04/1/2024
The Helena Public School District has published information about the benefits schools can expect if voters approve five levies this spring, including having enough money to save staff positions that the district would otherwise cut.
Staff, facilities and program reductions will depend on the outcome of the levy votes. Once the results are in, the district will consider the recommendations from the budget consensus committee on where cuts, if necessary, should be made, Karen Ogden, the school district’s communications specialist, said in an email to Montana Free Press.
According to the ballot language approved by board trustees last month, the district requested a total of $10.6 million for safety and security levies for both the elementary and high schools. The levies would pay for additional security officers and also fund nursing and counselor positions that the district said would provide students with mental health support.
The district spends about $2.5 million annually on technology from its general fund. According to the district’s website, if passed, the $2.35 million total requested for two technology levies would help maintain services and provide teachers and students with updated devices, internet connectivity and staffing for IT support in all schools in the district.
The operational levy, which would only apply to K-8 schools, is intended to relieve the funding strain on the district’s general fund as it works toward a solution at the state level to address the school funding formula that officials say is one cause of the statewide school budget crisis.
Ellen Feaver, a former school board trustee, grandmother and member of For Our Kids For Our Future, spoke in support of the passage of all the levies with MTFP, including the need for additional mental health staff for students.
“One of the things that we keep reading is that Montana kids are worse off mentally than they’ve ever been,” Feaver said. “Part of what will be cut is counselors and people in the school who assist with mental health. We can’t do that to our kids. We just can’t do that.”
If voters approve all five proposed levies, the annual taxes for homes valued at $300,000 would go up by about $331, and those for $600,000 homes would increase by about $662. The election is May 7.
Public Notice
Last year, the city, in partnership with Lewis and Clark County, began a three-phase project to create a solid waste management plan to find ways to provide cost-effective services and improve how Helena handles its garbage.
After conducting community surveys in phase one and analyzing alternative solutions from the results in phase two, city officials are now closing in on the final phase of sharing their preferred scenarios.
The survey results showed that county and city residents would like more garbage and recycling options, but most don’t want to be charged based on the amount of waste a household produces.
The city will host a public meeting on Wednesday, April 10, at 6 p.m., in room 426 at the City-County Building, 316 N. Park Ave., to inform the public of its recommendations.
Visit the city’s website for more information and how to virtually attend the meeting.
5 Things to Know in Helena
Coffee with the Chiefs: Helena Police Chief Brett Petty and Fire Chief Jon Campbell will sit down for coffee once a week for the next eight weeks to provide opportunities for the public to learn more and ask questions about the public safety mill levy and bond. In February, the city approved adding the levy to the ballot on June 4 to fund additional police officers and firefighters and to add a third fire station. The first coffee sit-down will be on Tuesday, April 9, at the Scenic Brew Coffee House from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Visit the city’s website for additional information and future locations.
Student Art Night at the Museum: The Holter Museum of Art on April 5 premiered its annual exhibit that showcases more than 300 students’ art. The exhibit, Youth Electrum, has been a tradition for the museum for the past decade and allows students from the school district to publicly display their work. The museum also gives Helena college students involved in art programs the opportunity to share their work in the Helena College Capstone Exhibit. The student’s work will be on display until May 8. Admission is free on Fridays. For additional information on the exhibit and admission fees, visit Holter’s website.
Welcome Kindergarteners: Helena schools will welcome families of upcoming kindergartners during the “Week of the Young Child,” which features different events across the district’s elementary schools. A family fun mixer will kick off the week starting at 4 p.m. on Monday, April 8, at Jim Darcy Elementary. The week will, among other things, offer families the opportunity to register their children for school. Visit the school district’s kindergarten website for the full list of next week’s activities and registration details.
Softest in the State: Helena has the softest water in Montana, according to the online beauty and skincare business, Clarins. The company recently shared data from the United States Geological Survey, the Environmental Working Group and Hydroflow, a water treatment company, that compared the water quality in the nation’s capital cities and in Montana. Helena’s water scored well and ranked first in Montana and second among the capital cities behind only Providence, Rhode Island. (Indianapolis, Indiana, was last.) Soft water promotes healthy skin, the company said.
A BID for Flowers: The Helena Downtown Business Improvement District is looking to beautify the Helena streets this summer through the Downtown Flower Program. To cover the cost of planting supplies and labor, the BID is asking the community to sponsor a flower basket for $50. Those who donate will have their names listed on the business improvement’s website and social media. Visit the BID Help Helena Glow website to donate.
3 Questions For
The Helena Regional Sports Association’s upcoming project has been making headway around the city in recent weeks. The association’s board members first formed the nonprofit to address the lack of swimming pools in the area and now have embarked on creating an indoor, multi-purpose recreational facility called “The ARC,” which will include a rodeo arena, sporting fields and courts, and swimming pools. The association’s board member Heather Grahame spoke with MTFP about what the recreational building could provide the community. Her comments have been edited for length and clarity.
MTFP: What are the background and future plans for the upcoming project?
