Sign up for the free Missoula This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Missoula city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 06/26/2026 “Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected]. Fireworks initially planned for July 3 and 4 scaled back to one night The Missoula City Council this week narrowly voted to deny a waiver that would have allowed the Missoula PaddleHeads to host fireworks displays on both July 3 and 4.  Following the vote Monday, the PaddleHeads worked with the city to move the fireworks originally scheduled for July 3 to the next day and replaced the display with a drone show, according to a social media statement.  Big Sky Professional Baseball, which owns the PaddleHeads, leases Ogren Park stadium from the city. The lease outlines how often the PaddleHeads can shoot off fireworks and prohibits consecutive fireworks shows.  The city and the PaddleHeads have been renegotiating the lease for about eight months, City Attorney Ryan Sudbury said Monday. The negotiations have essentially finished, but the new lease still needs council approval, he said. The PaddleHeads seemed to have planned for fireworks on both nights based on the text of the amended lease, which allowed them additional fireworks nights and one period of consecutive nights of fireworks, Sudbury said.   Marina Yoshioka, the city’s parks and recreation director, said the city partnered with the PaddleHeads to put on the fireworks shows in honor of America’s 250th birthday using a grant from Town Pump. Yoshioka said the city hopes a large public display will reduce the private use of fireworks, most of which are not allowed in the city limits.  The main event was originally planned for the 3rd instead of the 4th because more people are likely in town that Friday, Yoshioka said.  Missoula has not had a public fireworks display on the Fourth of July in several years since one traditionally put on by the Southgate Mall ended with a change in ownership, said Council President Mike Nugent.  Several council members raised concerns about the additional night of fireworks at the baseball stadium, including the impacts of the loud noise on veterans, people with mental illnesses, families with young children, pets and wildlife. Council Members Kristen Jordan and Mirtha Becerra said they receive complaints about fireworks from people who live around the stadium. Council Member Betsy Craske advocated for moving the fireworks display to July 4 in the future to give residents predictability.  “For some people it’s an inconvenience, and for some people it’s an annoyance, but for some other people it has greater impacts,” Becerra said. “There are many loud noises that we cannot control — airplanes, trains. … But this is one we can actually control how many nights, for how long. So because of that and not because of anything related to patriotism or wanting to celebrate, I am not supporting this.”  Other council members supported the waiver to allow a public fireworks display on the Fourth of July for the first time in many years and to honor the country’s 250th anniversary. Council Member Bob Campbell said the argument was hypocritical following the noise from the Zootown Music Festival last weekend. Council Member Sean McCoy, a veteran, said his father was also a veteran and struggled with loud noises, so he empathizes with concerns.  “But I also have a really strong belief in this country and tradition and celebration of all the things that make this country what it is, as well as this being the 250th anniversary. It’s hard for me to want to say no to this,” he said. “On another year I would struggle to have two back-to-back nights, however, I think we can weather this and have our traditions.”  The council voted 6-5 to reject the noise waiver, with council members Becerra, Jordan, Craske, Eric Melson, Amber Sherrill and Gwen Jones making up the majority.    On Friday, July 3, the PaddleHeads will have a drone show following the baseball game. The PaddleHeads will also hold a free event at Silver Park outside the stadium that will include food trucks, live music, a beer garden and activities. The event will take place from 5 p.m. until the drone show. The PaddleHeads will have a post-game fireworks display on July 4. City council again postpones decision on security cameras The Missoula City Council will consider a new surveillance policy before voting on a contract for new security cameras at four city parks.  The council Monday delayed the vote on a $366,390 contract with Pine Cove Consulting to upgrade security cameras at the Currents Aquatics Center, Splash Montana, Mobash skate park and Fort Missoula Regional Park after ongoing citizen concerns about the potential use of AI tools, surveillance systems in general and the company Verkada, which makes the cameras.  The council June 10 preliminarily approved the contract for the cameras, contingent on the approval of a budget amendment up for vote June 22. On Monday, city staff provided more information about the cameras and Verkada, including a FAQ sheet and Parks and Recreation’s current video surveillance policy.  Marina Yoshioka, the parks and recreation director, said Monday the proposal would replace aging security cameras that provide minimal usable footage. Cameras were installed in 2006 at Currents and Splash Montana and in 2014 at Fort Missoula Regional Park when the facilities were built, Yoshioka said. A limited number of staff members have access to the camera footage, which is only reviewed after specific incidents and is otherwise deleted after 30 days, she said.   