Silver Bow Kiwanis Kiwanis Club Meeting, May 14, '13

12:00-1:00 Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Today we were joined by Matt from the Circle K.

Roger told us about the Kiwanis Foundations - International and District (and that some clubs also have foundations). The Foundations are 501c3 organizations, meaning that donations to the foundations are tax-deductible, while clubs are 501c4 organizations, meaning that donations may or may not be tax-deductible. You should check with your accountant on what you can deduct.

Betsy let us know about a webcast Kiwanis International has tonight at 6 Mountain time: Change Is Good - You Go First.

Keith let us know about the Builder's Club Ice Cream Social next Wednesday at Central Middle School.

Then Cathy introduced Matt Vincent, our speaker. Matt let us know that Beautify Butte has started for the year, said progress is being made on the NorthWestern Energy project uptown, and that the Action 2020 plan is moving forward.

With the NorthWestern Project, there are very few deal breakers. There isn't anything wrong with the building that NorthWestern is turning over to the city, in fact, in many ways it may be one of the most up-to-date structures in the uptown area. NorthWestern has just outgrown the building and needs a larger space. This will be the largest investment in the uptown area since the Finlen Hotel was built in 1924.

NorthWestern has a historic integrity evaluation in process on the 40 E. Broadway building - the building they are planning to turn over to the city. This building is actually 5 buildings that have been joined internally into a single use space, with a facade over the exterior.

Matt reported that in the first 100 days, the biggest positive he has experienced is that there haven't been many surprises. The county staff has generally been very cooperative, and the county has a lot of great employees.

Street repair and maintenance has been a major concern. The current funding and maintenance process hasn't been updated since the late 1970s, which puts Butte Silver Bow behind in a number of ways. The annual maintenance budget is about $300k, and it costs about $10k per block to resurface a street, or $250k per block to rebuild and recondition a street. This year they have been meeting with the Forest Service and the Department of Transportation to better coordinate their projects. This summer Montana street from Josette to Park is being resurfaced, and the rail road will be rebuilding the crossings on Kaw and on Main.

Creating special improvement districts (SIDs) is one way being considered to get funding for additional improvements, particularly in historic or residential areas. Another consideration is a local gas tax, that could bring in a cent or two per gallon to help with road costs. This would put more money toward maintenance from those who use the roads more, and would also bring money in from tourists and visitors when they get gas here.

Presentation

Chief Executive Matt Vincent

Menu

Steak and Mashed Potato

Attendees

21

Event Updated

6:41 Tuesday, May 14, 2013