This week’s wrap up of local news from the last week.

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GFPS budget meetings upcoming, board adopts force reduction policy: During their Feb. 24 meeting the Great Falls Public School board voted unanimously to approve the reduction in force process should it become necessary. The board budget committee meets in March to develop budget recommendations and the board may have to cut programs, non-essential activities and/or staff.

City continuing effort to identify lead service lines; city water supply is safe to drink; health department tracks lead poisoning cases: The city is continuing its effort to inventory lead service lines as part of a requirement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that went into effect last year.

The city public works department has been sending letters since 2022 about the inventory asking residents to help identify the type of material used in their water service lines.

A number of residents never responded to the first round of letters, so the city sent more letters, made phone calls and over the winter started going door to door to speak with residents about the inventory and leaving door hangars with information for anyone who doesn’t answer the door.

At least one person thought the letters said that their water was contaminated and was unsafe to drink, but that is not the case.

City seeking public comment for updated CDBG plan: The city is seeking public participation in a survey of community needs as staff completes the five-year consolidated plan for its Community Development Block Grant program.

This is not a new process as the city is required to submit a five-year consolidated plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development every five years. The city last adopted a consolidated plan in 2020. The city also completes an annual action plan process every year, including a community needs hearing conducted during a City Commission meeting.

Craft Collective seeks to cultivate and nurture fiber arts: Looking for a different way to share the fiber arts, Candice English, owner of Farmer’s Daughter Fibers, launched the Craft Collective. They’d been offering knit nights for a long time, but English “wanted to do something different to cultivate and nurture a fiber and crafting circle.”

The collective includes gatherings of fiber makers at the downtown Farmer’s Daughter Fibers shop and also around the community to create different social experiences.

Photos: GFH v. CMR girls basketball

Photos: CMR v. GFH boys basketball