My Page: Greg Lemon
real estate & development in the northern rockies
When Architecture and Development Account for the Environment
Community development must respond to the environmental pressures and dangers existent in the world today.
It’s a broad statement and encompasses so many aspects of life: food, transportation, and housing. But this is also a statement that is crucial for communities in the West to understand as they continue to grow, said Don MacArther, founding partner in MacArthur, Means and Wells Architects in Missoula.
MacArthur spoke on innovative designs in community development at the NewWest.Net conference, but he started his discussion with an overview of the reasons community development must change.
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2nd Presidential Hopeful in Montana
John Edwards Sweeps Into Missoula
John Edwards came to Missoula with a message:
“I think the system in Washington is rigged,” he told a packed, cheering room of supporters in the University Ballroom at the University of Montana Tuesday evening.
The University Ballroom was hot and it was close quarters. If you moved two feet in any direction, someone filled in behind you, particularly if you were close to the side door. Many people were holding their phone cameras up over the heads of the crowd ready for him to emerge. A concession table near the entrance sold beer and wine, and, in typical Missoula fashion, several people were passing time drinking Moose Drool out of bottles and red wine out of cheap plastic cups.
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DNRC Running out of Money
Montana Lawmakers Ready For Special Session on Fire SpendingMontana will owe more than $39 million after fall rains and snow have cooled this fire season. And already, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is out of money.
Earlier this week, Gov. Brian Schweitzer called state legislators back for the second special session of the year, this time to put money toward fighting fire and beef up the governor's emergency relief fund.
Some have questioned the timing of the special session, since fires are still burning around the state, but Bob Harrington, DNRC State Forester, says it's past time.
"We're out of money and we're going to have to shut down the DNRC to keep going," Harrington said. "We're out of money to pay the bills."
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Presidential Politics
John Edwards Coming to MissoulaJohn Edwards is coming to Missoula Tuesday, Sept. 4, as part of his "Small Change for Big Change" tour.
The event will be held at the Univerisity Ballroom at the University of Montana at 4:45, Tuesday afternoon. You can RSVP for the event by clicking here. Tickets are $15 a piece and can be purchased online or at the door.
Edwards is the second Presidential candidate to visit Montana this summer. Mitt Romney was in Helena for the Montana Republican convention back in June.
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Political Grok
Idaho Gov. Calls Evacuations, Presidential Hopefuls In RockiesIn the Northern Rockies, wildfires are dominating the news -- even political news. In Idaho, Gov. Butch Otter, as issued evacuation notices to two areas. In Montana, Gov. Brian Schweitzer is continuing to tour wildfire areas and Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester talk about the link between global warming and the Western wildfire season. Meanwhile, despite a cool change in the weather, the fires are still rolling.
The small Idaho mountain community of Yellow Pine is without power, but charged with stubborness as many residents resist Otter's evacuation order. The governor apparently doesn't commonly issue evacuation orders, which unlike county orders, must be adhered to. Yellow Pine residents don't appear to be ready to entrust their homes and businesses to firefighters.
Also, presidential candidates are showing up in Rocky Mountain communities. John McCain was in Aspen over the weekend talking about his position on key campaign issues like global warming and immigration. Mitt Romney and Bill Richardson are set to attend fundraisers in Jackson Hole this week.
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Public Power and Coal-Fired Energy
Missoula Moves to Buy Public Power, Controversy Builds Over Highwood PlantMissoula mayor John Engen has signed a letter of intent to purchase the city’s power from Electric City Power, Inc., which is the City of Great Falls’ non-profit energy corporation.
Contracting power from ECP could save Missoula about $70,000 a year, Engen said.
However, a key component for ECP’s future energy portfolio is the Highwood Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant set to come on line in central Montana in 2011. The coal aspect of ECP’s portfolio has created controversy over the decision to sign the letter of intent.
“We’re one of the cities that has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Bruce Farling, executive director of Montana Trout Unlimited.
It is inconsistent for the city to agree to that kind of pledge and then support a new coal plant, Farling said.
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red flag warning saturday
Firefighters Gain More Ground on Jocko Lakes Fire
Crews on the Jocko Lakes Fire made good headway on strengthening the southeast corner of the fire Friday, said fire information office, Peter Buist.
Crews had dug indirect line on that portion of the line because of the thick fuels and steep terrain. On Friday, crews burned out the fuel between the fire line and the actual fire, eliminating fuel that could burn uncontrolled and spot over the line, Buist said.
The burning conditions remain the same, but without the winds and the added benefits of a dense smoky inversion, operations went well Friday.
"It’s always hot, dry and extreme. Unfortunately we’re getting used to that,” Buist said.
The fire is 20 percent contained and estimated at just more than 27,000 acres. More than 1,000 personnel were assigned to the fire Friday. A red flag warning will be in effect for Saturday afternoon and evening, with wind gusts up to 25 mph hour expected.
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Fire Northwest of Missoula 280 acres
New Fire Near Evaro Calms, Active Fire Expected
Updated 10:00 p.m.The Black Cat fire near Evaro, north of Missoula and west of Highway 93, has calmed down some tonight, but is still actively burning on the ground, said Paula Rosenthal, Montana Department of Natural Resources fire information officer.
The fire, which has been sized at 280 acres, led to evacuations of more than 20 residences west of Highway 93 from mile marker 3 to about half way between mile markers 6 and 7. The fire is still more than a mile from the nearest homes, but with the dry conditions and stubborn nature of the blaze, safety of the residents is a priority, said Paula Rosenthal, the DNRC fire information officer on the scene Tuesday evening.
The fire is 0 percent contained. However, residents on Bear Grass Road were allowed to return to their home Tuesday evening, Rosenthal said. Highway 93 is open to north and south traffic.
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Political Grok
From School to Work, Immigration Tops Western Political NewsWhites are no longer the majority in Denver, due to a recent demographic shift that has seen a high influx of Latinos.
The shift is seen in classrooms across the Denver area as administrators try to find ways to handle the increase in students and bilingual education. About 10 years ago, Latinos represented a third of the student population in some schools. Now they make up 65 percent of the student population in the Adams' County School District, the Denver Post reports. Meanwhile, at the Colorado state house, Gov. Bill Ritter is catching heat for the lack of enforcement of the administration backed laws to crack down on immigration. Ritter is ordering an administration review of the situation.
In Arizona, Gov. Janet Napolitano now has to deal with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a lawsuit over a law she recently signed designed to crack down on businesses hiring illegal immigrants.
More of this news from this week in Western politics after the jump...
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