Missoula County Government: Missoula County Weekly: May 23-27

Missoula MT

24 May, 2022

7:37 AM

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Press release from the Missoula County Government: May 23, 2022 Welcome to Missoula County Weekly. You're receiving this because you signed up to receive e-notifications at missoulacounty.us. Missoula County Weekly will keep you informed and up to date on public meetings, county projects and more. If you're viewing this on the homepage of the Missoula County website and would like to receive the e-notifications, you can sign up for them here: https://www.missoulacounty.us/news/e-notification and choose "Weekly Newsletter" as one of your preferences. If there's something you'd like to know more about, feel free to contact us at [email protected]. Missoula County offices are closed Monday, May 30, in observance of Memorial Day. Offices will reopen Tuesday, May 31. Missoula County sees uptick in COVID-19 cases; hospitalizations remain low Last week, Missoula County experienced a notable but expected uptick in COVID-19 cases. This uptick is caused by a variety of Omicron subvariants and sub-lineages. Missoula County Public Health continues to work with healthcare providers in the community to ensure there is capacity to handle surges in testing and vaccination. Missoula Public Health still moved forward with discontinuing its COVID-19 testing services at the 3665 W. Broadway clinic on May 20. COVID-19 vaccines are available by appointment through Missoula Public Health's immunization clinic at 301 W. Alder St. Learn more about the COVID-19 situation in Missoula County right now Missoula County receives $500,000 brownfields assessment grant from EPA Missoula County will receive a $500,000 brownfields grant to complete environmental assessments, cleanup plans and reuse plans in in the communities of East Missoula, Bonner, West Riverside, Milltown and Piltzville. The Missoula County brownfields program is successful thanks to support from the Environmental Protection Agency, congressional leaders, local leaders and County partners such as Missoula County and City of Missoula staff, Homeword, Missoula County Public Schools, community councils and local developers. Learn more about the brownfields grant Missoula County Tip of the Spear podcast receives national achievement award The National Association of Counties recently recognized Missoula County's "Tip of the Spear" podcast with a 2022 NACo Achievement Award. The award honors innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.Nationally, NACO issues awards in 18 different categories that reflect the vast, comprehensive services counties provide. The Missoula County "Tip of the Spear" podcast received recognition in the Civic Education and Public Information category for 2022. "Tip of the Spear" is a podcast about the people, policies and programs of Missoula County local government. The goal is to help constituents better understand local government through informative and unique stories about current issues facing our community. Listen to Tip of the SpearFind the award for Tip of the Spear on the National Association of Counties website Missoula County invites bids from newspapers for legal advertising Missoula County is inviting bids from qualified newspapers for a printing contract for legal advertising. The contract will be awarded in accordance with MCA §§18-7-411-413. Bids will be accepted until 3 p.m. Monday, June 6. You can hand-deliver bids to the County Auditor's Office at 199 W. Pine Street, Room 136, or mail them to the Missoula County Auditor, 200 W. Broadway, Missoula, MT, 59802. Envelopes must be sealed and marked "Bid for Printing Contract for Legal Advertising" Contact Auditor Dave Wall at 406-258-3526 or [email protected] with any questions. A newspaper contacting anyone else at Missoula County regarding this Invitation for Bid will be eliminated from consideration. Learn more about submitting a bid at http://missoula.co/rfp Missoula County Voice project: County trails maintenance Have you noticed a county trail that needs attention? Let Public Works and Parks, Trails and Open Lands know about it! Visit MissoulaCountyVoice.com/county-trails-maintenance and drop a pin on the interactive map! Add a comment and photo with your pin, and the Public Works Road Crew will be sure to respond. Tip of the Spear - The Reserve Street Bridge encampment: Cleaning up before springtime runoff Listen to the full episode at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1846183/episodes The encampment under the Reserve Street Bridge has been a topic of concern for both residents and County officials, especially with spring runoff on the horizon having the potential to wash garbage and other waste downstream. Earlier this month, Missoula County Public Works crews and equipment assisted with trash removal under the Reserve Street Bridge after Commission Chair Juanita Vero declared a state of emergency to enable the County to join community volunteers to remove trash that's accumulated under the bridge due to people living illegally on the property for years. In this episode, the Missoula County commissioners explain the history of this issue and its current complexities: how the encampment at one point had around 140 people and what the County and City of Missoula, in cooperation with many community partners, have done so far to address this problem, such as standing up the Temporary Safe Outdoor Space and Authorized Camp Site. They explain why it's an environmental and safety problem to continue to have people living under the bridge, and why, because of the Martin v. Boise court ruling, neither the County, City nor the Montana Department of Transportation have been able to simply remove the campers from under the bridge if there is no alternative shelter for them. Missoula County employees are working hard for you! Amy McGhee, Chief Deputy Clerk of District Court I joined the County in 2014, where I worked as a temp in Human Resources and soon transitioned to the County Attorney's Office. I quickly realized my calling of working in the justice system and fell in love with my newfound career. Over the last eight years, I have held a few positions in the County: criminal paralegal for the Missoula County Attorney's Office, then Court Administrator for Justice Court and now almost two years as the Chief Deputy Clerk of District Court. In my role as chief deputy, I assist our elected Clerk of Court in the day-to-day operation of our office. I often act as a liaison between our staff and customers, attorneys, the five District Court judges and other departments within the County. I feel my previous roles have given me a unique perspective on how cases run through the system, which allow me to ensure our section of the justice system runs smoothly. I have a passion for good customer service and strive to provide a friendly and empathetic face for those struggling to navigate the more difficult aspects of the legal system. In my spare time, when I am not being a mother to three incredible young men, I am experiencing life on the open road thanks to my beloved Harley. Upcoming Events: May 23-27 Missoula Midtown Association 2022 Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, at the Missoula County Fairgrounds 3D Printing 101 Workshop 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, at the Missoula Public Library Tour Fort Missoula for Historic Preservation Month 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula Find more events this week on the County's Event Calendar! Missoula County in the News: May 14-20 Clark Fork River ambassadors, shuttles to return for another year Local officials urge Missoulians to prep for flooding County prolongs state of emergency to clean up Reserve Street Bridge Elk Creek Conservation partnership recognized Missoula County sees uptick in COVID cases, still low community spread per CDC Upcoming Commissioners' Meetings: May 24-30 To join commissioner department, administrative and public meetings via Microsoft Teams and view the agendas, visit the Missoula County Commissioners' Meeting Minutes and Agenda Portal. Please note that agendas for department and administrative meetings are published two business days before the meeting, and public meeting agendas are published the Friday before the meeting. Administrative and public meeting video recordings are available on the Missoula County YouTube page after the meeting, and MCAT plays the public meetings live on their Spectrum Channel 190. Email [email protected] or call 406-258-4877 if you have any questions or comments on an upcoming meeting. Tuesday, May 24 Public Service Agencies Update Commissioners' Administrative Public Meeting Wednesday, May 25 All Community Council Meeting Thursday, May 26 Chief Administrative Officer Update Commissioners' Administrative Public Meeting Health Department Update Commissioners' Public Meeting Friday, May 27 No department, administrative or public meetings are scheduled on this day. Monday, May 30 No department, administrative or public meetings are scheduled on this day. Offices closed in observance of Memorial Day. This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author's own.