Grahame: This is generated by the tremendous frustration over the lack of pool space, which has an impact on all residents of the county. There is inadequate space for all of the kids’ swim teams and youth swim teams, for the master swim teams, and critically for the youth and adults who don’t know how to swim and need to learn how to swim. So swimming was the impetus. There is simply inadequate space for teams in which to play, to practice, and Helena can’t hold statewide athletic events of virtually any kind indoors.
A year and a half ago, we looked at various potential sites, and we landed at the fairgrounds after meeting with the Lewis and Clark County Fair Board. We met and started meeting with Kevin Tenney, who is the fairgrounds manager, and the fair board about a year ago. What we found was their great desire to build an arena, and they understood the benefits of building an aquatic center and new hardcourt and indoor turf facilities.
So the fairgrounds face the same challenge that I’ve described for swimmers and athletic teams in that there simply isn’t space. Kevin and the fair board wanted a much larger facility because the economics of a larger facility are beneficial to the fairgrounds and enable the fairgrounds to offer a lot more to the county and the community and the state.
MTFP: How much will the facility cost and how will itbe funded?
Grahame: $115 million. That was the estimate prepared by Dick Anderson Construction.
We are the nonprofit catalyst and this is a great example of a public-private partnership. The county hasn’t funded any of this. It’s all Helena Regional Sports Association. We commissioned two studies, one of which is analyzing the anticipated economic impact of the project on the greater Helena area. The other study is examining the economic sustainability of the facility once it’s built. We are expecting the results of those studies back this month. We will also be doing some public polling.
We will then approach the three Lewis and Clark County commissioners, probably in June, maybe July, and ask them to agree to put our proposal on a ballot in early 2025 for public funding. That means voters would vote on whether or not to support this project that will result in an increase in property taxes, everybody’s favorite subject.
The reality is this is a vitally needed facility and these kinds of facilities are almost always publicly funded because of their size and because they’re community-oriented and serve all members of a community. The cost for an assessed value of a $343,000 home [the amount HRSA identified as the median home value in the county] would be $200 a year or $16.61 a month.
MTFP: Why do you think The ARC is needed in Helena?
Grahame: I think the impacts of this go well beyond the obvious ones, and let me share with you some of the things I’m most passionate about. If you look at the county health statistics, they’re very sobering. Whether you’re talking about the physical health metrics, things like obesity and chronic disease, but mental health in particular.
Remember we have long, dark winters. If people can’t get outdoors, they’re trapped indoors. It leads to social isolation. If people can recreate with others, it helps decrease social isolation. In addition to that, we all know that if you can get some exercise, you feel good, right? You’re better able to handle life’s stresses.
The fact that exercise is a front-line tool for preventing and addressing depression and anxiety. That’s really powerful, and people in the county, this is not just Helena, but if people in the county have a place to go to recreate with friends and to get some exercise, think what that might do or should do for the mental health crisis we have in Montana. Montana has the highest suicide rate in the nation. So I think the mental and physical health benefits of this are really, really important.
Comings and Goings
Coming: The Old Salt Co-op is expanding its meat and food business by opening a new restaurant on April 16. The Union, 361 N. Last Chance Gulch, took over the location of the former Bert and Ernies restaurant that closed in 2022. The Union will include a full menu featuring beef, lamb and pork, a craft butcher shop and breakfast options.
Coming: A new candle company, Avvito Aromatics, opened in downtown Helena, sharing a space with the clothing shop Envy Boutique at 13 W. Placer Ave. Avvito owner and candle maker Emma Caldwell said the store’s products, including candles, car air fresheners and wax melts, are available in 48 scents. The boutique is open Tuesdays and Fridays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For information on the shop and products, visit the Avvito website.
Going: Capital Rx pharmacy abruptly closed last month in Super 1 Foods, which left its former patrons unable to pick up prescriptions. The store manager told MTFP that Capital Rx officials told them when the pharmacy’s last day would be but did not give a reason. A sign taped onto the closed pharmacy window stated that prescription records were sent to the Albertsons pharmacy at 611 N. Montana Ave., and a phone number was provided.
Going: Helena’s Family Dollar Store, 3073 N. Montana Ave., is one of the locations among the 1,000 store closures for the nationwide company. According to a CNN report, the company faced customer pullback due to inflation and poor workplace conditions, resulting in a $40 million fine. The Helena store will officially shut its doors to the public on Saturday, April 13. The Dollar Tree, the company that owns Family Dollar, will not be affected by the closure and will remain open.
Might Be Fun
The Circus Comes to the Captial City: The Jordan World Circus is coming to Helena on Wednesday, April 17, at the Lewis and Clark Fairgrounds. Las Vegas residents, Jody and Melanie Jordan, own the traveling circus and have a background in aerialist performances. Their stop in Helena will offer shows at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., with ticket sales starting at $10 for children and $20 for adults. The circus also offers a family ticket bundle at $34.99 that admits two adults and three children. Visit the Jordan Circus website to purchase tickets.
Helena History
St. Helena, more than a century ago.
“Helena This Week” is reported and written By JoVonne Wagner. Send your Helena news and tips to [email protected].
