07/29/2024
“Helena This Week” is reported and written By JoVonne Wagner. Send your Helena news and tips to jwagner@montanafreepress.org.
A passenger railroad project connecting Seattle to Chicago could potentially bypass Helena without the support of Lewis and Clark County, according to county and railroad project officials.
The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, along with the Federal Railroad Administration, is leading the project to restore the North Coast Hiawatha route and has garnered the support of route-affected counties across southern Montana. Lewis and Clark County is not one of them.
Although the Rail Authority lists Helena as a preferred stop for the project, an alternate route would bring the railway south to Butte before continuing through Missoula and Billings.
“Worst-case scenario … it happens, and they decide to go through Butte. That’s it. It’s a missed opportunity for Helena,” Lewis and Clark County Commission Chair Andy Hunthausen told Montana Free Press. “They’re in. They’re really advocating that ‘Hey, open this line through Butte, we want it. We’ll do whatever you want.’ That’s great, but my wonder is why aren’t we doing the same thing?”
Hunthausen said he was in favor of the county joining the Rail Authority in 2021. But when the county considered a formal resolution to join the project, former commissioners Susan Good Geise and Jim McCormick opposed the idea, Hunthausen said.
“[They] were a little bit worried that it could come, some of it could come back on the local taxpayer, and at the time, at the very outset, there was not a clear way of leaving the authority,” Hunthausen said. Those concerns were addressed, he added, after the authority added into its bylaws that counties can leave at any time and that the project would be federally funded through Amtrak.
However, when commissioners Tom Rolf and Candace Payne were elected to the Lewis and Clark County Commission, they also opposed the project, with Payne sharing the former commissioner’s worries about the local tax impact.
“There’s things that I think it is appropriate for the county to help with. We’ve got other things that are way more important to us,” Payne told MTFP recently. “If they want people to invest in railroads, fine. But that doesn’t mean I should take money out of the taxpayer’s pocket. The people who trust me, they know that we need to fix our roads. We need to be prepared to fight fires. We need to have law enforcement. All those things. It takes money, and that’s a priority.”
Dave Strohmaier is the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority’s board of directors chairman and a Missoula County commissioner. He told MTFP that county participation could play a role when the Federal Railroad Administration makes decisions on what routes to fund for restoration at the end of this year.
“If I’m the Federal Railroad Administration needing to allocate limited resources at some point, someone is going to have to make a decision,” Strohmaier said. “If a community or a county says for whatever reasons … ‘You know what, we don’t want to join the rail authority. We don’t want to participate in supporting passenger rail.’ Okay, there are plenty of others who do.”
Strohmaier said that 19 voting members are appointed by the 19 counties partnering with the rail authority. He said having county participation means having a seat at the table in the project’s decision-making, while not joining is like having a team member sitting on the bench.
Gregory Thomas, a Helena resident and the vice chair of the government partners program, provided city officials with more information during a meeting last week. He told MTFP that the program allows cities and towns to support the rail project independently from their counties. He stressed how the passenger rail would impact communities like Helena.
“We’re talking about good-paying jobs that will be created because of the transportation [and] tourism industries. You’re talking about, stronger, healthier communities, especially including rural and tribal areas,” Thomas said. “It becomes a working tool for businesses, farmers and ranchers, schools, universities, health care and other civic institutions.”
City commissioners have expressed interest in what a partnership would look like if Helena chose to support the project. City Manager Tim Burton recommended continuing the discussion at a future administrative meeting to allow time to gather additional information on financial implications before the commission officially considers joining.
With environmental and engineering analysis and the actual building of much of the infrastructure still to come, officials expect the project to take roughly eight more years to reach fruition.
5 Things to Know in Helena
Garbage removal fees update: The city of Helena is proposing a $2 per month increase for residential garbage collection and disposal. City staff recommends the increase that will help the public works and solid waste department with operations and maintenance and pay a $1.35 million debt service on equipment. The city commission will consider the change at a later time.
Non-motorized group down the road: The city commission will consider a resolution during its next regular meeting on Monday, July 29, to dissolve the city’s Non-Motorized Travel Advisory Council, which was originally created in 2008. Because Helena’s population has grown to over 50,000, the city has entered into a Metropolitan Planning Organization with Lewis and Clark County and the city of East Helena. Because of that, the council was deemed redundant and will be replaced by a new committee that will provide advice regarding non-motorized travel.
Parking board: Mayor Wilmot Collins presented a list of appointees for the city’s parking advisory board during a meeting last week. The city commission will give final approval during its meeting on Monday, July 29. The five appointees are:
- Julia Gustafson as a property owner representative
- Seth Brandenberger as a Business Improvement District Board representative
- Joan Taylor as a residential parking permit holder representative
- Sandy Shull as downtown business owner representative
- Christopher Facundo as a citizen at large representative
Pride & Parade: Montana Pride is back in Helena with events planned for the week of July 29 to Aug. 3, including drag shows, comedy performances, lectures, film screenings and a street dance. Montana Pride will end the week with its parade on Saturday, Aug. 3. The parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Anchors Park with the route heading north on Last Chance Gulch through the walking mall, ending at Lawrence Street. Those interested in participating in the parade will need to pay a $50 registration fee. To register or find additional events and details, visit the Montana Pride website.
BID rebrand:
Helena’s Downtown Improvement District launched its new name and logo, The Gulch, on Thursday, July 18, in a social media post. With the new name, The Gulch also announced its new website, visitthegulch.com. While the post stated that the new look embraces the city’s mining history, the organization said it would continue to provide the same services it has in the past.
Comings and Goings
Going: According to the national retail store’s website, the Big Lots in Helena, 2930 Prospect Ave., is closing its doors. The company has not responded to questions from MTFP, and local employees were unsure when the last day would be. The discount chain announced in June that it would close as many as 40 stores across the nation this year.
Helena History
