Council approves posting ribbons, signs in memory of victims of COVID

Havre City Council Monday unanimously approved a variance to allow a local group to put up 40 ribbons and signs downtown in memory of the 40 Hill County residents who have died from COVID-19-related causes.

Will Rawn, a member of the group, said they had received a one-month approval from the Montana Department of Transportation to display the white ribbons and signs, and removed the signs Sunday but wanted to put them up downtown.

He said the group back in December discussed doing something to remind people of the danger of the pandemic.

"How do you get people to acknowledge a catastrophe like the one the nation is undergoing?" Rawn asked. "And it's difficult. ... By the way, that was probably 175,000 deaths ago. But, at that point, how do you get people to pay attention to this large number ... and pay attention to it?"

He said the members of the group felt it was important to make it visible and that the time to do something was "now, while the catastrophe was ongoing."

When asked how long the group would like to have the ribbons and signs displayed, Rawn asked, "How long will the catastrophe go on?"

He suggested 90 days, adding that from news reports he has seen, if enough people get vaccinated by May, it might be under control by summer.

While numbers of new cases and deaths have dropped in the area, signs that the virus is still impacting daily life continue.

Hill County has reported a total of 1,904 cases and 40 deaths, although the last deaths were in early January.

But Northern Montana Health Care reported both Thursday and again Monday that staff members at Northern Montana Care Center have been confirmed with the virus, putting the time people can go to visit residents at the center further out.

Northern Montana Health Care is restricting visitation at the care center until no one associated with the center tests positive for at least 14 days.

In the center, 35 residents have tested positive, although the last confirmed case in a resident was in October, and care center residents account for 16 of the county's 40 deaths.

Sweet Home in Chinook, which also suffered an outbreak and multiple deaths of residents last fall, posted on its Facebook page this morning that, although it has been scheduling visits for a couple of weeks, it cannot have visits this week.

The visitation abilities are dependent on the county positivity rate, which is updated weekly, and the center adjusts its visitation as possible, the post said.

"The easiest thing to do is to call the nursing home to find out about the current visitation situation," the post said.

Officials are urging people to continue to follow precautions to slow the spread of the virus, like wearing cloth masks when out in public and avoiding large groups, and to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The state is still moving through its vaccination schedule and county health departments in the area are building lists of people in the next phase once the state approves moving to that phase.

The council also unanimously approved Havre Police Chief Gabe Matosich's recommendation to promote Taylor Gopher to a patrol officer with the department and to appoint Ryan Stewart as a probationary officer with the department.

Matosich said Gopher is completing one year as a probationary officer this month and has undergone extensive background checks and has completed training including graduating from the Montana Police Academy.

"So Taylor, he's been doing pretty good," Matosich said. "He has been performing exceptionally well, worked hard and is a dedicated officer." 

"I have heard nothing but good about you," Havre Mayor Tim Solomon, a former Hill County sheriff himself, said before the vote.

When recommending Stewart, Matosich said he graduated from Havre High School and is working as a detention officer at Hill County Detention Center as well as attending Montana State University-Northern, where he is working on earning a degree in criminal justice.

"I believe he will be a great benefit and addition to the Havre P.D.," Matosich said.

The council also heard a report on the city audit by Wipfli, in which the representative of Wipfli said found no problems including an audit of the city's use of $750,000 federal money in COVID relief funds.

The council approved the audit unanimously.

The council also voted unanimously to adopt the 2018 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code.