Politics & Government

Missoula County Government: Missoula County Weekly: Nov. 22-26

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Press Release Desk, News Partner

Press release from the Missoula County Government:

11/22/2021 4:00 PM

Find out what's happening in Missoulafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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    Find out what's happening in Missoulafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

    A local developer and an engineering firm shared a proposal with the Missoula Board of County Commissioners Nov. 15 that would facilitate housing and mixed-use development where the County-owned Larchmont Golf Course currently sits. The proposal calls for a land deal between the developer and the County. In exchange for 152-acre Larchmont, the County would obtain 157 acres of land the developer owns off Highway 93 south of Missoula near the Bitterroot River. A new public golf course is proposed to be developed on that property where housing cannot be built because it is in the floodplain.

    The commission took no formal action at the Nov. 15 meeting. The proposal is in its beginning stages, and County staff will need to determine the answers to many legal and financial questions, including assessing the value of the land and quantifying its public benefit, before the County could seriously pursue it.  The next step for the County is for staff to develop a workplan to determine the time and resources required to further research the feasibility of the proposal.  A public comment period would precede any formal decision the commissioners make. 

    Find frequently asked questions and more information.

    COVID-19 vaccines are available for anyone age 5+. Visit http://covid19.missoula.co/get-vaccinated to schedule an appointment.

     

    Matt Lautzenheiser, executive director of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, explains the importance of history and how it has shaped the culture in Missoula and the country. Making history relatable from one human’s perspective to another, the museum works hard to help educate about Missoula County and preserve the historical gems that give meaning to this place we call home.

    Matt explains how the museum decides what to memorialize and how that has shifted over time as cultures and lifestyles evolved. He shares lessons learned from the internment camp, what it’s like to run a museum during COVID-19 and how all this good work is a part of Missoula County government.

    There’s also exciting news about a grant award that will help rebuild and restore two WWII Internment barracks on the museum grounds. The grant, paired with community donations, will help the museum continue to tell the story of the 1,200 non-military Italian men, 1,000 Japanese resident aliens, 23 German resident aliens and 123 Japanese Latin and South Americans who were sent to Fort Missoula during WWII. The funding will also help the museum expand, which will provide additional space for the museum to preserve its artifact collections.

    The episode is full of wisdom and inspiration for Missoula County residents and beyond.

    If you would like to contribute to the final push of restoring the barracks, donations are accepted at https://fortmissoulamuseum.org/restore-the-barracks/

    Listen the podcast online or via Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.

    Sean Hire, assistant network administrator in Internal Services

    “My job, along with others, is to maintain the network infrastructure for Missoula County. We provide network communications for County computers, phones, Wi-Fi, VPN access and whatever else comes our way. I’ve been with the County since 2008 and interact with all departments and employees, and I’ve met some good friends and colleagues in my 13 years here.

    The Internal Services department has been critical during the pandemic to keep County employees working in all the circumstances they’ve found themselves in, and I’m happy to have been such an instrumental part of that. I enjoy the diversity of my work. I love being busy and moving, and I’ve learned a lot about what the County does, and the impact different departments have on the community at large.

    While not at work, I volunteer as a Missoula Youth Football coach, love to hunt and fish, ride dirt bikes with my boys, recreational garden and spend time with my family and dogs on all our adventures across Montana, Idaho and Oregon.”

    Find more events this week on the County’s Event Calendar!

    Developers propose converting Missoula golf course for housing, commercial use
    Missoula Co. working on trails, pathways development plan
    Largest rooftop solar array in Montana now operational at Missoula jail

    To join commissioner department, administrative and public meetings via Microsoft Teams and view the agendas, visit the Missoula County Commissioners’ Meeting Minutes and Agenda Portal. Please note that agendas for department and administrative meetings are published two business days before the meeting, and public meeting agendas are published the Friday before the meeting. Administrative and public meeting video recordings are available on the Missoula County YouTube page after the meeting, and MCAT plays the public meetings live on their Spectrum Channel 190. Email bcc@missoulacounty.us or call 406-258-4877 if you have any questions or comments on an upcoming meeting.

    This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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