Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Dear Editor: I am writing this letter to express my concerns in regard to what is happening at the Highland Cemetery. In July 2013, I visited my father’s gravesite at the cemetery and was appalled at what I saw. A large headstone had been placed within inches of my father’s footstone. This headstone is so close to my father’s footstone that it obstructs the view of half of it. It robs the dignity and respect of my father’s resting place. There is an existing ordinance governing the placement of markers that has been in effect since before...
An open letter to city of Glasgow residents from the desk of Mayor Becky Erickson. In 1938, the Glasgow levee was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Once completed, the levee was given to the city of Glasgow, which took over ownership, or “public sponsor” of the system for operations and maintenance. The levee is 12,040 feet in length, or 2.28 miles, stretching from near the Valley County Museum at Hwy. 2 southward around the south side of town, and northeastward behind the hospital to meet at the Fort Peck Highway. The pur...
While work continued on the Glasgow Milk River and Cherry Creek System Wide Infrastructure Framework (SWIF) Plan, revisions from the Army Corps of Engineers were returned to the levee safety committee. The good news that came with it was an extension on the SWIF plan for an additional year to fix the revisions and work on budgeting and funding for repairs and upgrades. At the most recent Glasgow City Council meeting, Mayor Becky Erickson said that they are working on research for possible grant funds to help with the multimillion dollar...
I'll say it again, if we can't pay attention to the details and understand the fundamentals of government at the lowest levels, how can we ever hope to get a grasp on the national level and understand the real problems we're facing? Last week I talked a little about the responsibility to pay attention to the government and exercise your rights to know what's going on. The easiest way to get involved in government is to go to the meetings. I know what most people think: How will you ever find time to squeeze a meeting in? I've got kids to feed,...
It's an emotional struggle for families involved at the Glasgow Highland Cemetery. The issue is whether standing headstones should be left alone or a city ordinance should be changed to allow standing headstones that have been placed where only flat stones are permitted. With 44 headstones already standing near the flat stones, it could mean some difficult decisions for the city council. The cemetery committee met June 10 to discuss the issue with family members and decide on its recommendation...
A convenient move has made things a little easier for the Glasgow Police Department and for City Court. Glasgow City Council members discussed a possible move on April 21. The move is only two suites away from the original location on 121 3rd St. S. It will now be located directly next to the Glasgow Police Department. A slight raise in rent was discussed, but it would allow more safety, more space and more convenience from the suite at the other end of the building. At the April 21 meeting city council approved the move, contingent on the...
It's been brought up at Glasgow City Council meetings for the last three or four meetings. The city cemetery committee has been dealing with a delicate problem that came to their attention in recent years. At the March 17 council meeting the committee reported to the council that issues with a section of Highland Cemetery that was never supposed to have standing headstones had more than 40 standing of them. The city ordinance was not followed as family members buried their loved ones next to flat stones. At the meeting, the committee reported...
By Bonnie Davidson The Courier Crunching numbers is part of the annual tradition of audits for city and counties nationwide. It's part of the process to keep governments in check and to ensure that tax dollars are being used properly. While it might not be the most sexy topic, it a very important part of the checks and balances in the country. Both Valley County and the city of Glasgow audits were completed and the findings received in the last month. Documents and financial statements from the...
Flooding is a concern in the Glasgow area, a concern that has become a reality a number of times over the last century. Only a few years ago, in 2011, a large flood threatened and damaged the area. The disaster caused millions of dollars of damage. The Army Corps of Engineers gave the city of Glasgow two years to complete a plan to fix several issues with the Milk River and Cherry Creek levee that was rated as unacceptable. Glasgow formed a Levee Safety Committee in order to meet the deadline...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will host a series of nine public meetings in May to review and discuss recent recommendations from an advisory council tasked with adjusting Montana’s hunting and fishing licenses and fees. The Fish & Wildlife Licensing and Funding Advisory Council spent the past eight months examining FWP’s current license system and funding cycle for fish and wildlife management. That work resulted in recent recommendations to FWP Director Jeff Hagener that would provide an additional $6.25 million a year to stave off deep bud...
While the news has been heard nationwide, Glasgow heard some of it from Bud Anderson, an independent contractor with TransCanada who works for Western Energy Planning and has been working on the Keystone XL Pipeline project. Glasgow and Valley County are in a position where the pipeline would directly affect the economy and services in the surrounding area. Benefits of the project have been put on hold as the Department of State has sent out a memorandum requesting for more time to allow federal agencies to review the route and as the Nebraska...
While the wet season isn’t quite over yet, another winter has passed and the roof on the Glasgow South Side Fire Hall is still suffering damage with more moisture. The battle to put a roof on the fire hall has been ongoing as several different ideas and issues have arisen over the last few years. At the March 17 city council meeting, the only bid that had come in for the project was from City Councilman Dan Durell. The bid from D.R. Durell Construction came in at $86,287. Approval for the bid waited until the April 7 meeting as City Attorney P...
It's a big number, maybe a tough one to swallow. The number is an estimated $7,566,100. That is what Morrison-Mairle Inc. proposed for all the improvements at the water treatment plant (WTP) in Glasgow. A few members of the community attended the public hearing that took place at the city council meeting on Monday, April 7. Jeremy Perlinski and Jeff Ashley gave an overview to city council members and those in attendance at the meeting of what was discussed at the first preliminary engineering...
