Increased Traffic Enforcement

From: The City of Great Falls Emergency Management

This is a courtesy notice. Please be cautious drivers wherever you go. We want you to reach your destination safely!

GF Police will be heavily enforcing traffic laws at 15 St & 10 Ave So for the next 2 weeks in order to reduce crashes. This location has been identified as an area which has a high frequency of crashes.

Judges Needed

Great Falls High School and CMR are hosting the State AA Speech and Debate Tournament this year!

We need help from Great Falls! The AA State Speech and Debate meet will be held in Great Falls on January 28 and 29 with all events taking place at CMR High School.

Judges do not need prior experience as the teams will host two, one-hour judge trainings the evenings of the 25th and 27th. For those unable to attend the trainings we will have guidelines for each event at the judges check-in table.

It is going to take hundreds of judges to ensure this tournament runs smoothly. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up for multiple time slots. Food and beverages will be provided for all judges.

Online registration is recommended at http://www.talkingrustlers.com/judging.html. Those unable to register on-line can email or call GFHS Debate Coach Jolene Bach at joleneb@ruraldynamics.org or call 454.5706.

Thank you for your consideration and continued support.

State Schedule of Events
January 28, Friday, 2:15-9:30 p.m.
January 29, Saturday, 7:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Judge times, all times are when judges need to check into the judges table (15 mins. prior to when the actual round begins). At the judges table you will be given room assignments and ballots.

Policy Debate
Friday - Jan. 28

Round 1- 2:15 pm

Round 2 - 3:45pm

Round 3 - 5:45pm

Round 4 - 7:45pm

Saturday - Jan. 29

Round 5 - 7:45am

Octa-finals - 9:45am
Quarterfinals - 11:45am

Semifinals - 1:45pm

Finals - 3:45pm

Lincoln Douglas Debate & Public Forum Debate
Friday - Jan. 28

Round 1 - 3:45 pm

Round 2 - 5:45 pm

Round 3 - 7:45 pm

Saturday - Jan. 29

Round 4 - 7:45 am
Round 5 - 9:45 am
Octa-Finals - 11:45 am
Quarterfinals - 1:45 pm
Semifinals - 3:45 pm
Finals - 5:15 pm

Speech Events and Legislation Sessions
(Extemp draw ½ hour prior to round which equates to fifteen minutes earlier than the below times)

Friday
Round 1 - 3:45 pm

Round 2 - 5:45 pm

Round 3 - 7:45 pm

Saturday

Round 4 - 8:15 am
Round 5 - 10:15 am
Semifinals - 12:45 pm
Finals - 3:15 pm

Jolene Bach
Communications Director
Rural Dynamics Incorporated
Consumer Credit Counseling Service
406-454-5706 office
406-750-4481 cell

Tax Help Montana

Tax Help Montana will no longer be offering free tax help at the Great Falls Public Library.

Beginning January 24, they will be at the following locations:

Great Falls Senior Center, 1004 Central Ave.
Mondays 10:00 am — 5:00 pm
Wednesdays 2:00 pm — 7:15 pm
Fridays 10:00 am — 5:00 pm

Great Falls Job Service, 1018 7th St. S.
Tuesdays 11:00 am — 3:30 pm
Thursdays 11:00 am — 3:30 pm

MSU College of Technology, 2100 16th Ave. S. (Room B124)
Saturdays - 11:00am-3:00pm

The library will continue to have hard copies of tax forms available and will help folks download forms from the IRS website.

Tax Help Montana can be reached at 761-8721.

Veterans Day, November 11, 2010

When: Thursday, November 11 at 11:00am
Where: Montana Veterans Memorial

Master of Ceremonies: Rodger McConnell, Montana Veterans Memorial Assoc.
Welcome: Gina McDermott, President, Montana Veterans Memorial Assoc.
Presentation of the Colors: Malmstrom USAF Honor Guard,Veterans Groups
Invocation: Chaplain Kenneth E. DuVall, Colonel, MT Army National Guard
National Anthem: Becca Hardin, CMR
Pledge of Allegiance: Cascade County 4H
Guest Speaker: Colonel John Patricola, Commander, 341stMission Spt. Gp, USAF
Benediction: Father Paul McKane, Blessed Sacrament

Free Crime Prevention Seminar

What: Crime Prevention Seminar

When: Saturday, November 13, 2010 from 10:30am-4:00pm

Where: Great Falls Public Library

The seminar is open to the public, and is free of charge. Pre-registration is required. To register, contact certified Refuse To Be A Victim instructor, Scott Nordstrom, at 406-422-5019 or nikken@bresnan.net.

