Opening for advisory boards and citizens council at the City of Helena. Applications due February 21, 2013.

DATE:  February 6, 2013 

CONTACT: Debbie Havens, Clerk of the Commission, 447-8410

NEWS RELEASE - PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 

The City of Helena is seeking interested citizens to serve on the following boards: 

Board of Adjustment

One citizen to serve as the alternate member on the Board of Adjustment.  Term will begin upon appointment and expire October 1, 2015. 

The five-member board acts on applications for variances in the zoning ordinance.   

Helena Zoning Commission

One citizen to serve as the alternate member on the City Zoning Commission.  The term will begin upon appointment and expired September 30, 2015. 

This board shall perform zoning functions for the city and shall be the sole Zoning Commission for the City of Helena. 

Non-Motorized Travel Advisory Council (NMTAC)

One resident of the City of Helena to serve on NMTAC.  The term will begin upon appointment and expire March 31, 2015.  Interested persons should have knowledge, expertise and interest in promoting non-motorized transportation and traffic calming.

The general purpose of the council is to advise the City Commission and Neighborhood Transportation Program.  Duties will include:  

1. Recommending priorities in plan implementation and facility maintenance;
2. Advocating for non-motorized facilities in development projects;
3. Developing, supporting and sponsoring educational programs;
4. Advocating for funding in the City budget and identifying potential funding sources;
5. Reviewing and advising on grant applications, including CTEP;
6. Advising on traffic-calming measures;
7. Developing and distributing a non-motorized transportation system map.

Public Art Committee

One art organization representative to serve on the Public Art Committee.  The unexpired term will begin upon appointment and expire December 31, 2013.  

This committee promotes community awareness of public art and will be involved in recommendations for providing public art in Helena.  Goals and guidelines have been established to assist the committee members.

Helena Citizens Council

There are currently vacancies in Districts 2, 3, 4 and 6 of the Helena Citizens Council.  If you are interested in finding out what district you live in or serving on the HCC please visit their web page at helenacitizenscouncil.com or call HCC Coordinator at 447-8493.

 

Applications are available at www.ci.helena.mt.us /commission/boards or by calling 447-8410 and can be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office, 316 N. Park Avenue, Room 323, Helena, MT 59623 or to dhavens(at)ci.helena.mt.us

The deadline for applications is 4:00 p.m., Thursday, February 21, 2013.

Protecting Tenmile Watershed is a Priority for Helena and Opportunity to Demonstrate Collaborative Stewardship of Public Lands

In 2009, the Tenmile Watershed Collaborative Committee, "including residents from the city, Lewis and Clark County, the Helena National Forest, citizens, fire officials, environmental advocates and a timber industry representative - used a consensus-building strategy to hammer out an agreement for a sweeping multiyear series of fire-fuel reduction projects in the roughly 30,000-acre drainage(Helena Independent Record 10/4/09)." 

The working group "reached consensus....on a plan to reduce the drainage's vegetation by 20 percent to 40 percent, using mechanized logging and prescribed fire. Officials say the collaborative effort is a historic achievement, and say the recent MacDonald Pass fire further highlights the urgent need to protect the landscape, the town of Rimini and Helena's drinking-water source(Helena Independent Record 10/4/09)." 

Watershed Moment outlines the process the Tenmile Watershed Collaborative Committee when through, and the conclusions and ground breaking plans they agreed upon.  The second article outlines the current bottle-neck to the project, which is to advance the environmental review required, and agree to by the committee, to develop the more detailed aspects of the landscape treatment plan and to begin work as soon as possible. Both articles show the wide spectrum of support for this project. 

Watershed moment

OCTOBER 04, 2009 12:00 AM  •  BY LARRY KLINE INDEPENDENT RECORD

City officials frustrated at lack of progress on Upper Tenmile fire mitigation Wildfire could threaten city's water supply

JANUARY 27, 2013 12:00 AM  •  BY EVE BYRON INDEPENDENT RECORD

The following photos were taken in the summer of 2011 by Helena City Commissioner Matt Elsaesser on a tour with city staff on FEMA supported projects to protect the flume, which includes city land as well as many private parcels.  - Matt E