Yoshioka described several incidents of vandalism and other crimes where cameras were and were not helpful. When footage could not be recovered, the city absorbed the cost of damages to parks facilities, she said.  “We are asking to replace equipment that is failing, and therefore failing the public, with a modern system and a commitment to transparency,” Yoshioka said. Eric Hallstrom, the city’s chief operations officer, said the city would own and control its camera data, which would be encrypted, and Verkada would not have access unless the city grants it. There would also be limited access to the ability to “toggle” AI capabilities on or off, and any change in that status would be logged and auditable, he said.  Jesse Neidigh, Missoula’s IT director, said the city can’t realistically create its own system for cheaper, given staff and equipment costs. Neidigh said he struggled to find any security cameras that don’t offer AI features. Other technology the city uses, like laptops, are marketed with AI capabilities, Hallstrom said.  Council Member Bob Campbell proposed sending the contract back to the council committee to create a policy that would address citizen concerns of how the city would use cameras and other technology before moving forward. “It’s important to have the accountability piece in place first and foremost, to have the system in place, where once we get to the point of putting the hardware and software in place, the citizenry can feel confident that we have oversight, we have transparency and all those pieces are in place,” he said.  Several members of the public commented in opposition to the Verkada cameras or use of security cameras in public parks. Others suggested the city create its own system rather than relying on an outside company.  Council Member Gwen Jones said the city and its IT department have limited budget and staff to take on a project like this.  “There are some expectations that I think our community needs to grapple with,” she said. “We have limited capacity with our local government, we are living in a high tech world, so how do we thread the needle as the city? We’ll have some more conversations, but that’s what we’re being tasked with, so we’ll work on it.”  Council President Mike Nugent told Montana Free Press the mayor and administration will work on a policy to present to council at an undetermined time. From there, the council will make decisions about the security cameras and other systems, he said. Community Medical Center to change pediatric ICU staffing A group of Community Medical Center nurses, respiratory therapists and physicians have expressed concerns about upcoming changes to the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit.  The Missoula hospital will transition the pediatric intensive care unit to an intermediate care unit starting Oct. 1, according to a statement from Community. The hospital will no longer provide care for the most critically ill children who need intensive care like ventilation. The hospital will also no longer have in-house pediatric critical care physicians, who will instead be available via telehealth.   On June 11, pediatric nurses and respiratory therapists sent an open letter to management voicing concerns about the change. Telemedicine physicians cannot physically perform procedures or bedside assessment and intervention during emergencies, the letter said. The change may force families to travel out of state for care, the group wrote.  “Children in Montana deserve the same access to specialized care as those in larger metropolitan areas — real care at the bedside, not through an iPad and not by placing the responsibility on physicians whose primary training and board certification are in other specialities,” the letter said.   In a letter posted on social media June 17, the pediatric hospitalist team said the change would be difficult for the community.  “We fully recognize the difficulties of operating a low-volume pediatric intensive care unit,” the letter said. “We also recognize how vital a staffed PICU can be for the children of Missoula and its surrounding communities. Because of that, we have advocated over the past decade to maintain pediatric intensivist staffing despite the challenges.”  The hospitalists are pediatricians who focus on the care of acutely ill babies and children in the hospital, while pediatric intensivists have completed additional training in critical care, according to the letter.  The hospital has struggled to recruit full-time, onsite pediatric critical care physicians for nearly a decade, according to Community.  “Pediatric critical care is a highly specialized field, and maintaining an onsite intensivist program requires a significant volume of critically ill patients to support both clinical expertise and long-term sustainability. Our pediatric critical care volumes do not support that model.”  The hospital is not eliminating services or making staffing changes to the neonatal intensive care unit, which treats newborns and premature infants. 5 Things to Know in Missoula Two of the city’s largest departments — Parks and Recreation and Public Works and Mobility — have requested nearly $2.5 million in budget increases. On Wednesday, the Missoula City Council heard a second round of budget presentations from several city departments, requesting increases to their annual baseline budgets. The council did not discuss the requests Wednesday, and there’s no guarantee they will be approved. The city’s budget process will continue through August. The parks and recreation department requested a $700,000 increase, including funding for new maintenance staff, repairs and a boost for after-school and summer programs. The increase, if approved, would represent an annual tax increase of $8.10 for the median home of $507,000, said Ryan Applegate, the department’s deputy director. The public works department requested about $1.78 million, which would be paid for in part by property taxes and utility funds, said Jeremy Keene, the department’s director. The request included funding for a new utility engineer, software, street maintenance equipment, two new street sweepers, a pavement condition survey and water and wastewater personnel.  