Refuse To Be A Victim® Seminars teach methods to avoid dangerous situations and prevent criminal confrontations. Experts agree the most important factor in surviving a criminal attack is to have an overall safety strategy before you need it. Seminar topics address personal safety issues as well as home, automobile, telephone, technological, and travel security. Seminar participants are presented with a variety of common sense crime prevention and personal safety strategies and devices they may integrate into their daily lives.

Great Falls Citizen Council

When: Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 7:00pm

Where: Gibson Room, Civic Center

Agenda:

* Update from the Parking on City Streets Task Force and the Deputy City Manager

* Update from the Citizens for Swimming Indoors (CSI, Natatorium)

* Library news - Director Kathy Mora

* Information on Downtown Master Plan - Planner Brant Birkeland

* Neighborhood Council information sharing

This meeting is open to the public.

Volunteers Need Work

Carrie Koppy from NeighborWorks has 5 young volunteers who are looking for projects for this week. If you know anyone, disadvantaged or elderly, who might need some help with yard work or basement cleaning or similar, please contact Carrie at 216-3520 as soon as possible.

West Bank Park Meeting

When: Wednesday, June 30 at 6:00pm-9:00pm

Where: Missouri Room at the Civic Center - Please enter through the northeast entrance.

Agenda:

Plan to attend the Town Hall Meeting to give your input on the future of West Bank Park.

The City of Great Falls Parks and Recreation Department is in the process of creating a Master Plan for the future of West Bank Park. West Bank Park is located on the West Bank of the Missouri, across from downtown, north of the Central Avenue Bridge, and the new Federal Courthouse.

The goal of the Master Plan process is to solicit input from the public and create a roadmap for redevelopment of the park. This is an exciting time for West Bank Park, and the City hopes to capitalize upon both public and private investment in the area in order to build on many of the existing assets present in the park, making it a premier community park. The city has hired CTA Architects Engineers Planners as professional consultants to lead the project. The anticipated planning and design process is expected to take approximately five (5) months to complete.

As part of the planning process, the City Parks and Recreation Department wants your input, and therefore will be holding a Town Hall Meeting Wednesday, June 30, 2010 in the Missouri Room at the Civic Center, 2 Park Drive South, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Please enter through the northeast entrance.

The meeting will be an open format, and you are welcome to come and go as your schedule allows. Refreshments will be served. City staff and the consultants will be available to answer questions and take comments on what you want for West Bank Park.

If you have any questions, please contact Marty Basta, Parks and Recreation Director, 406-771-1265, mbasta@greatfallsmt.net.

Flood Advisory

Flood Advisory

The National Weather Service in Great Falls has issued a small stream flood advisory for north central and southwest Montana until 0930 Saturday.

Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will cause elevated levels on small creeks and streams....and ponding of water on country roads and farmland along the banks of creeks and streams. The Missouri River is running high between Craig and Cascade.

The Weather Service expects that by this evening the area will start to dry out slowly over the next 24 hours.

As we approach the weekend please keep the following information in mind:

AVERT THE DANGERS OF A FLOOD:
* Listen for and respond to watches and warning.
A Flood Watch means a flood is possible in your area
A Flood Warning means flooding is already occurring or will occur in your area very soon.
* If advised to evacuate or if you think you are in danger, leave immediately.
* Prepare your home if you have time.

If you have any questions or concerns you can call the National Weather Service Operations Section at 453-2081.

Natatorium Meeting

What: Meeting with the City Commissioners at the Natatorium
When: 7:00pm, tonight, May 25

Below is a memo from Aaron Weissman, chair of NC#7:

Natatorium Supporters;

I am pleased to relay to you that the Women's 3 p.m. Water Aerobics Class has organized a meeting at the Natatorium tomorrow with the Mayor and the City Commissioners. This meeting will be to "introduce" the Natatorium to the Mayor and Commissioners and to brainstorm ideas to find the funding to keep the Nat open. The meeting will be tomorrow, 7 p.m., at the Natatorium.

