Meeting Transcript

Thank you all. I'd like to call the Public Works Committee meeting August thirteenth, two thousand twenty-five, six thirty in the courthouse council chamber. Uh present tonight, we have Dan Callahan, Bill Boyle, Russell Larry, Trudy Healy, myself, Eric Mankins absent tonight, Commissioner O'Neal. First off, on the docket, we have communication number. Oh, and Tommy Walker is sitting in for Commissioner O'Neill. Um tonight again on the docket communication number twenty twenty-four dash five four four, Michelle Shea, District Two Commissioner request a status update and public works committee review of the condition of the walk and trail tunnel under Harrison Avenue, south of Dickey's barbecue. So again, if the public didn't hear that, um, is brought out of the suspense suspense file. It is the property of MTT, and uh there has been a traffic study that is supposed to be in progress to check the crossing at that area. The next meeting will be September eleventh. Um Director Nuri will then uh ask for any more updates from uh them on the question anyone. So at this time, I'll entertain a motion for this communication. Um Director Neary will then uh ask for any more updates from uh them on the question anyone nothing on the question so at this time I'll entertain a motion for this communication I'll make a motion to uh hold this communication 2024-544 until the following uh the the meeting following the next MDT meeting which is happening September 11th uh we'll have to figure out what that date is but the the next meeting following that so we have a motion on the floor to hold communication number 2024-544 in abeyance until after the September 11th uh next meeting we that motion was made by Commissioner O'Leary uh we had a second by Commissioner Callahan anything else on the question um all those in favor all those opposed so we have a six to zero and moving on until that September 11th after that would be September 17th holding the Bains to September 17th. So that will be the September 24th. September 44th um so next on um our docket we have communication number 2025-297 Russ O'Leary Commissioner District 5 informing council of commissioner about concerns regarding roadside trash and landfill covered load requirement um we've discussed this in some different detail but we do now have um public works director uh mark neary here with us so I'm going to open up the floor first with um public works director neary um on any of his thoughts or if anything's come to this body uh thank you chairman mankins I believe at the second to last meeting Russ Commissioner O'Leary had uh uh an idea about maybe putting up signs in MDT's right-of-seasonal signs stating that loads needed to be covered and we talked about it yesterday briefly about I will bring that up at the September 11th MDT meeting and ask them if they're good with that since this has been brought up though and I think everyone can agree some garbage has been picked up since it's been uh been out there and kind of on people's minds and on social media I believe we've seen some improvements yeah and I would yeah thank you for bringing that up too director neary and uh thank you for the signage and recognizing that I think that is a really good idea that uh commissioner Leary and I think uh Commissioner Healy and all of us have piggied back off of that to make sure of that sign but bringing that to that September 11th meeting just to see where that clarity is but I I think I would agree with Director Neary that I think with some of the communication out in the public and just the buzz out there that people are being a little bit more aware and taking that responsibility out there. I would like to hear from Commissioner O'Leary in any of the thoughts or moving forward if that is sounds satisfactory to himself and uh where he's going with this communication number 2025-297 thank you chairman mankins uh yeah that sounds good to me as far as having the conversation with MDT uh one additional thing I I thought about that might be worthwhile for us as maybe a committee or or as a commission to do is sometime next spring when the snow melts uh if we just as a body would consider adopting a particular spot uh in the community to you know collectively all go out and find an evening to to pick up some trash and use it as a as a an opportunity to inform the community about about this issue uh I think my intention at this point would be to hold this until after you've had the meeting with MDT and then at that point put it in suspense file until next March and we can revisit uh if if that's okay with the the rest of the community here thank you um Commissioner O'Leary um you'll have to do that in a motion here in a second but we have a few on the question here so looks like Commissioner Callahan would also like to uh um talk about something here yeah I just got a question mark um seasonal signs would that be like one of them orange signs that has language on it you know caution loss spot uh in the community to you know collectively all go out and find an evening to to pick up some trash and use it as a as a an opportunity to inform the community about about this issue uh I think my intention at this point would be to hold this until after you've had the meeting with MDT and then at that point put it in suspense file until next March and we can revisit uh if if that's okay with the the rest of the community here thank you um Commissioner O'Leary um you'll have to do that in a motion here in a second but we have a few on the question here so looks like Commissioner Callahan would