In the News
KTVH - City of Helena shares how it deals with potholes as snow and ice melt
Snow is melting, revealing potholes across the city of Helena. Both city workers and drivers are trying to deal with them. “Anybody who’s lived here for any length of time knows this time of year it's just pothole heaven,” said Helena driver, Bonnie Baker. Potholes can be a nuisance for drivers, a headache that, thanks to the weather, cannot be permanently fixed right now. Chris Couey, the City of Helena's deputy director of transportation systems, explained why permanently patching potholes can be tricky at this time of year.“We use a cold mix to pack it down, and that's typically how we fill them this time of year. So, it's meant to be more of a temporary fix. And then, when we get more into spring, they'll go out and put a proper patch in place,” Couey explained. Until the weather warms enough to complete full road maintenance and repairs, drivers are navigating rough roads in some spots around the city. In 2024, the city says it repaired almost 2,000 potholes. Each year, the city budgets between $50,000 and 75,000 for potholes and other road repairs.
KTVH - City of Helena offering Sidewalk Improvement Loan Program
Those in Helena looking to repair or add sidewalks to the area next to their homes can now apply for the city’s Sidewalk Improvement Loan Program. “Whether it's pedestrian or cyclist or you're just out walking, you know, your kid in a stroller you want somewhere safe and off the road to be able to take that walk,” says Deputy Director of Transportation Systems for the city, Chris Couey.The loan program allows homeowners to either repair the existing sidewalk that is next to their home or build one from the ground up. The loan is offered at 0% interest and is repaid by way of the property owner’s annual tax bill over 10 years. As of Wednesday morning, already more than 100 people have submitted an application. Of those who have applied, around 35 have returned a signed estimate. And even though that may sound like a lot, Couey encourages folks to still apply.
Helena low-income housing project will have $46,838.87 in fees waived by the City Commission, officials decided Jan. 27. The waiver is part of a larger plan to make Helena more attractive for affordable housing development, including a grant developed by the city last year to specifically fund low-income housing. “(The incentives) have played a part in this project,” Seth O’Connell, who represented Twin Creek Apartments, told commissioners. Twin Creek Apartments is a $10 million project that will create 72 units at the corner of Alice and Dorothy streets on Helena's eastside.
Helena received $4.5 million in grants to examine two major road transformations in Helena: adding an underpass at the Montana Avenue railroad crossing and connecting the South Helena 1-15 interchange to U.S. Highway 12. “This planning effort will play a big role in improving our transportation network in the heart of our City,” Mayor Wilmot Collins said in a news release. The money comes from two U.S. Department of Transportation grants, one for each project.
Overwhelmed by a flood of property tax appeals following last year’s historic valuation spike, the Montana Department of Revenue acknowledged earlier this month that its Bozeman-area office fell behind this year on tracking new construction that should be added to Gallatin County’s tax rolls. Kelly Lynch, executive director of the Montana League of Cities and Towns, said in an interview Monday that she is actively investigating the possibility that the issue is more widespread. Helena City Commissioner Emily Dean also told MTFP this week that she doesn’t believe the department’s figures for the value of new construction in Helena align with the volume of building permits the city has issued in recent years.
“We’re anecdotally seeing this significant increase, and it does not seem to be tracking with these taxable values,” Dean said.
Montana Free Press - Fire tower found its funding
In a city meeting last week, the city commission approved allocating money from the Downtown Urban Renewal District to the fire tower restoration project. The city awarded the $385,803 contract to Dick Anderson Construction, which was over what the city initially budgeted. The Downtown Urban Renewal District gave the project about $99,800, in addition to the about $75,000 it allocated earlier this year. Commissioner Emily Dean said during the meeting that this was a great opportunity to use TIF funds for the historic preservation of Helena’s iconic fire tower, built in 1874.
Montana Free Press - Helena celebrates the inspiring life of Flora Lee Wong
Flora Lee Wong has lived a dynamic life. As a local businesswoman, athlete, author and family matriarch, the 95-year-old overcame adverse beginnings to achieve a lifetime of success while making Helena her home. That’s partly why, during a Helena City Commission meeting last Monday, Wong’s friends and family members across multiple generations filled the chambers to celebrate a proclamation declaring July 15 as Flora Wong Day. “I want to thank you [from] all my heart for all the effort you had done for me,” Wong told the commission. “I’ll never forget Helena. It [will] always be [where] I call home.”
Montana Free Press - 3 Questions For
The Helena City Commission agreed to join the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority earlier this month as a member of its municipal partners program. The rail authority is leading the effort to add a passenger rail route connecting Seattle to Chicago and passing through some Montana cities, including Helena. City Commissioner Emily Dean spoke with MTFP about the commission’s decision to join the rail authority. Her comments have been edited for length and clarity.
KTVH - What the results of the bond and levy vote mean for the City of Helena
Preliminary results show Helena narrowly approved a bond to build a new fire station but rejected a levy that would have raised money to hire firefighters to staff it. As of 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 55% of voters rejected the Public Safety Levy with 45% in favor. The fire station construction bond voters were nearly equally split, with those in favor ahead by around 60 votes.
“The demand for service is not going down. We know that our calls for service at the fire department and the police department continue to increase. We'll work hard to meet that demand but that the needs still exist and we’ll continue to look at our options to provide quality services to our citizens every single day,” says City Commissioner, Emily Dean.
Montana Free Press - Helena City Commission puts safety levy, new fire station to voters
The Helena City Commission voted unanimously Monday night to add a safety levy and a 20-year bond onto the June 4 ballot to pay for new emergency services personnel and a third fire station. Both Helena fire and police departments need to add staff to keep up with the needs of the growing city, according to department officials. If voters approve the safety levies, the fire department intends to hire 15 new firefighters, as well as add another fire station, while the police department will hire nine additional officers.