh, MT 59937 with either a voided check from a checking account or a bank letter with your savings account information that you would like to make payment from. The ACH draft will be made from your account on or about the 10th of every month in the amount of the balance due. No late fees and no worries. For forms received after the 7th of the month; the fi rst ACH withdrawal will apply to the next billing. $ Online bill pay– this option allows you to create an online account and make a one-time payment or recurring payments using a credit card or debit card. Access this portal and create an account or make a one-time payment on the whitefi sh.billingdoc.net/login. Our Utility Department would be glad to help if you have questions. Thanks for your patience! Changing over to the new bear-proof garbage cart for residential properties has not been without its challenges but we are here to help. Please continue to communicate with us about issues arising during this transition and we will work with Republic Services to resolve the issues or put you in contact with the appropriate Republic Service staff . The fi nal shipment of bear-proof containers from the manufacturer is expected to arrive mid-December and the fi nal roll-out is scheduled for completion by mid-January. If your new bear-resistant cart has been delivered, please only use this cart, and leave your old cart empty. Please help us expedite the removal of these containers by keeping them empty. If you have your new bear-resistant container, keep them curbside until collected, as this may not happen on the service day. Please also ensure that your new cart has a minimum of four feet on either side to ensure that the truck arms can fi t around the container. By reducing attractants, such as unsecured garbage, we are moving toward our desired outcome of minimizing bear activity and the potential for human-bear confl icts in town. We thank you for taking part in this eff ort. For more information on the bear-resistant container roll-out please visit our sh. org/526/Garbage. 3 Volleyball Court Improvements 4 Create Defensible Space 5 Snow Removal Guidelines 6 Resort Tax Project Update 7 New Leaf Pickup Program 8 Don’t be Scammed 9 Employee Parking Program 11 Whitefi sh Community Library Issue ---PAGE BREAK--- The City of Whitefi sh, Parks and Recreation Department recently refurbished the outdoor beach volleyball court at Mountain Trails Park. The court is now open for community use including youth recreation programs, league play, community tournaments, and adult recreation. This project was made possible by generous support from SFM & INVESTECH, Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund, and a donation made through the Whitefi sh Community Foundation. This project involved several upgrades to an existing volleyball court which was not functional due to an unsuitable surface and aging equipment. The existing sand was removed and replaced with washed and fi nely screened sand which is required for a safe playing surface. New components to the court were also installed, including poles, net, boundary lines, safety padding, and edge guard. The work was completed by Triton Construction. With an additional generous donation from SFM & INVESTECH, two new picnic tables were also purchased and installed in the park near the new volleyball court. The volleyball court is available on a fi rst come, fi rst served basis. It can also be reserved by the day or the hour. Visit sh.org/ Facilities to request a reservation. ---PAGE BREAK--- B Cooking Fires Thanksgiving is the peak day of the year for home cooking fi res with more than three times the daily average number of fi res. Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas Eve are also top days for household kitchen fi res. Cooking causes almost half of all reported home fi res and is the second leading cause of home fi re deaths. Unattended cooking is the leading contributing factor in cooking fi res. Keep your family safe this holiday season with these fi re prevention tips: Check that your smoke detectors have fresh batteries and are working properly. Do not leave the stovetop unsupervised, especially if frying food. Have a large lid handy to smother small grease fi res. Keep a fi re extinguisher within 10 feet of the kitchen for quick access. Establish a safety zone of three feet around the stove. Keep children, pets, and fl ammable items (as oven mitts and wooden utensils) outside of the zone. Follow all instructions carefully when using a deep fryer, use it outdoors and a safe distance away from buildings and trees, and constantly monitor the cooking. If you do have a cooking fi re, get everyone out of the house. Close the door behind you to help contain the fi re and dial 911 once you are safely outside. Heating the Great Indoors Home heating equipment is the second leading cause of home fi res, and the majority of these fi res happen in December, January, and February. Improperly used portable space heaters account for four out of fi ve home heating fi re deaths. Keep live trees hydrated and at least three feet away from heat sources. A dry Christmas tree is a dangerous Christmas tree. Set up and run your generator outside and at least 20-feet away from the home and from the garage, windows, doors, and vents. Never