MDT floats idea of berming snow on Highway 2

A temporary berm of snow in the middle of U.S. Highway 2 in the winter months? Perhaps.

The Montana Department of Transportation recently floated that idea to the city in exchange that the city would enforce its sidewalk snow-clearing ordinance, city manager Susan Nicosia told city council Monday night.

MDT is rebuilding Highway 2 through the city this fall, which includes about a mile of new sidewalks and improvements to the existing sidewalks. But in heavy snow years — like this one — the sidewalks are tough for pedestrians to use, because they’re packed with snow. The city has an ordinance requiring that businesses and residences clear the sidewalks, but it doesn’t enforce it on Highway 2.

The snow at the Nucleus Avenue intersection, for example, was so deep this winter that pedestrians who crossed there had to reach down to tap the crosswalk signal button.

The city earlier this year floated the idea of a special fee to businesses who fronted Highway 2 for snow removal, but it didn’t go over well.

If MDT does berm snow in the middle of Highway 2, it would, presumably, make the sidewalks easier to clear. MDT already berms the snow on Nucleus Avenue during big storms. It then clears the berms later.

But Nucleus doesn’t see the traffic that Highway 2 does. In previous conversations, the main worry about berming Highway 2 was safety — motorists might not be able to see pedestrians crossing the road, particularly kids going to school in the dark.

Council took no action on the matter. Mayor Don Barnhart suggested the city talks to businesses before it moved forward.

In other council news:

- The city will hold a public hearing April 17 on abandonment of a wedge of land off the Truck Route near the Weyerhaeuser mill. The land used to be the outfield of the old baseball fields. It’s encumbered by a 99-year lease to the company. The city would like to abandon the parcel, in exchange for land up the road at the intersection of 5th St. West to potentially improve the intersection there.

- The council approved a contract with Knife River Construction for reconstruction of 8th St East and 1st Avenue East for $92,000. The work will improve both streets.

- The council approved a $171,575 bid to LHC. Inc. to fix the water main to Timber Creek Village. The previous contractor put the water pipe through a storm sewer drain along U.S. Highway 2. As a result, the road had a partial collapse. In turn, the city will try to recoup the cost from the original contractor. The work is expected to start soon and wrap up by early May.

- Glacier Babe Ruth president Ray Queen said the organization is seeking a grant from the Montana Department of Tourism to help rebuild the grandstands. Queen was seeking a letter of support from the city. The organization has about $106,000 in the bank to rebuild the grandstands, which burned down last summer, but the bids came in at nearly $300,000. The organization is now trying to pare down the project. The city agreed to write a letter of support.

- Council gave Columbia Falls Cub Scout pack permission to put up a “free library” where folks could borrow and give books at one of the city parks. The library is self-serve and weather-tight so the books don’t get wet. The scouts built the library.