UBVCC hears update on Lincoln Prosperity Proposal, speed zones

Lincoln Prosperity

During last week's Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council meeting, the council heard from Jordan Reeves of the Wilderness Society on the status of the Lincoln Prosperity Proposal, which was developed by a diverse group of local and area individuals and groups who agreed "the status quo isn't working" when it comes to forest management on the federal land surrounding Lincoln.

The work of the Lincoln Prosperity Group is poised to take a major step forward in the coming weeks as the UBVCC and the Lewis and Clark County Commission consider drafts of the Lincoln Prosperity Act and an associated letter that will be sent to the members of Montana's congressional delegation. The letter introduces the proposal to Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines and Rep. Matt Rosendale and requests their support in introducing it to Congress as federal legislation.

Reeves reviewed the development of the proposal and explained that the Lincoln Prosperity Group (formerly the Upper Blackfoot Working Group) includes people representing interests that range from wildland firefighting, logging and recreation to conservation and wilderness.

"It took about five years of working together, doing a ton of outreach," he said.

"The result of these conversations, and the ensuing outreach, is the Lincoln Prosperity Proposal, which provides a positive vision for the future of the Lincoln Valley, and describes a path forward. It is our hope that this agreement can be implemented in a manner that unites the community and its many partners while building a better future for the valley," a part of the draft letter to the congressional delegation reads.

The 11-page draft of the proposed act details - in legislative language - the agreement hashed out by the group, which got its start about eight years ago and came to a final agreement on the Proposal last year.

"We'd like to get this to our congressional staff so they can read it, do their homework and get it introduced," said UBVCC Chairman Zach Muse, who is also a member of the LPG.

He asked council members to go over both the draft bill and letter and to provide feedback. The county commissioners have also received copies of the proposed bill and correspondence for review and input.

The finalized request will likely go out to the Montana congressional delegation sometime in March.

"Our assessment is we have a pretty good window this Congress," Reeves said. "The important thing is to get this proposal introduced. Then it's just a matter of politics playing out so things can move forward. The sooner we get it introduced, the better and there's no better way to get Sen. Daines' and Sen. Tester's attention then having the local government folks ask them to do something."

The impetus behind the Lincoln Prosperity Proposal is to provide a level of certainty about the future of the federal lands around Lincoln - whether as recreational areas, restoration areas, conservation management area or wilderness - rather than forcing interest groups to wrangle over access, usage and management issues when the Forest Service develops new travel or forest plans. If passed into law, those plans would have to abide by the details of the Lincoln Prosperity Act.

Speed Zone

Lewis and Clark County Public Works Director Eric Griffin told the council he received a letter from the Montana Department of Transportation regarding the speed zone and passing zone east of Lincoln.

Last fall, MDT proposed lowering the speed limit east of Lincoln between the edge of town and the Airport to 50 mph. In response the UBVCC recommended and requested that the speed limit be lowered to 50 mph, and the area be converted to a no passing zone, due to safety issues not reflected in the MDT data, In November, Griffin forwarded the UBVCC request to MDT.

In their recent letter to Griffin, MDT indicated they would forward the speed zone recommendation to the Transportation Commission as an action item for their April meeting, but explained the passing zone question would have to be justified by an engineering report. "As such the Great Falls district engineer staff will conduct an engineering analysis to determine if no passing zones are warranted in any or all of the study area," the letter read.

Following the meeting, Muse also inquired about a request put forward by council member Kelly Tynes. Tynes suggested they include the area during their study due to concern that the current no passing zone west of Lincoln ends before the entrance to the Parker Medical Center and the Lincoln Ambulance barn, creating a potentially hazardous situation. MDT has since agreed to look at the passing zone situations on both ends of Lincoln.

Great Falls District Traffic Engineer Zach Moeller is expected contact Muse and Griffin in the coming weeks to establish a timeframe for observation and data collection of the areas during the peak traffic season this spring or summer.

Other bits and pieces

The chip seal projects on Lincolns two Rural Improvement Districts remains on hold until 2022. Griffin noted the county was "sitting pretty good" with the delay, since it should give the UBVCC and county additional time later this year to host in-person discussions with community members on the two projects and their costs.

Griffin had nothing new to report on the Dalton Mountain Road Bridge project, but turning to Stemple Pass Road, he said the commissioners are working on an agreement with the Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited on a bridge that will replace a culvert near McClellan Gulch.

"They (BBCTU) are going to bid it and construct it and they will turn it over to us for maintenance once it's done," he said. Lewis and Clark County will construct a temporary bridge for use while the new bridge is being constructed. Griffin said that project, a collaboration between BBCTU, the county and the U.S. Forest Service, should happen sometime this year.

Griffin also noted that Dawn Charron and Jim Phennicie are expected to fill the vacant Lincoln seats on the County weed board, a position held for many years by Bob Bushnell prior to his death.

Muse said installation of buttons that can be used to trigger the flashing lights at the school zone for the crosswalk has been approved but MDT for several month, but they still have to find the time to do it. Based on his conversations with members of MDT, he said they were hit hard by COVID which has put them behind on projects.