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August 10, 2009, Regular Session of the County Commissioners
The Board of Commissioners, in and for Beaverhead County, Montana, met in session
on Monday, August 10, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. Present: Chairman Tom Rice, Commissioner
Garth Haugland, Commissioner Mike McGinley, and Secretary Patti Odasz.
Minutes:
The minutes of the August 3 and 4, 2009 meetings were read and the following motion
was made:
MOTION: Commissioner Haugland moved and Commissioner McGinley
seconded that the minutes of the August 3 and 4, 2009
meetings be approved. A verbal vote was taken and the
motion carried unanimously.
Report on County Projects:
Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) Section Supervisor Russ Sutton, County
Engineer Jim Carpita, and Road Department Secretary Jamie Hoklin joined the
meeting. Russ said that the box culvert on Highway 91 North by MDT’s shop is too
narrow and is hard for trucks to get in and out. Russ’s proposed plan is to put an arch
culvert all the way through the box culvert, extend the ends and make the approaches
wider. Russ asked if the County would purchase the culvert and MDT would do all the
work including widening the approaches. The size of the arched culvert needs to be 42
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August 10, 2009
Book “V”
feet by 29 feet. When needed, MDT would be responsible for cleaning the culvert. The
Commissioners approved Russ’s request and will talk to Road Supervisor Mike Shafer
about ordering the culvert.
There was discussion about the area on Selway Drive that was cut to insert a waterline.
This area is very rough and looks like the process described to the County as to how
the trench would be filled was not followed. Chairman Rice will call Larry Link about this
matter.
Chairman Rice reported that Peter Frick is agreeable to selling gravel to the County for
65 cents a yard with the agreement that the County would take care of the weeds and
approaches. This gravel will be used for Skinner Meadows road and eight pipes will
have to be replaced in the road. The County Attorney will be asked to write an
agreement and to also write a generic agreement that could be used for other like
projects.
Last week Commissioner Haugland verbally approved to have the County’s chip pile at
Divide to transfer to MDT in exchange for asphalt off of Pioneer Drive and Highway 91
North.
The Commissioners reviewed an agreement between the Local 400 and the County.
This agreement would allow more money to be taken from the Road employees’ wages
and put into their retirement fund. The Commissioners signed the agreement.
Jamie will be doing some of the administration of the three bridge projects, which will
save the County approximately $8,000.
The detour for the Lima 3rd Avenue Bridge project will be started this week and will be
completed within two weeks. The County crew will remove the existing bridge on a
Friday and a Saturday. Jim has emailed the engineers at Morrison and Maierle to see if
he can do some of the inspections on this project, thus saving the County some money.
Jim will also be contacting the engineers from Peccia and Associates regarding Jim
doing some of the construction administration on the Blacktail Deer Creek project, which
would also save the County some money.
Because there are a lot of projects, Jim asked if he could work more hours in the next
few months and then put in less hours this winter. The Commissioners approved Jim’s
request.
Road Supervisor Mike Shafer and Jim met with Vigilante Electric employees on site at
Elkhorn regarding a power line that Vigilante wants to bury alongside of the Pioneer
Mountains Scenic Byway. Vigilante representatives will submit a proposal for this
project. The County does not want the shoulders of the existing pavement undermined
in anyway.
The Road Department Report for August 2 – 8, 2009 was submitted:
DILLON AREA
 Bladed on the followings roads and lanes: Bon Accord, Cold Springs,
Decker, Mansfield and Bannack Bench.
 Applied dust abatement on Bannack Bench Road and Mansfield Lane.
 Mowed on Blacktail and Ten Mile Roads.
 Installed two safety arrows on Ten Mile Road.
 Replaced a vandalized Chevron sign on Pioneer Drive.
 Installed road signs on Schoolhouse and Birch Creek Road intersection
due to vandalization.
 Culvert installation on Little Lake Creek Road.
 Hauled gravel on Little Lake Creek Road.
 Hauled material to Lower North Fork Road for culvert installation this
week.
 Culvert installation on Bannack Bench Road.
 Cattleguard installation on Birch Creek Road.
August 10, 2009
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Hauled gravel on Birch Creek Road.
Road checked Dillon, Glen and Horse Prairie area roads.
Equipment service and repair.
LIMA AREA
 Bladed and watered on the following roads and lanes: Sage Creek, Big
Sheep, Town of Lima, Lakeview, South Valley, Oregon Shortline, Dell
main street.
 Applied dust abatement on the previous roads.
 Road checked Sage Creek, Lima, Dell and South Valley area roads.
 Equipment service and repair.
WISDOM AREA
 Bladed on River Road.
 Culvert installation on Little Lake Creek Road.
 Hauled gravel on Little Lake Creek Road.
