THE LOCAL NEWS OF THE MADISON VALLEY, RUBY VALLEY AND SURROUNDING AREAS

Main Street in Ennis captures the joy of the Fourth of July.  PHOTO COURTESY CHRIS LEONARD

Road Season

Ennis Town Council is updated on road maintenance and other improvements

Ennis Town Council addressed road maintenance in Ennis and the Fourth of July Parade. They also approved a conditional use permit on Pearl Street during their monthly meeting on July 11.

Public Works have, and continue to, overlay many of the dirt roads in Ennis. Gravel roads will be sprayed with mag chloride to reduce dust on July 30, according to Public Works Director Kelly Elser. 

Elser said that Big Sky Paving will pave Pearl Street at the end of August. Paving was set for the later date to avoid property owners cutting into the new pavement to install utility lines. Two property owners on Pearl Street have agreed to run water and sewer to their vacant lots, in preparation for future building, before the paving begins. 

“We should let people know that if they need something paved, that they [Big Sky Paving] are going to be in town,” Lisa Roberts said.

Two adjoining lots, on the corner of Pearl Street and Clark Street, were approved for a conditional use permit to build a single-family dwelling that will extend onto both lots. One of the lots is zoned for highway commercial use, but the council liked the detailed plan that Zoning Director Art Behar and the potential buyer presented.

The town council will have the first reading of a new ordinance August 8, which will prohibit parking on Otis Avenue next month. Officer John Moore said that he often responds to accidents on the narrow street and showed the council a video recording of cars having a difficult time commuting the road because of a parallel parked car.

“So, you can see what kind of antics go on there on a regular basis,” Moore said.

The Fourth of July parade route was expanded for the first time this year, and there was some confusion that came with it. Moore said that there were some public safety concerns with this year’s Fourth of July parade. The expansion meant closing more roads to drivers, and Moore needed help getting barriers up in the short amount of time. The four volunteers from the Chamber of Commerce, who were to help with the task, couldn’t find Moore to be briefed on where and what to do. 

Halley Perry, from the Ennis Chamber of Commerce, said that a briefing meeting would be better executed, if it were a few days before the parade. Volunteers would know where and what to do in advance to the hectic day. A more detailed conversation between the Chamber of Commerce and law enforcement will be needed before next year’s parade, according to Moore.

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The Madisonian

65 N. MT Hwy 287
Ennis, MT 59729
406-682-7755
www.madisoniannews.com

Cori Koenig, editor: editor@madisoniannews.com
Susanne Hill, billing: s.hill@madisoniannews.com 
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