August Issue of "On the Gulch." Great Things Happenning in Helena!

This months City of Helena employee newsletter has an excellent update on Centennial Park, enforcement of traffic violations, recognition of the work on the Tenmile Watershed, and more!

Link to file:

https://intranet.helenamt.gov/fileadmin/user_upload/HR/HR_Intranet/HR_Main/Employee_Newsletter/August2013Final.pdf


The August issue of "On the Gulch: A Newsletter For and About City of Helena Employees:"

[click images to embiggen excellent]

BikeHelena.com!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Helena, Montana

May 24, 2013

The Helena Tourism Alliance has launched its new website, BikeHelena.com (www.bikehelena.com) this week.  Bike Helena is a website and brand to promote all things cycling in Helena, Montana. 

BikeHelena.com is designed to be a clearinghouse for any and all cycling information in Helena, which is helpful for locals and visitors alike.  BikeHelena.com features trail maps, ride suggestions, trail reports, events, bike rentals, bike shops, bike clubs/teams, weather information, blogs, videos, local and statewide cycling advocacy groups, tips on where to eat and drink in Helena,  and the ability to book local hotels.

The Bike Helena brand sponsors local and regional biking events to help spread the word about biking in Helena.  As part of a sponsorship, races are offered complementary Bike Helena gear and help from Bike Helena staff with marketing their event to a local, statewide, or national audience.

Helena, Montana is one of the premier Mountain Biking destinations in America and BikeHelena.com is designed to make riding our extensive trail network as user friendly as possible. 

For more information on Bike Helena and BikeHelena.com, 

Please contact Pat Doyle, Community Outreach Director, Helena Tourism Alliance, 406-449-2107

Website: http://www.bikehelena.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BikeHelena  Twitter: https://twitter.com/BikeHelena

City of Helena Becomes Affiliate Community Member of Montana Main Street Program!

Montana Main Street Program Awards Project Grants and Welcomes Helena as New Affiliate Community

(HELENA) – The Montana Department of Commerce is awarding a total of nearly $36,000 to five Montana Main Street (MMS) communities, one of which is a brand new member to the program. The previously enrolled communities of Glendive/Dawson County, Shelby, Terry and Whitehall will receive grants, along with the newest Affiliate Community Member, the City of Helena.

The Montana Main Street (MMS) program is dedicated to bettering the economic, historic, and cultural vitality of Montana downtowns through community development, revitalization, and historic preservation. MMS fosters grassroots efforts through coordination and technical assistance, focused on a comprehensive approach to restoring healthy community commercial districts and preserving the historic structures that contribute to Montana’s unique sense of place.

The Affiliate Community tier allows all eligible communities the opportunity to learn and develop the Main Street Four Point Approach™ while accessing the resources and services of the program network. This tier is designed for communities entering the program and in the early stages of organization and capacity building.

The Helena Main Street efforts will be led by the City of Helena Community Development Department, Helena Business Improvement District, and Downtown Helena, Inc. Other organizations associated with the downtown are encouraged to participate in the process of strengthening the district through long range planning and more specific prioritized projects.

“The new Helena Main Street project is a collaboration of organizations, businesses, and residents as part of a larger effort to maintain and grow the economic vitality of the downtown commercial district,” said Meg O’Leary, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce.  

Helena joins as the 20th member of the state program after successfully completing an application for membership and demonstrating a dedication to the downtown district. 

“Helena demonstrated a clear vision for their downtown revitalization efforts, significant accomplishments in the downtown to build upon, and collected a flood of membership support letters that represented a wide range of downtown business and tourism groups, local independent businesses, and historic and cultural institutions,” said Tash Wisemiller, Coordinator of MMS.

FY2013 Montana Main Street Grants (to date):

Helena: $7,500 - The City of Helena plans to conduct a property tax analysis and revenue mapping project to better understand the value of downtown development and investments made in the downtown commercial district. The project would include the creation of a citywide set of maps demonstrating land and property valuation with revenue production charts, collaborative Helena GIS training, and a pair of community presentations to report the findings and issues unique to Helena.

Glendive/Dawson County: $15,000 - The city of Glendive, in coordination with Dawson County, will update their existing Growth Policy in response to recent significant regional economic growth related to oil and gas development. The update will integrate goals and policies related to the preservation and revitalization of downtown Glendive, improving commercial opportunities, and developing long-range plans to collaboratively promote tourism throughout the jurisdiction.

