The Council also approved giving $56,000 to Lincoln-McKinley School for sidewalk replacement and an additional $18,000 to the Senior Center to cure sidewalk and drainage issues at the center. Before the Mayor could even finish reading the Bill detailing the information for the vote Councilman Vies is calling for the vote as he usually does to keep things speeding along so he can get home for Monday night football. Councilman Woodwick objected to lumping all three of these proposed projects together and wanted to vote on them separately which then required a council vote on that motion. Council person Pam Hillary and Vies vote to keep them together as one vote. Vies again just wanting to keep things moving along and Hillary voting no because “she was afraid some would vote against the Atrium project if “separated” The Lincoln-McKinley and Senior Citizens projects pass unanimously but Woodwick had some problems with using up most of Havre’s CTEP funding on a privately owned business like the Atrium. The only two councilmen that appear to have the greater good of the taxpayers at heart were Andrew Brekke and Woody Woodwick that had the courage to vote NO to this free mania from heaven for Edmonds, Shaw and Healy although Councilman Cal Long mentioned he also had concerns as he was casting his yes vote
Now that the Havre Council has pissed off most all of their CTEP budget into private businessman’s pockets I wonder what we will do when a needed project needs funded on one of our publically owned properties. While some people do think the Atrium project needs done because the public uses the sidewalks I would remind our readers that these sidewalks were in a state of disrepair when Shaw, Edmonds and Healy bought this property at fire sale prices. Are we now going to be in the habit of gifting repair money to business people wanting a free fix in other projects?
Where do we sign up?
did you say "transportation"?
ReplyDeletehow 'bout plowing streets?
it used to be a state law that streets be passable...
then the legislature added a ditty about it being dependent on funding.
infinite wisdom all over the place.
Thank-you Andrew and Woody for having some common sense. I find it absolutely ridiculous that we find private business people to repair things they should be doing themselves. When I paid big bucks to have my sidewalks torn up and re done in front of my home and commercial properties the only help I got was dumb ass Dave Peterson asking my contractor for permits to fix the city owned sidewalks. How about funding for a struggling museum, or maybe it gives the city more pride to have 80 year old people carrying museum artifacts that are to heavy, because the city just couldn't fund any money to an exsisting bldg. Kiss my A-- to the council that voted to give private individuals an early Christmas present.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me I meant FUND instead of Find
ReplyDeleteYou are spot on right about this one Nancy.
ReplyDeleteThey could have used some of this money for steps at the Optimist park instead of sliding down the hill or stepping on old railroad ties to get to the kid's softball field
If I recall correctly, several years ago there was some CTEP money that came to Havre, and people could take out low cost loans to fix up the east end of Havre.
ReplyDeleteThe money was administered through Bear Paw Devlopment, and alot of houses on the east end really benefitted from it. I know I got much needed new water line.
I was told as that money was repaid that it was to be continued to loaned out do the program could sustain itself, yet now I think it is done.
That should be another consideration of this opportunity. A program like that could improve the image of Havre, as well as improving everybodys property values. There is certainly a need for better insulation, more efficient HVAC, not to mention the cosmetic improvements.
I'm with Johnson. What's it gonna take for the City of Havre to understand that they need to budget money for snow removal and sanding? Does someone's child have to be run over walking to the bus stop in the morning because the city refuses to spend the money to spread sand anywhere but downtown??
ReplyDeleteWhy is it this blog is a day late this info should have been out before the meeting so some of us could have gone to voice our concerns?
ReplyDeleteCould have the city used this money to hire another man to help with snow removal and patching? I konw that in the early 90's the city had more employees than they have now by about double. Fewer men = fewer repairs and maintance becomes a job of just getting little stuff done. Unfortunatly we have to hire engineers to head every project and the fees are huge so things get left undone. At one time the public works director was an engineer and could have the crews put in water lines and sewer lines what happened? The streets are going to be a mess with holes on acount of the salt in the sand it melts the snow/ice then runs in the cracks in the street then freezes making pot holes. We had better streets before the salt just used more sand. What has our city become?
ReplyDeleteI think they should have gotten a little more cash so the taxpayers could pay for a heated smoke shack outside the casino. That makes about as much sense as putting a new sidewalk around the block. Maybe we could have the same engineer design it that did the courthouse steps. Then we could build it twice. As long as where screwing the taxpayers, lets do it right.
ReplyDelete