 Hauled equipment and culvert for Lower North Fork culvert installation.
 Road checked Skinner Meadows, Twin Lake, Steel Creek.
 Equipment service and repair.
Sheriff’s Office Update:
Sheriff Jay Hansen joined the meeting. Jay reported that 33% of the Juvenile Detention
Budget has already been spent. Jay is going to talk to the County Attorney about this
case. Jay has been trying to get the lawyers and the judges to adjudicate juveniles
quicker. It cost almost $240 per day for a juvenile.
The County’s COP’s grant was not funding during the first round of funding, but there
will be a second round of funding dispersed soon.
CRV insurance fund was discussed. This is a statewide program and 50 percent of the
counties need to be involved to get a low rate. Jay will call Sheryl Wood at MACo for an
overview of this insurance program.
There was discussion about the new legislation that was passed regarding the state
reimbursing the County when the Search and Rescue is activated. The Sheriff’s Office
expenses for the Search and Rescue need to be kept separately. A procedure for
tracking expenses and time needs to be developed. All expenses for searches will
come out of Title III funding, but training is not an eligible item for reimbursement from
Title III.
Old Business / Other Topics for Discussion
US Fish and Wildlife Biologist Jeff Everett and County Engineer Jim Carpita joined the
meeting. Jim is reviewing the MOU and Arctic Grayling agreements for the County. Jim
will call Jeff when the agreements are signed.
Jeff will have an estimate for the County’s match on the Governor Creek Bridge Project
in a few days.
Bid opening and/or Action on the Purchase of the 3rd Avenue Bridge in Lima:
No bids were submitted. Bob Cherry from Lima wants the bridge and with no bids being
received, the Commissioners agreed that Bob could have the bridge. Bob will be
responsible for hauling the bridge away.
Kelly Rowe briefly joined the meeting to submit an invoice for payment for the purchase
of 3,000 yards of gravel.
The Commissioners reviewed the Department of Revenue’s proposal for the lease of
office space in the Beaverhead Pioneer Plaza.
August 10, 2009
Drought Task Force:
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The following members of the Drought Task Force joined the meeting:
The agenda and handouts were distributed. Introductions were given and the meeting
was turned over to Larry Laknar.
Bureau of Reclamation, East Bench Canal
Dennis Miotke gave the following report on the Clark Canyon Dam and the Lima
Dam.
August 10, 2009
Wildfires
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29
Forest Service – Tom Osen:
Activity has been minimal. Earlier this season, there were three singletree starts and a
fire in the Pintler District. Some resources and personnel were dispatch out of state.
DNRC – Cory Calnan
Things are wet and green and there has not been much going on. Half of the crew was
dispatched to Oregon. Some of the staff will be returning to college in two weeks so the
staff will be minimal.
Fire Warden – Scott Marsh
Things have been pretty quiet except for the trainings.
Grazing
Forest Service – Tom Osen
Things are going well this year. A lot of the springs have been recharged.
DNRC – Cory Calnan
There are tall Larkspur issues in the Centennial
National Weather Service – Larry Laknar
Larry gave the National Weather Service’s power point presentation:
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Percent of Normal Precipitation – July 2009 – Near to below normal.
Departure from Average Temperatures – July 2000 – near normal.
Percent of normal precipitation – August 1-8, 2009 – above normal.
Percent of Normal precipitation – Water Year 2009 - Mostly near normal.
Percent of Normal precipitation – Crop Year 2009; Beaverhead – near to
above normal; Madison – near to below normal.
Dillon Accumulated precipitation by Water Year – Through July 2009 is 3rd
wettest since 2001.
Precipitation Totals – August 1-7, 2009.
Average Monthly precipitation for Beaverhead and Madison Counties.
VegDRI – July 27, 2009.
Energy Release Component – Big Hole River.
1000-Hour Fuel Moisture – Big Hole River.
100-Hour Fuel Moisture – Big Hole.
Energy Release Component – Yellowstone.
1000-Hour Fuel Moisture – Yellowstone.
100-Hour Fuel Moisture – Yellowstone.
Clark Canyon Reservoir – August 6, 2009.
Clark Canyon Reservoir Trends.
NRCS Surface Water Supply Index – July 2009 – near Average to Slightly
Wet.
USGS Gauge Readings – Friday, August 7, 2009.
Montana Drought Status Map – July 2009.
National Drought Monitor issued July 7, 2009.
Observed Fire Danger Class – low to moderate.
Forecast Fire Danger Class – low.
8 to 14 Day Outlook – 500mb Heights and Anomalies.
8 to 14 Day Outlook – Temperature and precipitation.
August Outlook
September – November Outlook.
August 10, 2009
Drought Report – Larry Laknar
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Larry gave his power point presentation the conditions in Beaverhead County:
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Clark Canyon Reservoir – flood / surcharge – 5,546.1 joint use.