The Missoula County Public Schools board voted Tuesday to put a high school safety levy on the November ballot. The resolution calls for the levy election but does not set a dollar amount. The school board has until Aug. 25 to cancel the election and until Sept. 24 to finalize ballot language if it decides to move forward. If proceeding, the district will likely need to submit the ballot language sooner than that to give the Missoula County Elections Office time to prepare the ballots, Denise Williams, the district’s executive director of business and operations, told MTFP. Trustee Jenny Walsh said the “placeholder” allows the district and board to consider the levy, which would free up general fund money currently spent on safety-related costs. Superintendent Micah Hill said that, nearly three years ago, when the original high school safety levy request was made, the district was spending well over $1 million on safety-related costs. The levy was set at $1 million to be palatable to voters, he said. The levy failed in May 2024 and May 2025 and was not run again this spring. School district staff will revisit actual costs and discuss them with the board, Hill said.  The Missoula City Council Monday approved spending $130,000 of 2018 Open Space Bond funds to purchase 28 acres southwest of the airport for a future trail and park. Earlier this month, the council authorized the mayor to buy the land, part of the historic Milwaukee Rail corridor, from the Missoula County Airport Authority. The 2018 Open Space Bond has about $3.2 million remaining, said Zac Covington, the city’s open space program manager. In the short term, the property will be managed as a conservation property without public access, he said. A community planning process will determine the trail surface type and other maintenance costs, Covington said. Council Member Bob Campbell said he voted against the purchase because acquiring the land for the trail is premature without a plan or funding for a river crossing connecting the existing trail through the city to the new section to the west. Other council members said conservation and trail projects are often opportunistic and require patience.  The Missoula Redevelopment Agency board Thursday approved spending $101,935 in tax increment financing to design sidewalks and road improvements on River Road. The project includes new pavement and sidewalks along about four blocks of River Road west of Russell Street and a water main extension. The project will link up with sidewalks on Russell Street and provide improved pedestrian connectivity in the area, said Jill Dunn, the agency’s administrative manager. The MRA will pay engineering firm IMEG $99,450 to design the project this summer, with construction planned for next summer, Dunn said. The remaining $2,486 is for project management services provided by the city’s public works department. The total project cost estimate is a little more than $1 million.  The Missoula County Fire Protection Association raised the county’s fire danger to “moderate” on June 17 because of increasing temperatures and drying vegetation. When fire danger is moderate, fires readily start in open, dry grassland and spread quickly on windy days, according to the association. Residents and visitors are asked to use caution when using a fire. Outdoor burning in Missoula County remains open. Residents are required to activate their burn permit online on the day burning is planned. The region is expected to see a shift in weather this weekend from hot and dry to cooler temperatures and widespread rain, according to the National Weather Service. Snow is likely in high elevations. Might be Fun Thousands of runners are set to participate in the Missoula Marathon this weekend. The marathon begins in Frenchtown, continues east on Mullan Road into the Blue Mountain area and through Missoula, ending in front of the Wilma Theater. More information about road closures and areas for traffic to avoid is available online. The marathon is sold out, but those interested can still register for the half-marathon, the Tony Banovich 5k race and the Missoula Kids Marathon. The 5k and kids’ race take place Saturday. The half-marathon and the main event take place Sunday. The weekend also includes a runners’ expo on Friday and Saturday at Caras Park.  The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula is holding its annual 4th at the Fort celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is by donation and supports activities of the Friends of the Historical Museum, the Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History and the Future Farmers of America. The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula is partnering with the Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary. Festivities include live music, food trucks, wagon rides, old-fashioned children’s games, a scavenger hunt, tours of historic buildings, historic sawmill demos, craft vendors, activity booths and more. Programming Note Missoula This Week will not publish Friday, July 3, to accommodate Montana Free Press’ summer break. We will return to our regular publication schedule July 10. The post PaddleHeads adjust fireworks plan after council denies noise waiver appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less