County Commission Update

Hi Folks,

I missed last week’s meeting so I could attend the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals Conference in Big Sky. Community Development Extension Agents from around the country attended. Micky Zurcher, Tom Harrington, and Drew Dawson received first place for the “Excellence in Teamwork” award for the 11 state western region. They won for the work they have done for the “Making Boulder’s Future Bright” project, as a result of the coming closure of the Montana Developmental Center. They were also part of a large poster display for the conference.

Monday evening we put together a meeting of water users and homeowners along the Slaughterhouse and Jefferson Sloughs to talk about the Renova Diversion on the Jefferson River. This diversion has been the center of a lot of consternation over the years about how best to divert the water out of the river for the best use. The water users certainly want to be assured that they will have their fair share of water during low water times. On the other hand the folks that live along the Slaughterhouse Slough are concerned about too much water during high water events. I thought it was a great meeting with a lot of great discussion. Confluence Consulting and Ted Dodge will begin working on funding for a planning grant so we can start looking at possible fixes that will be best for everyone concerned.

FYI: William Arthur Ward (1921 – 1994), American writer and poet famous for inspirational maxims; “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teachers demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”