operate a generator in an enclosed space and direct the exhaust away from your home. Never heat your home with your oven. Never use charcoal or gasoline fueled devices indoors. Use a screen on the fi replace and don’t have stockings on the mantel when it’s lit. Install and maintain smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Be Bright About Lights and Decor The holidays can be magical, but many lights have the potential to be fi re starters, especially if placed near fl ammable items. Two of every fi ve decoration fi res happen because the items were placed too close to a heat source. Go fl ameless this year and use LED candles instead of a fl ame. More than one-third of home decoration fi res are started by candles. If you decide to light a candle, keep it at least 12 inches away from anything that could burn. All hanging decorations need to be clear of sprinkler heads, smoke detectors, heat sources, and candles. Ensure outside decorations are for outdoor use and plugged into the ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to reduce the risk of electric shock. Don’t run cords through door frames or windows. Do not connect multiple extension cords together – it will overload your outlet. Replace light sets with broken sockets, frayed wires, or loose connections. Power down – turn off all lights and decorations when you leave the house and when you go to bed, even on Christmas Eve. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Whitefi sh Fire Department, [PHONE REDACTED]. ---PAGE BREAK--- The viaduct will be plowed early morning before school starts when we receive 2 inches or more of snow. City staff cannot control when the Montana Department of Transportation plows Baker Avenue and buries the walkways. Please be patient as we may not be able to plow again until after 1:00 p.m. Please remember that snow removal equipment has the right of way. Pedestrians must yield to equipment when staff are actively plowing. Be aware of plowing activi- ty before you walk over the viaduct as it is very diffi cult to reverse equipment. ---PAGE BREAK--- The Edgewood and Texas Reconstruction Project is the current road job on the Resort Tax Priority List. The work on Edgewood between Colorado and Texas was completed in 2021. The Texas Avenue Reconstruction project started in early July 2022 and was completed in early November. The project was awarded to LHC, Inc. The work involved the reconstruction of Texas Avenue from Edgewood Place to Denver Street and Edgewood Place from Texas Avenue to the eastern city limits. The Texas Avenue improvements included a shared use path on the west side of the road, stormwater management improvements, decorative lighting, and street trees. The Edgewood Place improvements included sidewalk on the north side of the road, stormwater management, water distribution system upgrades, decorative lighting, and street trees. To avoid construction delays, like those experienced during the summer of 2021, the city prepurchased pipe materials. There was extensive public outreach during the design of the Texas Avenue Reconstruction project. Information presented at public meetings, past newsletters and current updates can be found at sh.org/523/Edgewood-and-Texas-Reconstruction-Project . Landscaping along Edgewood Place was completed this summer and fall. As the boulevard grass comes up next spring the Public Works Department will evaluate the landscaping to see if additional work is warranted. Street trees will be planted on Texas Avenue next spring. Since September 6th, Sandry Construction has replaced over 2,500 feet of old 6” cast iron water main and the new 18” PVC watermain is in place all the way to E. 5th Street. Four fi re hydrants have been replaced along with many new water valves and service lines. With the favorable fall weather, Phase 1 work went into November. Spokane Avenue was paved at the end of Phase 1 and re- opened to standard two-way traffi c for the winter. Watermain construction will resume next Spring with fi nal completion expected to be in May 2023. The fi nal schedule for the MDT paving project has not yet been determined, but we’re optimistic it will take place in June 2023. The 2022 Whitefi sh Transportation Plan was adopted by Council on October 17, 2022. The update is designed to guide transportation planning activities by setting forth direction and strategies to help shape the City’s transportation network through the year 2040. This plan serves as an update to the 2010 Whitefi sh Transportation Plan. The plan considers all modes of transportation including driving, walking, bicycling and transit to create a consolidated vision for the future. The Whitefi sh Transportation Plan update was developed through a collaborative approach involving stakeholders, agency partners, and community members, and charts the development of the transportation system using the community’s goals and priorities as a foundation. The fi nal plan can be downloaded at: sh.transportationplan.net ---PAGE BREAK--- Have you noticed the big yellow box the City crew has been pulling around town this fall? Well, that’s our new leaf vacuum! That’s right, the City of Whitefi sh will NO LONGER BE PICKING UP BAGGED LEAVES. Not only will this system be safer and more effi cient for the Public Works Department, it