The Water Aerobics class would like this meeting to be very positive and respectful. They also would like the Commission and the Mayor to see the broad support the people of Great Falls have for the Natatorium. Please consider attending this meeting tomorrow evening.

I also would like to take this opportunity to thank Tim Austin for offering to write and host a website supporting the Nat. The site will be online soon at the address www.greatfallsnat.com. In addition, Renata Birkenbuel has agreed to give us the benefit of her grantwriting experience. She will begin looking for and applying for grants to support the operation and repair of the pool.

Thank you for your continued enthusiasm,

Aaron

Pea Pod Garden Meeting

When: Monday, May 10 at 6:00pm

Where: At the garden, 901 3rd Avenue North

Areas where help is needed:

* staining the beds
* packing down the soil within the bed frames and around the outside
* picking up rocks and debris
* Organize the shed
* Spray Round Up on the weeds along the outside of the fence and fence line
* Pull weeds within garden area

Earth Day

Earth Day is Thursday, April 22, but will be celebrated on Saturday, April 24, from 10:00am-3:00pm at the Civic Center Convention Center. See here for more details.

Pea Pod Community Garden Meeting

When: Tonight, March 15 at 6:30pm

Where: Community Rec. Center at 8th Street and 2nd Avenue North

Agenda:

A work planning meeting to begin gardening

Advisory Board Openings

The city currently has two advisory board openings:

CITY-COUNTY HEALTH BOARD
One opening for a three-year term through December 31, 2012. The City-County Health Board oversees the operation and management of the City-County Health Department. The Board meets on the first Wednesday of the month at noon eleven months out of the year. For more information about the Board, contact the City-County Health Department at 791-9260.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
The Community Development Council has two openings. The Council consists of ten members appointed by the City Commission. The Community Development Council reviews CDBG funding applications and makes recommendations to the City Commission concerning funding from the City’s annual Community Development Block Grant. Interested applicants must be live within the city limits. The Council meets on demand, generally in February and March. For more information, contact Chris Imhoff at 455-8407.

Deadline to apply is Wednesday, December 30th.

GF Jewish Community Donates Menorah

When: December 11 at 4:00pm

Where: Steps of the Civic Center

Another Public Hearing

Sheriff Castle is holding another public hearing to discuss his budget problems:

When: Today, Dec. 2 at 7:00pm

Where: Black Eagle Community Center, 2332 Smelter Ave.

Public Meeting On Impediments To Fair Housing

Message from Terry Youngworth, Fair Housing Specialist for the City of Great Falls:

The City of Great Falls is currently undertaking a study to evaluate fair housing throughout the City of Great Falls. All interested citizens, local government agencies, private agencies that provide assisted housing, health services and social services are invited to provide input on the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice on: December 3, 2009, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Gibson Room, Civic Center.

We encourage you to provide your knowledge, opinions and feelings about fair housing and housing choice.

Go to http://www.greatfallsmt.net/people_offices/cdev/fairhsg.htm to view a copy of the last Analysis of Impediments prepared by the City.


Terry Youngworth
Fair Housing Specialist
Community Development Department
City of Great Falls
Great Falls, MT 59403
406.455.8418
TDD 406.454.0495
tyoungworth@greatfallsmt.net

URGENT: The Talking Rustlers Need Your Help

The CMR speech and debate teams are short volunteers to help judge their tournament this Friday and Saturday. They are especially short of volunteers to judge debate.

No prior experience is necessary.

If you can help, log-on to their website and sign-up or call Kandi at 866-0085.

Economic Diversification Rollout

Everyone is cordially invited to attend the Economic Diversification Rollout presentation tomorrow, July 22 at 3:00pm at MSU-COT Heritage Hall.

See here for more details.

Police Department Open House

When: Wednesday, July 8 from 5:00pm-7:00pm
Where: Police Department

Tours of the building, 911 Center, video firearms simulator, police cars and firing range will be given.