05/20/2024
Friends Anita Mehus and Bobbi Lambertson have rented a space for their two small businesses in downtown Helena on the corner of East Broadway Street and Hibbard Way for the past four years. Mehus, the owner of Sunflower Salon, and Lambertson, who owns Bobbi Salon, say they enjoy being part of the downtown community but have recently considered moving because of the cost of the city’s parking permits.
“Recently, we’ve had to face the permit fees, and as we started researching more about them, it was just becoming clear that this was very unreasonable,” Mehus told Montana Free Press. “The more we started talking to other business owners and employees, it’s unbearable for them. It’s gotten pretty bad, and the people that make your tacos and serve your coffee and wine cannot afford these permits.”
With that in mind, Mehus started a petition and in a week gathered signatures from more than 60 downtown business owners and 100 workers to present during the upcoming Business Improvement District’s roundtable discussion.
The Helena parking department charges monthly fees that start at $60 for street parking, $70 for lot parking, $85 for the parking garage and $95 for multi-lot permits.
The salon owners want city officials to know how the steep parking fees are affecting their businesses.
“Because we have a parking permit that we have to pay for monthly, the consumer that comes to see me, my customer, has to pay for my parking somehow, right?” Lambertson said. “Otherwise, I don’t take money home to live on, so my haircut prices keep going up to accommodate that. People are saying, ‘I appreciate that you need the money to live on, but I can get a cheaper haircut somewhere else, and I get free parking.’”
The Downtown Business Improvement District’s roundtable discussion is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 8:30 a.m., at 330 N. Jackson St.
Public Notice
The Helena City Commission will consider a resolution to add public safety levies onto the June ballot to support the police and fire departments during their next meeting on Monday, Feb. 26.
During past city commission administrative meetings, both emergency service departments have made a case for more personnel and a third fire station to adequately protect the city’s growing population.
The police department is asking for nine new officers while the fire department is looking to add up to 15 firefighting positions as well as a new station and training facility.
City officials have said that the new taxes being considered would cost homeowners with a $400,000 property value about $170 more each year. Homeowners with a $600,000 home would pay $256.
5 Things to Know in Helena
Update on Helena’s teacher’s union contract: In December, the Helena Education Association voted down a contract that would have given teachers a 1% raise. Negotiations between the school district and the union will continue next Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 21 and 22, with a facilitator to help moderate, according to the association’s president, Jane Shaw. Shaw is hopeful that a new contact will be reached in early March.
Hometown Helena’s new home: The weekly gathering spot for Helena community members has moved to the Helena College campus after about 17 years on the sixth floor at the Montana Club. A representative from the Montana Club said during a recent hometown meeting that the building is closing for the time being because of insurance issues. The club filed for bankruptcy last fall, according to past coverage from the Independent Record. The Thursday meetings will be at the college student center at 1115 N. Roberts St., at 7 a.m.
Trustee vacancies: The Helena Public School Board of Trustees will have three openings to fill during the school election on May 7. Each of the openings is in the elementary school district. Candidates must file for the election at the city-county building on 316 N. Park Ave., by 5 p.m., on Thursday, March 23.
Comment period opens for prescribed burns: The Forest Service announced it has opened the time for the public to comment on proposed prescribed burns in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. The burns, meant to reduce fuel for future wildfires, could span over 2.3 million acres over 15 to 20 years, according to the Forest Service press release. The Forest Service will host a community meeting at the Lewis and Clark Library, 120 S. Last Chance Gulch, at 6:30 p.m., on Feb. 20. Comments can be submitted until March 11 on the department’s website.
Homeless shelter update: After a conditional use permit for an emergency women’s shelter in downtown Helena was approved by the city commission in December, the building was recently purchased, forcing Good Samaritan Ministries to find a new location. Theresa Ortega, the director for Good Samaritan Ministries, told the city commission during a recent administrative meeting that the non-profit is actively looking at new buildings to lease.
3 Questions For
Friends of Neighborhood Schools member Jim Malizia was one of more than 100 community members who attended the Helena Public School Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the school’s Lincoln Center.
During the meeting, the Budget Consensus Committee presented its report on potential budget cuts, including positions, programs and the closure of schools. Last year, some elementary parents created the Friends of Neighborhood Schools to advocate against school closures. Malizia, who is a parent of a third and first grader at Hawthorne Elementary, spoke with MTFP about his opposition to any school closures. His comments have been edited for length and clarity.
MTFP: What are your initial thoughts on the recommendations that were presented to the board?
Malizia: I’m a strong proponent for public schools in general, and I know that the school board and the administration are playing a tough hand as a result of the state [school] funding mechanism. With that said, although they are playing a tough hand, we are firmly in the camp that the strategy to play that hand should not involve closing schools.
MTFP: What options would you consider if school closure recommendations became a reality?
Malizia: I think our alternative, for example, what seems to be a temporary solution, if Hawthorne were to be closed, it would be temporary structures, most likely at Kessler because that has the largest footprint and most space. All of a sudden, our kids are going to a school that’s three or four miles away in temporary structures, and they can’t walk to school. Would we find a way to get them into, I don’t know, Central? Or whether it meant trying to sell our home and moving to a new one? Or if we could get them in there alternatively? Yes, I think that would be something to consider.
MTFP: How do you think the state’s school funding issues could be handled?
Malizia: Although I would like to see the Legislature do something to correct and address these needs, I am a little bit pessimistic about whether they might do so. I do think it’s critical that every citizen who shares an interest in public schools do their best to push their legislator to take on the challenge of addressing the state funding mechanism.
New on the Block
Almost one year ago the Benefis Health System broke ground on a new health facility at 1645 Vandelay Ave., where the old Capital Mall once stood. Now, the new Benefis Helena Specialty Center is nearing its completion and announced that it will open on Friday, March 1. Cardiology, family medicine, orthopedics and oncology are some of the services the center will provide.
Might Be Fun
The 31st Annual Stockman Bank Night to Shine featuring the talents of students from Helena and Capital high schools will be on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m., at the Helena Civic Center. Ticket prices start at $10 for students and teachers, premium tickets cost $20 and box seat tickets are $30. Proceeds will fund Distributive Education Clubs of America programs and events.
Eye on Helena
“Helena This Week” is reported and written By JoVonne Wagner. Send your Helena news and tips to [email protected].
