Sign up for the free Missoula This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Missoula city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events.
11/27/2024
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected].
UM’s newest research center to develop projects serving rural, underserved communities
The University of Montana this fall received a $11 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to create a new research center focused on developing projects to address health challenges among the state’s rural and underserved populations.
The intent of the Montana Clinical and Translational Research Center, housed in UM’s School of Public and Community Health Sciences, is to bridge the gap between the university’s work and health care researchers throughout the state, Tony Ward, director of the new center, told Montana Free Press. Many great ideas come from Providence Health, Billings Clinic, Logan Health and other entities that don’t have the infrastructure to turn them into research projects, Ward said.
“We hope to link those researchers there with folks with the University of Montana to develop and incubate and turn those ideas into full-blown research projects that then improve the health of Montanans,” he said. “We’re working with local health departments, the state health department to take those research findings that happen in the laboratory or field and turn those into actionable things that benefit the health departments in each community we’re working in.”
Laura Williamson, a state epidemiologist, said she’s excited for the Department of Health and Human Services to collaborate with the center to discover new approaches to public health in Montana.
“This partnership gives DPHHS an opportunity to look at data the agency collects in new ways,” she said in a UM press release. “It also grants us an opportunity to explore innovative solutions to address health issues in Montana with the firepower brought by academia.”
This research center and resulting projects are meant to improve health care, the overall infrastructure for health research and the ability to deliver services in rural parts of the state with limited access to care, Ward said.
“As a resident of Montana, I see some of the health disparities that we experience in the state,” he said. “Through the COVID-19 pandemic, what we saw is that the rural communities and Native American communities suffered the most compared to other communities that have better access to health services. Personally speaking, I just see such a need to increase the capacity to do health research in our state.”
Every year, the center will fund up to seven research projects following a formal application process, Ward said. Those inside and outside UM will submit proposals, scored by an independent review committee and ranked by three out-of-state experts, he said. When the committee evaluates proposals, it will prioritize those with benefits for the most rural parts of the state and for underserved populations like Native American communities, Ward said.
The center received 24 proposals for its first round of funding, and more in-depth applications are due by Jan. 1. Ward said he anticipates the center funding six to eight projects by March. The applications for next year’s funding will open in early summer, he said. Each proposal can be funded up to $100,000 per year.
Ward said the overall goal is for projects to collect data to submit for more funding needed to continue their research. The center helps put together and train research teams, recruit people for studies and interpret initial findings, he said.
“Unfortunately it’s not a fast process,” Ward said. “Most projects are just an idea at this point but without funding those ideas would just remain ideas. It could take, at best case scenario, one year, more realistically two years, before big pots of money start coming in. It’s the very first step in building capacity in the state of Montana.”
UM was one of four universities in the country awarded the NIH grant to establish this kind of research center, along with the University of North Dakota, the University of Louisville and the University of South Carolina.
“It really speaks to the team of professionals we put together, which includes a lot of researchers and faculty within our public health program at the University of Montana and our partnering with organizations and their commitments to this project,” Ward said.
Receiving the grant also underscores the need to address health problems affecting Montanans at a higher rate, including suicide and other mental health issues, Ward said.
“We have a lot of really smart people within the health care system and university system and providing an opportunity like this to fund those ideas is just very satisfying,” he said. “I can’t wait to see the end result five years from now.”
Public Notice
The Missoula City Council is holding a public hearing on Monday, Dec. 2, on proposed changes to the city’s rules restricting camping on city property, including banning camping in all parks and changing violations from a civil infraction to a misdemeanor.
In late October, the council discussed the changes and set the public hearing in a 7-3 vote, with council members Daniel Carlino, Kristen Jordan and Jennifer Savage opposed. Sponsors of the proposal said the changes were in response to public concerns about camping in parks and challenges in implementing the rules.
The current law, which took effect July 25, outlines “time, place and manner” restrictions on camping on city property, establishes a vehicle-camping permit system and directs the mayor to develop a program to support urban camping.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. on Monday at the City Council Chambers, 140 W. Pine St. People can also join the meeting online via the Microsoft Teams link at the top of the agenda.