Evan Joseph Granrud, 85, passed away on Friday, April 4, 2014, due to natural causes. A celebration of Evan's life was on April 8, at Bell Tower Funeral Home in Post Falls, Idaho, with Pastor David Ophus officiating. A memorial service at Opheim Lutheran Church with interment at Opheim Cemetery will be 1 p.m. May 17. He was born in Portal, N.D., on Dec. 25, 1928, to Elmer and Clara (Lee) Granrud. He was the oldest of six children and attended school in Portal. He married Muriel Nygaard on Sept....
While the building of the Valley County jail was finished three years ago, some kinks are still being cleared up. The county commissioners were surprised at one point by the water/sewer rates and were looking for a way to lower the bill. But what ended up happening, created more of a mess for both the county and the city. City officials said the building’s 3-inch meter was removed without proper approval, and the replacement meter was reduced in size in hopes for a smaller bill. The action went against city ordinance, which gives the city the r...
While several residents have been concerned with what’s next in the water system and how it will affect rates, none showed up to the first public meeting on the Glasgow Water Treatment Plant (WTP) in regards to the preliminary engineering report (PER). Jeremy Perlinski and Jeff Ashley, both professional engineeers for Marrison-Maierle, presented to the city council and others who attended some issues with the WTP on Monday, March 3. Glasgow Mayor Becky Erickson explained that the first meeting was more focused on educating the council and t...
Dear Editor: Does Glasgow have a parking problem? Several years ago, the City Council did away [with] most of the parking restrictions for central business district when they removed the parking meters and all the associated hassle. Generally speaking with a few minor exceptions, it has worked reasonably well. Most people have enough common courtesy not to park in front of businesses for extended periods of time. The employers and the people who work in the central business district do not park on the street. However, as of late that has...
Water, it’s one of the most important functions in a municipality. While the city of Glasgow has finished the updates to the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), it now is looking at possible future improvements to the city’s Water Treatment Plant (WTP). The public is invited to attend a public meeting at the city council chambers on Monday, March 3, at 5:30 p.m. Glasgow Director of Public Works Robert “Bob” Kompel explained that the preliminary engineering report (PER) is just in the beginning phases to take a closer work at what improve...
While many will remember the last few decades of fresh produce being offered at the "Red Rock Plaza," they might not have realized they were walking on contaminated ground. The park located at 135 3rd St. S. has been in the process of remediation and is now looking at a more permanent future. While it wasn't radioactive, and it wasn't a disaster area, it did create enough of a mess to bring in Shelli Isle of Great Northern Development (GND) to seek grants for removing two old tanks and do an...
It might not be a memorable building for some. The white building with cracks and dingy paint isn't an attractive view, and some worry it might give the wrong impression of Glasgow. While it looks weathered, it's also a building that's used on a daily basis. The Glasgow Train Depot has seen years of weather and use. Passengers have come and gone, workers have come and gone, but the building still stands at 424 1st Ave. S., for the most part untouched. Tami Burke, administrator for the Tourism Bu...
Resigning one seat to take the mayor seat in Glasgow came with a quick raise of the hand and the swearing of an oath. Becky Erickson has now officially taken the title of mayor for the New Year. The regular city council meeting that took place on Monday, Jan. 6, was packed full of friends and family ready to witness the new positions filled. Erickson began the meeting by resigning her seat on city council and immediately took the oath of office. Erickson then administered the oath of office to...
July • The airline that provides Essential Air Service to Glasgow and other small cities in Montana has decided to leave the state. Silver Airways notified the U.S. Department of Transportation that it will not bid for another two-year contract and will stop flying scheduled service in Montana on Sept. 27. Part of the reason for Silver's departure is the upcoming termination of EAS subsidies to Lewistown and Miles City on July 15, leaving only five cities in the program: Glasgow, Wolf Point, G...
January • The winter storm that hit northeast Montana on Thursday night, Jan. 10, wasn't a surprise. It had been making its way across the state, heralded by the forecasters. But its intensity on Friday brought on the winter grumbles. The storm deserved the term blizzard, with heavy snow that was blown by winds up to 41 mph, causing white-out conditions and drifts reported up to 9 feet deep. The low temperature of 1 degree above zero Friday night translated to about 29 below wind chill. A r...
As the New Year takes shape, a new mayor for Glasgow will take her seat. Becky Erickson will be taking the place of Dan Carney. Carney might be stepping down from city council and from the mayor seat, but he still intends to keep some irons in the fire. Carney started in the city council in 1984. Nearly 30 years of experience started out after interest in the water situation in Glasgow grew. He applied for a vacant seat and didn't get it. So he ran for city council and found his way in on the...
As more home businesses are becoming part of today’s culture and Glasgow is shifting into a time of change, the city has looked to add a growth policy. The decision was made to go ahead with the policy through the firm DJ&A. Recently, the company asked Glasgow for an additional $3,000 for their work on the growth policy and they were denied it as the city signed a contract to pay a set amount. The growth policy was needed to help make changes to local zoning ordinances. Those ordinances have become outdated with the new changes, and some t...
