Helena's SesquiCentennial to be Celebrated July 16 with Alive @ 5 at Centennial Park with the Mission Mountain Wood Band!

PRESS RELEASE

For More Information Contact:

Tracy Reich

Downtown Helena Inc/Helena BID

225 Cruse Ave, Ste B

Helena MT  59601

406-447-1535

First Interstate and Mountain West Banks Sponsor 150th Celebration

March 26, 2014, Helena, MT -  Downtown Helena Inc. is pleased to announce First Interstate Bank and Mountain West Bank as the headline sponsors of the  signature Alive @ Five event in celebration of Helena’s 150th anniversary.   The event will be held on July 16th in Centennial Park and will feature Mission Mountain Wood Band in a free concert.

“We are happy to sponsor this concert together with Mountain West Bank,”said Rich Bruner, Helena Market President of First Interstate Bank. Earlier this year, First Interstate Bank signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mountain West Bank, with completion of the merger  to take place mid-year. “ It’s a great opportunity to celebrate with the Helena community, our city’s 150th anniversary, as well as the merger of our two companies,” Bruner said.“ The location and timing were perfect and we couldn’t ask for a better band to make this a great event for the community and for us.”

“First Interstate Bank and Mountain West Bank’s sponsorship enables us to bring Mission Mountain Wood Band back to Helena,” said Tracy Reich, Executive Director of the Helena Business Improvement District and Downtown Helena Inc.  “We are very excited to work with a Business Improvement District property owner and a Downtown Helena member to make this a great celebration for the people of Helena.”

“When I started and found out we were selecting the July 16th Alive @ Five as our signature event contribution to the City’s 150th anniversary,” Reich noted, ”there was only one band that came to mind that was the quintessential Montana band to play for our Anniversary event. I am excited that Mission Mountain Wood Band was available and is able to help us celebrate.”

“In the early days, when MMWB formed,” said Rob Quist of Mission Mountain Wood Band, “our first touring date was performed in Helena. And over the years, the Capitol City has been host to some of our most epic concerts. We are thrilled to be invited to celebrate 150 years of colorful history of this fair city.” M2WB will be releasing a new greatest hits album with three new bonus tracks later this year.

First Interstate Bank is a $7.6 billion community banking organization operating 74 banking offices, along with online and mobile banking services, throughout Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota. As a recognized leader in community banking services, First Interstate remains a family business whose culture is driven by strong family and corporate values, as well as a commitment to exemplary customer service, exceeding customer expectations through its products and services and supporting, with leadership and resources, the communities it serves.

Mountain West is a Helena, Montana-based bank holding company that operates one wholly-owned subsidiary bank, Mountain West Bank, which was founded in 1991.  As of September 30, 2013, Mountain West Bank had total assets of $647 million.  Mountain West Bank operates 12 branches in five primary markets in Montana– Helena, Great Falls, Missoula, the Flathead Valley (Kalispell and Whitefish) and Bozeman. 

Gold was discovered in current day Downtown Helena on July 14th, 1864; Last Chance Gulch is so named as it was the “last chance” for four men using the Georgian method of gold mining to hit it big or head home. 150 years and 2 days later, Downtown Helena is celebrating the birth of our downtown at Alive @ Five. Alive @ Five is a free summer concert series held every Wednesday June through August in various locations in Downtown Helena from 5 – 9 pm. This is the 17thseason of the summer concert series.

Downtown Helena, Inc. (DHI) is a 501(c)6 a non-profit business membership organization established in 1964. DHI's mission is to promote and publicize Downtown Helena in our community; encourage and develop a spirit of cooperation among members; establish and develop cooperative advertising and promotional campaigns activities; foster favorable public relations for Downtown Helena in various communities, organizations and agencies in the area served by Downtown Helena.  DHI, in collaboration with the Helena Business Improvement District (BID), produces Alive @ Five and other Downtown events. Established in 1986, the Downtown Helena Business Improvement District is the first and oldest Business Improvement District in the state of Montana.

Bike and Motorcycle Safety at Intersections

I hope to see the City of Helena address this issue in 2014. - ME

March Issue of "On the Gulch"

This Thursday in Helena! Jason DeShaw: Finding Serenity in the Storm.... March 13, 2014, 7pm at Carroll College

From Jason:

"I hope this finds you warm and well.  As you know, I have begun a new chapter in my life of sharing my story of mental illness and recovery with songs being sung throughout.  It has an ebb and flow to it that really seems to reach audiences.  There are a number of state and national decision makers who have caught wind of this new movement and are interested in the call for humanity.

On March 13, 2014 I will be debuting my story and song to the community of Helena.  I think it will be worth watching as it will come from the heart.  If you are able to make the trek, I think I can help with getting a room for you at the Wingate by Wyndham.  Attached to this email is a poster for the event and here is a video with some footage from my recent performance at Warm Springs."

Jason DeShaw has performed across the United States, Canada, and Europe from concert halls to psychiatric hospitals. He has shared the stage withThe Oakridge Boys, Emerson Drive and Little Big Town.  Jason has released five albums of original country music.

Beyond the music, Jason is an inspirational speaker sharing his story of living with bipolar disorder. His story of recovery, "Serenity in the Storm", is interwoven with original music that soundtracks his life's struggles and triumphs.

Jason’s songs and story speak to humanity. Discover more at LegendaryArtists.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiC1SzutBBs

Final Community Plastics Recycling Drive this Friday, March 14 through Monday, March 17th! City of Helena to establish a permanent program

The final community plastics drive hosted by S.A.V.E. will be this coming Friday through the following Monday. Details of the City of Helena program to being collecting plastics at the Transfer Station should be available by the City in the coming weeks.