will also save residents time and money. This new system will require leaves to be placed adjacent to the edge of the street for pickup. Here are the rules: For those residing in an area that has boulevards, place your leaves within the boulevard closest to the street side but not in the gutter. If the residence does not have a boulevard, leaves must be deposited no farther than fi ve feet from the street, but not on the pavement itself. This service DOES NOT include the removal of grass clippings. Piles with branches, grass clippings, garden waste and pet waste will not be picked up. Please do not place leaves around tree bases, signs, light poles, or any other obstacles. Please follow the City’s Alternate Side Parking restrictions to ensure the success of this new system. Questions about the new leaf pickup procedures may be directed to the Public Works Department (publicworks@cityofwhitefi sh.org, or (406) 863-2460). The city’s central recycling site closed in January 2022. The site was, unfortunately, plagued by contamination and overuse. The property where the central recycling site was located is being repurposed for aff ordable housing. The city council has moved forward with providing animal resistant garbage containers through a contract with Republic Services and the move towards a new centralized recycling site has been postponed until this initiative has been fully implemented. Up to date information on how to recycle can be found on the Waste Not website. REMINDER!! BUSINESS LICENSE RENEWAL It is that time of year again! You can renew your business license for the 2023 Calendar year between December 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023. Renewal notices for existing businesses will be sent out by mid-November. Please review for accuracy and notify us of changes to your business. Please plan on being current with resort tax payments prior to your renewal. Thanks for making Whitefi sh a fun place to visit. Christmas Caroler Display donated in honor of the Thorsen and Maddux Family. Thank you! ---PAGE BREAK--- Over the years Whitefi sh Police Department has seen an increase of citizens falling for phone and internet scams. Scammers tend to target the elderly and youth and can be very convincing. To ensure you and/or a loved one doesn’t fall for a scam, have a family discussion beforehand and remember the Whitefi sh Police Department is always available to help and it is never a “bother”. Here are some telltale signs of a tax scam along with actions taxpayers can take if they receive a scam call. The IRS will never: Call to demand immediate payment using a specifi c payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will fi rst mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes. Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying. Demand that taxes be paid without giving taxpayers the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed. Call unexpectedly about a tax refund. Taxpayers who receive these phone calls should: Record the number and then hang up the phone immediately. Repot the call to your local law enforcement agency. Report the call to TIGTA using their IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting form or by calling [PHONE REDACTED]. Report the number to phishing@irs. gov and be sure to put “IRS Phone Scam” in the subject line. Grandparent scam call (also known as Relative-in-Need scam) The caller calls you and tells you that s/he is your grandchild. (The caller has done some homework and learned your grandchild’s name usually obtained from social media. Also, scammers are good at gathering information from the call.) The caller tells you s/he is in trouble. Perhaps the caller tells you that s/he is traveling abroad and is in jail. Money is needed to pay a fi ne or an attorney in order to get out of jail. The caller urges you not to tell anyone about it. You are to send the money by wire or gift card. Avoid the Grandparent Scam Ask the grandchild a question only he or she would likely know, such as “What is the name of my dog?” or “What did I get you for Christmas last year?” The scammer asks the grandparent not to talk to the grandchild’s parents. Disregard this and call parents and grandchild. Do not wire money to anyone without checking out the story. Once money has been wired, it is usually gone forever. Buying a bail bond is a complicated process. If you are asked to post a bond, be suspicious if the process involves immediate payment using a specifi c payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Call Whitefi sh Police Department before providing personal information or sending money. What is sextortion? Sextortion is the coercion of a child by an adult to produce Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), or the predator can also use the video to extort money, bank account information, or gift cards from the victim by threatening its release on various social media pages. Sextortion schemes begin with the predator posing as a young girl on social media. The “girl” builds an online relationship with the teenager. Through deception, manipulation, fl attery, money, gifts, or threats, the predator convinces the young person to produce an explicit video or image. The predator secretly records and saves the video or image. When the young person