Park Board members discuss selling burnt timber

Hill County Park Board members met Monday and discussed contracting loggers to clear out burnt timber, dealing with delinquent lessees and construction options for lessees who lost buildings to the East Fork Fire.

The East Fork Fire left a trail of burnt timber, Beaver Creek Park Superintendent Chad Edgar said in the Timmons Room of the Hill County Courthouse during the board's monthly meeting, and he has been talking to a logger from Kalispell about clearing it out.

The logger, Larry Pennarer, approached Bear Paw landowner Dave Molitor about coming in to clear out timber on his land, Molitor told the board members. He said he told Edgar about the logger.

Edgar said he has been talking to someone at the Extension Office who told him getting rid of the burnt timber is good for multiple reasons, among them that it would avoid creating a habitat for unwanted insects and prevent possible harm to people.

Board members were open to the idea of getting rid of the burned timber and receiving a little money.

"Why would you not do it," chair Steve Mariani said.

Some cautioned that loggers should be carefully vetted.

"There's lots of things to talk about with a logging contract," Havre resident Lou Hagener said. "There are good loggers and there are bad loggers."

County Commissioner Mike Wendland said the interested logger should come to the next board meeting Dec. 4.

Edgar said he would look into the logger some more and perhaps check with others, and by next meeting, hopefully have more information.

Board members decided, after Beaver Creek Park secretary Aubrey Williams said there is only one cabin lease that hasn't been paid, to reach out to the Hill County Attorney's Office for legal advice on dealing with the delinquent lessee who seems to be dodging her bill. Williams said she had taken several steps to let the person know her bill was due June 1, and it seems the lessee is intentionally ignoring the payment reminders.

"She's dodging us through the system and protocol we have available," Mariani said.

Cabin owner Matt Wertheimer lost two buildings to the East Fork Fire, and Monday he attended the board meeting with his wife to talk about replacing those buildings. Wertheimer said he lost a bunkhouse and a garden shed. His cabin, a late 1960s trailer house, was untouched, he said.

Board members and Commissioner Mark Peterson told Wertheimer that current rules and regulations do not allow more than one outbuilding.

Peterson told Wertheimer he can either attach a building to the trailer house, or he can use the insurance money he got for the bunkhouse to get rid of the old trailer house and start anew.

Wertheimer said, considering the disheveled condition of the trailer house, it wouldn't be smart to attach anything to it. He'd probably go with the latter option, he said.

Other park news included that all but one of the park surveillance cameras have been installed and are being used.

"We got several out there," Edgar said.

Also, a fourth cow has been hit in the park, he said. Of the four that have been hit this season, all but one died.

Edgar said there is talk of working an agreement that would allow cows to graze on Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation land. He would have more details on that as he gets them, he said. Those are plans still in infancy, he added.

A training session will be held Nov. 30 at District 4 Human Resources Development Council for people serving on any boards and committees to teach them board procedures, Edgar said, for those who are interested in going.