Details about the S.A.V.E. drive are available at Savemobile.org

- Matt E

Snow plowing schedule this weekend in Helena / Please Park Off of City Street if Able!

From Ben Sautter, Superintentent of the City of Helena Street Department the afternoon of Friday, February 28, 2014:


STREETS & TRAFFIC SNOW PLAN

Schedule for March 2nd 3rd and 4th
For this weekend Saturday March 1st we plan to run two shifts with four operators for an early morning shift and three operators for the afternoon shift.  We will start the first shift at 4:00 am to 12:30 pm and the afternoon shift will run till 12:00 pm to 8:30 pm.  Our Street Supervisor will be on shift 7:00 am to 3:30 pm at least.  We have two mechanics available in the event of breakdowns.  This schedule will give us coverage for 16 hours a day. 

For Sunday March 2nd we plan to run two shifts with four operators for an early morning shift and four operators for the afternoon shift.  We will start the first shift at 4:00 am to 12:30 pm and the afternoon shift will run till 12:00 pm to 8:30 pm.  Our Street Supervisor will be on shift 7:00 am to 3:30 pm at least.  We have two mechanics available in the event of breakdowns.  This schedule will give us coverage for 16 hours a day. 

Monday morning March 3rd we will start the morning with four operators at 4:00 am. and we will  add three more operators at 7:00 am.  The afternoon shift will be at 1:00 pm and we will have three more operators available.  We are planning to have the operators run 10 to 12 hour shifts if necessary and expect to run till late in the day which would be 10:00 or 11:00 pm tonight.  The rest of the week may be the same schedule as we are expect it to take most of the week to catch up to this weekend storm.

We were planning to begin snow removal operations Monday evening March 3rd but that has been canceled due to the predicted snow this weekend.  Snow removal will be discussed later next week as conditions dictate and we get past the storm we are in now and this weekend.

Any questions please call the City Street Division during working hours and for needs after hours go through City Dispatch.

Additional note from the City Managers Office:

Mayor, Commission, and Press,

Please see the attached snow plan for the weekend.

Press: I would sincerely appreciate it if you would ask folks to voluntarily park off street or out least off of the snow routes.  It makes the clearing of snow off streets much easier and successful.  Thank you

Ronald J. Alles, City Manager
City of Helena
316 N. Park Avenue
Helena, MT  59623

Great News for Transit in Helena and Montana! "Intercity Bus Service Restored to I-15 Corridor from Butte to Great Falls"

    

For Immediate Release: Contact:

February 18, 2014 Jacob Price, Operations Manager

208-317-8212

David Jacobs,

MDT Transit Section Supervisor

406-444-4265

Intercity Bus Service Restored to I-15 Corridor from Butte to Great Falls

Salt Lake Express to serve eight communities along corridor starting February 20th

Salt Lake Express announced today that they will begin intercity bus service between Butte, Helena, and Great Falls starting February 20th, serving eight communities on the I-15 corridor north of Butte that have been without service since last summer. The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and Salt Lake Express have been working on restoring the connection since that time, culminating in a signed contract last week. Funding comes from the Federal Transit Administration 5311(f) Intercity Bus Program, which is designed to connect rural communities with urban centers and with the National Bus Network.

Communities along I-15 north of Butte first lost service in March, 2013 when Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) inspectors shut down the Billings-based Rimrock Stages bus fleet. Salt Lake Express operated the route last summer, but ridership was not high enough for it to be financially viable, so service was terminated until a funding source could be found.

“This is a great additional connection for us,” said Tom Price, the owner of Salt Lake Express. “This will allow the people living in this corridor to have access to all the destinations we serve as well as into the National Bus Network which includes the continental U.S. This gives them more options for transportation. We are excited to partner with the Montana Department of Transportation on this project!” Price has won awards for his business. He was named Businessman of the Year by the Rexburg Chamber of Commerce and has led the Salt Lake Express administration team to success by his wisdom, perseverance and inspiration.

Stops on the new route will include Great Falls, Ulm Junction, Cascade, Craig Junction, Wolf Creek, Helena, Boulder, Basin, and Butte. This service will connect at the Butte Bus Transfer Center with the Salt Lake Express bus to Rexburg, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and Salt Lake City via

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I-15; and the Jefferson Lines I-90 eastbound and westbound routes to Missoula, Bozeman, Billings, and points beyond. Buses will run on the following schedule:

• Great Falls to Butte southbound via I-15: Great Falls 3:15pm; Helena 5:45pm; arriving in Butte at 6:15pm.
• Butte to Great Falls northbound via I-15: Butte 6:45pm; Helena 8:00pm; arriving in Great Falls at 9:45pm.

Salt Lake Express’s goal is to reach all rural and urban communities with their own connections as well as coordinating with numerous other providers throughout the state in these regions they serve. This goal of connectivity is shared by Montana Transportation Department. Salt Lake Express currently operates eight other routes in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. All these routes connect to each other in a timely fashion with very few layovers and waiting time. Seamless connectivity throughout this region has been achieved as a result of an outstanding management team and includes the routes between the following communities and points in between:

• Salt Lake Express provides service from Rexburg, ID to Salt Lake City, UT (11 times daily)
• Salt Lake City, UT to Provo, UT (2 times daily)
• Idaho Falls, ID to Butte, MT (2 times daily)
• Rexburg, ID to West Yellowstone, MT (2 times daily)
• Rexburg, ID to Jackson, WY(2 times daily)
• Pocatello, ID to Boise, ID (2 times daily)
• Logan, UT to Salt Lake City, UT (11 times daily)
• Logan, UT to Rexburg, ID (5 times daily)

To see all Salt Lake Express schedules or make reservations visit www.SaltLakeExpress.comor call 1-800-356-9796.

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