Past and Future: Council focuses on WWI and electric cars

Riley Excavating and Concrete finished the new pad for the WWI Monument on the end of Lincoln Boulevard and Mineral Avenue last week. Photo courtesy of Brian Zimmerman.

 

By Tracy McNew

 

Libby’s World War I monument was removed from its meager home at the corner of Lincoln and Mineral about a month ago. It was sent for restoration and will likely be returned in pristine condition sometime next month. Councilman Zimmerman brought up the topic at last Monday’s City Council meeting. He was seeking funds to help pay for completion of the project which will not only include restoration of the statue but also the new concrete pad that it will sit on as well as other upgrades such as lighting and plaques. He was asked to bring a formal proposal back to the council, and also encouraged to seek public support through media and social media. The project is anticipated to cost eight to ten-thousand dollars, and six-thousand has already been raised, Zimmerman said.

Tesla cars were an unusual but pertinent topic of discussion at the end of the meeting as well. The topic was raised in response to Flathead Electric Co-Ops inquiry about partnering with the City of Libby to apply for a grant to install an electric car charging station at Fireman’s Park. Mayor Brent Teske called the proposal “forward thinking,” and councilmen Beach and Zimmerman discussed how they believe that electric powered vehicles are going to become much more common over the next five to ten years. They agreed to move forward by looking into details of the proposed grant application with Flathead Electric.

Another topic discussed during the meeting was the need for fire safety during spring burning as wind can easily cause a fire to get out of control, even in wetter conditions.

Possible delisting of OU1, Riverfront Park, from the Superfund National Priorities List by EPA was also discussed. The mayor will reach out to EPA for a copy of the draft environmental covenants for the park to better evaluate implications.

Business licenses were approved, committee reports were heard, and other agenda items including the independent contractor agreement for Lincoln County Park District Manager of Parks, and searching for an environmental law firm to assist in the International Paper negotiations.

The meeting lasted under an hour adjourning at around 7:45 p.m.