Shelby: $3,000 - Shelby will utilize Main Street grant funds for the creation of a historical walking tour in the Main Street business district and adjacent historic neighborhoods. The project is part of a larger effort to identify and list historic properties, promote tourism in the community, and connect the downtown business district to the Shelby heritage tourism plan.

Terry: $1,500 - The town of Terry will utilize Main Street grant funds for the continuation and completion of a Growth Policy (started in FY2012 using Main Street Funds) to plan for sustained growth and promote regional economic development in coordination with a strong downtown district.

Whitehall: $8,800 - Whitehall was awarded Main Street funds to assist in the creation of an urban renewal tax increment finance district to address blight, promote investment in streetscape beautification, and generate a funding source for infrastructure improvement.

Affiliate Update: Deer Lodge

The most recent Affiliate member to be accepted into the program in June 2012 was the City of Deer Lodge. The community has since begun major planning efforts, spearheaded by the Deer Lodge Development Group, to restore the historic Hotel Deer Lodge, filling the vacant building with an operating hotel and retail space along main street. The larger plan aims to strengthen the downtown commercial core with new business, save the landmark historic building from disrepair, and connect the downtown with the wealth of historic and cultural attractions in the area. The Deer Lodge Development Group submitted a successful application to the Montana Office of Tourism, resulting in a $30,000 grant award to create a smartphone self-guided walking tour of the historic downtown. “Deer Lodge is positioned adjacent to a major tourism corridor in the state and the potential here is significant. There are really exciting plans underway and we look forward to supporting such efforts” said Wisemiller. 

The Montana Main Street Program is housed within the Community Development Division of the Montana Department of Commerce and offers technical assistance and expertise to member communities and awards competitive grant funding to communities actively working on downtown revitalization, economic development, and historic preservation.

http://commerce.mt.gov/content/news/Montana%20Main%20Street%20Program%20Awards%20Project%20Grants%20and%20Welcomes%20Helena%20as%20New%20Affiliate%20Community%20

Design Concepts from Greening America's Capital's Grant looking at the Downtown Helena Area, Please Comment!

The Last Chance Design concepts from the Greening America’s Capitals project are now available online at www.helenamt.gov.  The public is invited to comment about these proposals.  Please submit comments by March 22, 2013 to kmacefield@helenamt.gov. 

Comments can also be mailed to:  City of Helena Community Development Department, Planning Division, 316 N. Park Ave., Helena MT  59623.

Greening America's Capitals helped the city and community stakeholders create a common vision for designing intersection improvements to improve traffic flow, create safer crossings for pedestrians and bicyclists, and improve the connection to downtown.  The project looked at the one-way/two-way question plus the challenges of a five-point intersection along Last Chance Gulch.

Focus groups helped identify preliminary design concepts and implementation strategies for presentation at the second open house.   These focus groups included:  Business and Economic Development; Green Infrastructure and Landscape; Multi-modal Transportation and Circulation; Historic Preservation, Public Art and Culture; Social Services/Public Health; and Implementation Strategies.

Ideas that spurred the most interest and excitement during the planning process:  improving the crossing of Neill at Front Street and connecting through alley along Women’s Park to historic core; expanding the mall into 6th and Last Chance Gulch Intersection; and slowing speeds in downtown.

Working with the public, the consultants identified incremental opportunities for implementation: striping and sharrows on South Last Chance Gulch; infrastructure project programmed for Front Street; look for other public and private projects that can help implement the Sustainable Street Network.

Greening America's Capitals is a project of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities between EPA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to help state capitals develop an implementable vision of distinctive, environmentally friendly neighborhoods that incorporate innovative green building and green infrastructure strategies.  This program assists three to five communities per year. 

Helena was selected for the Greening America’s Capitals program in 2012 along with Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Des Moines, Iowa; Frankfort, Kentucky; and Indianapolis, Indiana. 

More information about Greening America’s Capitals can be found at http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/greencapitals.htm. 
For more information, please call 447-8491.  

City of Helena is seeking interested citizens to serve!

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 Open Lands Management Advisory Committee (HOLMAC)

One citizen to serve on HOLMAC.  The unexpired term will expired June 30, 2015.  Members of HOLMAC shall perform various functions for the City related to the management of the open space properties. 

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.

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 1, 2, 4, 5 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 the 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 by email. 

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

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