starts to resist requests to make more images, the criminal will use threats of harm or exposure of the early images to pressure the child to continue producing content or to extort money, bank account Continued on page 10 Tessa Cowan was born and raised in the Flathead Valley and graduated from Columbia Falls High School in 2011. Following high school, Cowan pursued an Associates of Science Degree at Flathead Valley Community College and continued studying Criminal Justice with a Law Enforcement Concentration at the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana. While in Great Falls, Cowan competed at the collegiate level in cross country. In 2016, Cowan returned to the Flathead Valley to raise her son, Easton. Cowan began her law enforcement career with the Whitefi sh Police Department in 2017 as a patrol offi cer. In addition to her patrol duties, Cowan is a Taser Instructor, Special Olympics Liaison, Crisis Intervention Team Member and Field Training Offi cer. Outside of work Cowan and her son enjoy all that Montana off ers including hiking, skiing, running, fi shing, and camping. ---PAGE BREAK--- BUILDING TIPS: Pouring Concrete in the Winter The City is HIRING! The City of Whitefi sh is a professional organization providing many valuable municipal services to residents and visitors of the City. We have temporary, seasonal and full-time positions available. Not only does the City off er an attractive benefi ts package, holidays, and vacation, it also provides an opportunity to work with an amazing group of individuals who are professional and caring of their co-workers and the citizens of Whitefi sh. Visit our website for positions that are available. careers/whitefi sh We often get questions about winter construction and, more specifi cally, whether concrete construction can occur in the winter months. Although not ideal, concrete can be poured during the winter with special precautions. Winter concrete construction is more complicated for several reasons: • Concrete achieves strength by a chemical process called hydration. The process happens when water combines with Portland cement. The process works best when the water is warm. Cold weather in the winter slows down the chemical reaction and therefore slows down the rate of strength gain. Ultimately, all that really means is you need to wait longer before you apply any signifi cant structural loads to the concrete. • To combat the low temperatures and slow rate of hydration, chemical accelerators can be used. In the past, calcium was used to accelerate the chemical reaction and increase the strength gain of concrete. However, it was discovered that calcium causes corrosion in the reinforcing steel. Today we use non-chloride accelerators to protect the reinforcing steel from corrosion. • Concrete plants use warm water when mixing concrete in the winter. As you can imagine this can be quite costly due to the sheer volume of water that must be heated. • Finally, insulated blankets and heaters are used to protect concrete from freezing when it is fi rst poured. This allows the chemical process of hydration to continue and therefore create stronger concrete. The Whitefi sh Building Department strictly follows the American Concrete Institute recommendations listed in Guide 306 when inspecting cold weather concrete. Thermal blankets or heat is required based on ambient temperatures during cold weather. Concrete monitoring is conducted by Building Inspectors to ensure proper procedures are followed. Please contact us at [PHONE REDACTED] with your questions related to building construction. The Employee Parking Permit Program (Parking Pilot Program) is in full eff ect. Business owners and employees can purchase permits for $20 a month on a month-to- month, or 12-month basis, per license plate, per permit. Permit holders will recieve a 5% discount for purchase of 12-months. Permits are valid Monday - Friday, 6am - 6pm in the following parking lots: 1) East 3rd St./Central Avenue; 2) East 1st St/Spokane Avenue; 3) directly south of the Whitefi sh Community Library, western most portion; and 4) third fl oor of the City Hall Parking Structure. The number of permits have been increased from 85 permits to 100 permits. Permits can be purchased online cityofwhitefi sh.org/478/Online-Payments. One license plate per permit holder Employee Parking Permit Program ---PAGE BREAK--- The year ahead at the City will be just as busy as the last, but we are up for the challenge! The City Council has identifi ed 29 goals including projects such as: Completion of Armory Park Redevelopment Phase III Project Updates to the Landscaping Chapter and Tree Retention Standards Updates to the City’s Growth Policy Updates to the Lakeshore Erosion Standards Implementation of the Highway 93 South Corridor Plan and Downtown Master Plan Continued work on Resort Tax funded street construction projects Completion of the Spokane Avenue Water Main Replacement Project Short-term Rental Program Enhancements and Enforcement Implementation of the Whitefi sh Community Housing Roadmap While we have many projects in the pipeline, we could not do it without the support of many in our community. Thank you to our board and committee volunteers, partners, community members, City staff , and elected offi cials. Together we will