Clark Canyon Reservoir, Beaverhead River near Dillon– Units: Feet.
Clark Canyon Reservoir, Beaverhead River near Dillon – Units: Acre Feet
Clark Canyon Reservoir, Beaverhead River near Dillon – Units: CFS.
Current large Incident – August 10, 2009.
Visual Greenness – July 28 – August 2009.
Relative Greenness – July 28 – August 3, 2009.
Obs. or Computed 10-Hour FM: August 9, 2009.
Obs. 100-Hour FM: August 9, 2009.
Obs. 1000-Hour FM: August 9, 2009.
Obs. Fire Danger Class: August 9, 2009.
Dennis stated that in the mid September or the end of September the Board will set
winter releases to come close to target of 154,000 acres feet by March 1. Hopefully,
there will be a lot of water used this fall. There will be a minimum of 100 CFS released
this winter.
Next Meeting
The next Drought Tash Force meeting will be September 14, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. in the
Commissioners’ Room.
Recess:
Chairman Rice recessed the meeting at 11:30 a.m. for the lunch break and at 1:30 p.m.
he reconvened the meeting with Commissioner Haugland, Commissioner McGinley,
and Secretary Patti Odasz present.
Bid Opening for the Blacktail Deer Creek Project
The following people joined the meeting for the bid opening.
August 10, 2009
Six bids were received. They were read as follows:
COMPANY
Edstrom Construction – Rexberg, ID
*(Not completed accurately)
Johnson & Wilson Constr. Helena, MT
RE Miller, Dillon, MT
Coleman Construction, Dillon, MT
Westwood Curtis, Jackson, WY
W. Construction, Bozeman, MT
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REQUIRED
DOCUMENTATION
Yes
BASE BID
$1,797,000*
ADDENDUM
$1,749,301*
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
$1,926,700
$1,675.615
$1,486,000
$2,194,000
$1,622,763
$
$
$
$
$
5,000
2,010
2,000
19,000
10,211
MOTION: Commissioner Haugland moved and Commissioner McGinley
seconded that the bids be taken under advisement and
awarded Monday, August 17, 2009. A verbal vote was taken
and the motion carried unanimously.
Tom Straugh briefly joined the meeting to ask about the bids.
Action on the Final Plat of the Dell Center LLC Minor Subdivision:
County Planner Rick Hartz and Surveyor Russ Kluesner joined the meeting. The
Beaverhead County Planning Department recommends final plat approval of the Dell
Center LLC Minor Subdivision. The conditions of approval that were placed on this
subdivision at the time of preliminary plat approval (October 20, 2008) have been met or
will be otherwise satisfied prior to the filing of the final plat. The final plat review fee has
been paid to Beaverhead County.
MOTION: Commissioner Haugland moved and Commissioner McGinley
seconded that the Final Plat of the Dell Center LLC Minor
Subdivision be approved. A verbal vote was taken and the
motion carried unanimously.
Appointment of Viewers to Inspect a Location of a Proposed Road to be located
in Sections 24 & 25, T7S, R8W & Sections 19 & 30, T7S, R7W:
Ron and Marilyn Benson and Attorney Patti Rowland joined the meeting.
It was explained to the Bensons that state stature requires the Commissioners to
appoint one Commissioner and two viewers that will do an onsite inspection of the
location of the proposed new road and then to submit a written report to the
Commissioners. This winter County GIS Coordinator Scott Marsh, Deputy County
Jayne Mitchell, and Commissioner McGinley did an onsite of the proposed location.
MOTION: Commissioner Haugland moved and Commissioner McGinley
seconded that County GIS Coordinator Scott Marsh, Deputy
County Jayne Mitchell, and Commissioner McGinley be
appointed to do an on site inspection of the proposed road to
be located in Sections 24 & 25, T7S, R8W & Sections 19 &
30, T7S, R7W. A verbal vote was taken and the motion
carried unanimously.
At next Monday’s meeting Deputy County Attorney will submit the petitions to the
Commissioners. Marilyn was assured that the proposed road would not go through the
old Ingram homestead.
County Attorney’s Office Update:
County Attorney Jed Fitch was unable to attend the meeting.
August 10, 2009
News Media:
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Chairman Rice went over the day’s business with the news media.
Payment of Invoices:
The Commissioners reviewed and approved the August 2 – 8, 2009 invoices for a total
of $103,839.05. The Invoice Payment Schedule is located in the Financial
Administrator’s Office.
Public Comment on Subjects Under County Jurisdiction:
No public comments were expressed.
Adjourn:
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned
at 5:00 p.m.
Attest:
Approved:
Clerk of the Board
Chairman of the Board