During the meeting, the North Missoula Community Development Corporation and other organizations will host a free meal and discussion of community-led responses and solutions to the homelessness crisis, including ways to support unhoused people throughout the winter. The event will run from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at GoodWorks Place, 119 W. Alder St.
Following Up
Preliminary floodplain maps for the Clark Fork, Bitterroot River and Rock Creek have been delayed by several months because of an update on how the Clark Fork floodway may be mapped south of the Orchard Homes levee, according to Missoula County.
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is revising the draft maps to reflect changes in FEMA guidance that allow some levees to be considered for flood protection even if they are not fully accredited for flood insurance purposes, the county wrote in a Facebook post. Properties within the 100-year floodplain won’t change under this update. Some areas on the south side of the levee may no longer be in the floodway, while new areas north of the river might be.
County staff expects the updated draft data this winter and will share it as soon as it’s ready. The floodplain mapping project began in 2020 to update current maps that use flood data from the late 1970s. The final map won’t be approved by the federal government until 2026 or 2027, but Missoula County may adopt it as early as 2025.
Read more about the floodplain map update project here.
5 Things to Know in Missoula
Bissinger Place, a mixed-use housing and commercial development planned for South First Street West, is scaling back due to high construction costs, Missoula Redevelopment Agency staff told the board on Nov. 21. In 2022, the MRA granted the project up to $269,000 in tax increment funding assistance for asbestos remediation, deconstruction, utility relocation and right-of-way improvements and up to $50,000 for facade improvements. That work will continue as planned, said Annie Gorski, MRA deputy director. Developers are cutting the project’s footprint from 61,000 square feet to 37,000 square feet by reducing the new building from four to three stories and not building on top of the warehouse. The changes will decrease the number of apartments from 42 to 39. The building will likely include office space for Scariano Construction and a coffee shop or restaurant. The project’s timeline is extended through December 2029.
The city of Missoula and the Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization are holding an electric vehicle infrastructure open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the library. Attendees can learn about the city’s goals, project timelines and community impacts, and share thoughts on preferred locations for electric vehicle charging stations. The city is gathering public feedback for its electric vehicle plan as part of its efforts to reduce emissions.
Seasonal closures in some recreation areas to protect wintering elk begin Dec. 1. On Mount Jumbo, the north zone will close until at least May 1, and the south zone until mid-March. The “L” and I-90 trails remain open all year, but dogs must be leashed during the winter closure. The upper portion of the Mount Dean Stone Community Forest will close to all forms of recreation, and areas of the preserve will be under a dog closure. Trails in the O’Brien Creek area near Blue Mountain will close Dec. 1 through mid-May. More information and maps are available online.
The Missoula Tenants Union is holding a “Renter’s Rodeo” membership drive on Friday, Dec. 6, at the American Legion. The event will include a potluck, a presentation on the union’s work, t-shirt printing, crafts, raffle prizes and live music by the Barncat Country Band. Leading up to the event, all new union members who sign up for recurring dues by Dec. 6 will be entered into a rent relief raffle, providing three new members $1,000 to use toward housing costs. Homeowners, renters and unhoused neighbors are eligible to join MTU as long as they are not profiting off rent as a landlord. MTU emphasized the raffle is not an act of charity but a movement of solidarity.
The Rattlesnake to University Crossing pedestrian bridge, located over the Rattlesnake Creek at Pine Street and Monroe Street, is temporarily closed because of fire damage, according to the city’s Parks and Recreation department. The city hired a bridge inspection engineer to assess damage and determine repair costs and timelines. A detour map is available online.
Might be Fun
Holiday shoppers are encouraged to stay local during Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30. Shoppers can stop by Missoula’s “shop and dine local headquarters” at Paddleheads Post from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to pick up a coupon for free hot cocoa, shop small goodies and a list of promotions. The Downtown Missoula Partnership’s website lists participating businesses.
Indigenous Made Montana is hosting its Winter Market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Missoula County Fairgrounds’ Building 13. The market will include more than 40 Indigenous artists selling fine art, jewelry, beadwork, pottery, woven baskets, textiles and other goods. DJ Carlos will play festive music and the Fat Baby Frybread food truck will be on site.