continue to make Whitefi sh a desirable and vibrant community to live, work and play! Continued from page 1 information, or gift cards from the victim by threatening its release on various social media pages. What can be done to stop sextortion schemes? The following tips may help protect families and children online. Note that adults can fall prey to sextortion schemes as well. Consider restricting social media accounts. If social media accounts are open, a predator may be able to connect personal information to obtain signifi cant material for illegal use. Be sensitive to the information you share online, especially personal information and passwords. Remember anyone, predators included, can pretend to be anything or anyone online. Be cautious of anyone you encounter for the fi rst time online and remember that videos and photos are not proof of identity. Block or ignore messages from strangers. Be suspicious if you meet someone on a game or app and you’re asked to switch to a diff erent platform. Encourage all children to report suspicious or uncomfortable behavior to a trusted adult. What victims of a sextortion scheme and their families should do Do not forward the material to anyone else, including parents and guardians. Forwarding this CSAM could compound the issue. Do not delete anything before law enforcement has had an opportunity to forensically review it. When speaking with law enforcement about these online encounters, be honest and open. Investigators are trained and compassionate individuals, and the information you provide assists us in locating these predators. Make a report with your local Law Enforcement Agency. Continued from page 8 2022 Great Fish Community Challenge The Whitefi sh Firefi ghters Association raised $23K during the 2022 Great Fish Community Challenge. The Whitefi sh Community Foundation also provided a matching grant in the amount of $11,800, bringing the total to $34,800! The Whitefi sh Firefi ghters Association will put these generous donations towards purchasing life-saving equipment and taking steps to prevent cancer and to provide mental wellness support for our fi rst responders. Thank you for supporting the 70 non-profi t organizations in this year’s Great Fish Community Challenge presented by the Whitefi sh Community Foundation. ---PAGE BREAK--- Whitefi sh Community Library 9 Spokane Ave Whitefi sh, MT 59937 (406)862-9914 shlibrary.org/ Library Hours Monday: 10 a.m.- 7 p.m Tues - Thurs 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Friday: 11 a.m to 5 p.m Saturday 12:00 p.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday: Closed Whiteĕ sh Community Library Board of Trustees Sarah Ericson Chair Deb Bond Trustee Trevor Gonser Treasurer Kelly Peppmeier Trustee Jessica Tubbs Vice Chair Director Joey Kositzky Secretary Whitefi sh Community Library Director, Joey Kositzky, will be retiring the end of this year after 36+ years as librarian for the Whitefi sh community. Kositzky began her career at the Whitefi sh Library in September of 1986 after volunteering at Muldown school library during her daughter’s elementary school years. Interviews for a new Director will commence soon. R.E.A.D., the popular read to a dog program is off ered every Tuesday from 3:30-4:30. This program brings diff erent therapy dogs and their handlers to the library after school for children to read a book while enjoying the company of a gentle, nonjudgmental dog. Pre-registration is recommended, but not required. “Middle School Crafternoon” is once a month from 3:30-5pm. “Game On” is a group of youth that meet every other Thursday from 4:30-5:45 in the library community room. Diff erent board games are set up and kids can interact with their peers and compete on a friendly level. Every Thursday Youth Services Librarian, Mary Drew, off ers “Story Circle” for preschoolers. After sharing a book a craft is presented, often connected to a theme that corresponds with the story. Book clubs: Women’s Book Club is the second Wednesday of each month at 1pm in the library community room. Whitefi sh Book Discussion is the last Wednesday of each month at 6pm in the library community room. Staff technician, Joy Hawley, was recently awarded her Montana State Library certifi cate after completing the requirements for certifi cation. The 2022 Summer Reading Challenge resulted in 4,958+ hours read by Whitefi sh participants which totaled 7-1/3 months of reading. A huge thank you to the many Whitefi sh businesses that contributed prizes and gift cards, and a special thank you to Josh Wilson, Whitefi sh Credit Union (WCU), for sponsoring the program. Upon hearing of the eff orts of the readers, Josh decided they deserved to be recognized for their eff orts and donated $1 for every ticket turned which totaled $1503. (One ticket represented a completed row on their reading logs.) The library then passed the donation on to the Whitefi sh Lake Institute, a local non-profi t conducting research of Whitefi sh Lake. “That’s really what the challenge is about” said Mary Drew Powers, Youth Services Librarian. “It’s about contributing and belonging to our community. We loved being able to give our readers this opportunity, thanks to the Whitefi sh Credit Union.” Congratulations Joey! Thank you for your many years of service! ---PAGE BREAK---