Sanders County Ledger - Your Best Source For Sanders County News

50 YEARS AGO • MARCH 2, 1972

BAD ROCK

Bad Rock, the mountain of slide rock that reaches down to Highway 200 east of the IT Gift and Upholstery Shop, Sunday retained its reputation for providing hazards to travelers. A rock slide temporarily blocked travel on both the highway and railroad and also damaged communication lines. Several large boulders and large rocks tumbled down the mountain side, smashed the highway guard rail in seven places and went through the warning fence guarding the rail line. One telephone pole was snapped and another damaged by the galloping rocks. Steve Vulles used a snowplow to clear the highway of the rack and restore normal traffic on Highway 200.

30 YEARS AGO • MARCH 12, 1992

OPEN CONTAINER ORDINANCE THROWN OUT FOR FALLS

Responding to an opinion of the city attorney, that an ordinance was essentially unenforceable in its present form, the Thompson Falls City Council repealed the recently passed open container law and then debated at length what a replacement law should address.

The session ended with Mayor Larry Ward suggesting that a public hearing be held prior to the April council meeting at which time comments from the general public could be considered before the passage of a new ordinance.

City Attorney Claude Burlingame noted that the original ordinance was passed with amendments and that the record failed to fully reflect those amendments. Additionally, he said the ordinance had been so diluted in the amending process that it may not be workable in its final form. He had suggested at the February council meeting that the ordinance be repealed and replaced of one that better spelled out what the council’s intentions were.

Burlingame offered a revised ordinance at the meeting, but that spurred discussion among the five council members present.

Some members said that they objected to the fact that the new ordinance was sufficiently strict to prohibit even the occasional beer that might be consumed by a passing tourist, an after work gathering or a Saturday afternoon boating activity at the new Wild Goose Landing Park.

But that curtailment of freedom drew the counter argument that allowing any alcoholic beverage consumption, it was opening the door to all activities and the potential for this getting out of hand.

City Chief of Police Don Manfred had asked for the open container ordinance this past summer as a means to address some of the late night activities on Main Street. At that time, and after further debates about the ordinance contents, the group approved an ordinance that essentially limited the effectiveness of the ordinance to Main Street, leaving out the parks. Later the group attempted to amend the ordinance to include a permit system to allow the consumption of alcoholic beverages at special events such as the mushball tournament, a fire department fundraiser, but that process, in Burlingame’s estimation, was never fully completed.

Burlingame’s proposed ordinance addressed a permit system for such events.

Sympathizing with law enforcement, Councilman Ted Willhite said he felt the police department needed the tool that the ordinance provided. “I’ve been in their shoes,” he told the group, “and it isn’t easy.”

Council member Bruce Hoagland reflected that he and his coworkers at Montana Power occasionally gathered for a beer at the Montana Power Company park after a tough day and the proposed ordinance would make that activity illegal. “I resent that,” he told the group. “The [proposed] ordinance infringes on my right to assemble.”

Chief Manfred suggested the council leave the ordinance as proposed but provide some permanent permits for such areas as Wild Goose Landin Park and the Montana Power Company park. But as sensible as that option appeared, council members could see the “islands” of unrestricted use attracting drinking and partying and resulting damage and misuse of the facilities. Council member Jerry Neal, also a Montana Power Company employee, offered that MPC couldn’t want to be responsible for damages in such a situation.

As no consensus could be reached, Mayor Ward suggested that, in the interest of seeking more input for consideration, the council should open discussion up to the public at a hearing to be held at 7 p.m. April 13, the date of the next council meeting.

Cheers!