also like to uh um talk about something here yeah I just got a question mark um seasonal signs would that be like one of them orange signs that has language on it you know caution laws says loads must be covered or something like that is that what they're talking or thank you commissioner Callahan Director Neary Chairman Mankins Commissioner Callahan it's I'm gonna have to bring an idea to them they aren't you know that isn't the majority of the garbage is on there right away and so I believe that they should want to join forces but I don't know what type of seasonal sign whether it would be a reader board or if we just put up a sign that we could take down or fold down or whatever. You know I mean it should be year round but what happens is like what Commissioner O'Leary says you see that sign over and over and over again you ignore it. But if they s if they did pop up at a certain time that that could help but these are ideas that I'll I'll bring to MDT and we can see what will happen. Follow up Commissioner Callahan thank you Mr. Mankins I my suggestion would be maybe we don't wait till spring we get our group together this fall and get her cleaned up sooner if I know I'd be willing to do that and I I drove down Iron Street in the last couple weeks and there's just still a ton of garbage there. So we could certainly we could certainly use it now and if we once we get started I guess we'll do it again in the spring. Yeah thank you Commissioner Callahan on maybe pushing that back or pushing that up a little bit to the fall I just for the public knowledge I'm trying to think of the month that we do do clean up June I think it was June we usually do around yeah so that month again in June but it would be a good idea to I think um as um commissioner Callahan and Commissioner Larry and I think everybody on this board um would like to see that just moved up and we could adopt like you said a certain spot and hopefully get some um public buy-in to help us out and to make them more aware of that time so um anything else on the question um commissioner Callahan yeah I just got one comment you know I uh went to the car museum on Monday and to Deer Lodge and I did notice that there is adopt a highway sign on iron just west of Iron Street that has some group at Montana Tech so maybe we can contact them and see obviously they're not around all summer but maybe that group's interested in helping us or something sure that's uh another great idea Commissioner um Callahan with that adopt a group that we could look into that and see who that is through Montana Tech. Um anything else on the question uh Commissioner Healy I just um was gonna remind um everyone that Commissioner Callahan also brought up the candles for showing you know if people aren't covering their loads so it wouldn't take extra police or anything like that. Yeah I had talked to Mr. Gary about it because they use them on the parking and he said right now they're still ironing out some stuff on the parking side of it. But he said he'd be more than glad to sit down and with us and work on that with the company that does it so in the future that's something we definitely want to pursue I think thank you Commissioner Healy for bringing that up and reminding us of the brought up the candles from uh Commissioner Callahan and uh it seems like Commissioner Callahan has reached out to Director uh agery and to see what we can do in making sure that those kinks are worked out through the parking and to see how we could adopt that a little bit later on and that could be something more that we looked into is the fall also when this is brought up anything else on the question. I'd like to make the motion at this time for 2025-297 to hold this in abeyance until the September 24th. Uh Public Works Committee meeting uh following Director Neary's uh meeting with MDT. So we we have a motion on the floor to hold an abeyance communication number 2025-297 by um Commissioner Leary to hold this in abeyance until after the September 11th by MTT meeting um to talk about the signage that could possibly be uh put together uh after we meet on September 24th to discuss, then we can look at more steps on um either putting this in the suspense file or waiting to see if we're gonna bring this back up in the fall or what we will do moving forward. But at this time we have a motion on the floor, we have a seconded by Commissioner Callahan. All those in favor. All those against anything on the question. I said I did that backwards, but yeah. But we have a 6-0 with nothing on the question this time. So at this time, those are the only two communications that we have in public works meeting tonight. Uh I want to thank uh Director Neary for being here with his insights on the uh meeting from MDT on September eleventh and waiting for um the communication and the response back from them and with everybody else being here and um providing some quite a bit of knowledge on this and still asking the public um to help us out here and to do the right thing and make sure this trash gets to where it's supposed to be and not all over our roadways. So uh we would much appreciate that uh I do believe though, with like Director Neary says that uh I think in some spots that it has been cleaned up and it's has staying cleaned up. Um so hopefully we can do this um little by little, but hopefully the public is helping us out a lot more. Um I will entertain a motion to adjourn. So we have a motion to adjourn. Second. We have a second by um Commissioner Boyle and Callahan. All those in favor? Aye. Six zero, we are adjourned. Thank you all.