Question? Ideas? call Alison 849-6628, Jan  5636, Kristin  5326, P.O. Box 11, BA  or  www.BigArmAssociation.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIG ARM ASSOCIATIONB.A.A. NEWSLETTER  NOV 2006

THANK YOU….BOB GEYER, DENNIS WOLFE, RON FRIEZ, RON ROBERTS, JIM BRANDENBERG, CHARLIE BECKER, JEFF MESLIN FOR ALL YOUR HELP RENOVATING THE FIRE HALL

Sweatshirts are available $20 to $25 dependant on size or optional hood, contact Alison.

Deb Weidrich will be the Chairperson for the committee for grants to help with BAA community projects. Kelly Bishop, Dave & Kristin Osborn have offered their expertise and contacts. PLEASE CONTACT DEB WITH YOUR COMMUNITY HOURS & EXPENSES this will increase the BAA’s sweat equity.

Meet your neighbors- MARY DRISCOLL. During the first meeting of the BAA, January 9th, 2006, Mary stepped forward to offer her help in obtaining a new and expanded Tribal lease for the fire hall. She was immediately appointed BAA’s Tribal Liaison Leader and has since spent many hours using her knowledge and connections in Tribal government to successfully acquire for the village of Big Arm a brand new 25 year renewable lease and permission to connect to the Tribal water system. Thank you!

Mary Peggy was born in St. Ignatius hospital and was raised on a ranch in Charlo. Her mother Helen Matt Leishman has a Salish heritage whose grandfather was moved to the Reservation from the Bitterroot Valley. Mary’s Father, Eugene Kerr Leishman was born in Drummand, MT with a Scottish Heritage. After attending Charlo high school Mary went to New York City to work in a Manhattan Real Estate office. On one of her trips back home to a school reunion she met her future husband Michael Stanley Driscoll. Michael’s parents were first generation Americans with Irish and Dutch/German parents that homesteaded in the Charlo area. After a 1989 wedding Mike and Mary returned to his job in the Alaskan oil fields making their home in Kenai. They have 3 children Michael Miller (Fort Worth Texas), Rachel Anne (Sophomore Polson H.S.) and Emmerett/Emmy Helen (5th grade Polson M.S.). In 1999 they purchased lake front property in Big Arm and moved permanently when Mike retired in 2002. Mary works in Economic Development for S&K Holdings.  Mary deeply appreciates the life and family God has given her and firmly believes that when people work together much can be accomplished.

Alison Meslin

 

 

In 1979 many volunteers from the community worked together to build and support the Big Arm Fire Station. Now 27 years later it is wonderful that so many of today's community are helping to renovate and complete the construction. From donations of money, materials, many, many hours of construction labor and training for brave new fire fighters the Big Arm fire hall will again become a vital part of our community. Big Arm has always been a very special place to live and with this project, which is nearing completion, it has emphasized the goodness of our neighbors. A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO IS HELPING COMPLETE THIS PROJECT.

Update: Ross and Alison sorted and cleared years of collected treasures. Bob, Dennis, Ron, Ron & Jeff finished hanging the wall board, made miscellaneous repairs and built a new step with a wheel chair ramp. We hired Rico Cortez to repair, tape and texture the upstairs' walls. Tuesday 11/28 insulation will be blown into the attic space and hopefully if we have enough volunteers the entire upstairs will be painted within the next week. We have ordered commercially rated vinyl tiles for the floor, have purchased the necessary doors and will be ordering cabinets for the kitchen area. There is a still lot to be done with the aim to be finished by Christmas. PLEASE HELP US! Call Alison 849-6628 or contact me at the above Web Page,  thanks.

Halloween was celebrated at the fire hall on October 28 with ugly witches, monsters, Dracula,  goblins, a blackened maze with  ghosts, cobwebs, scary spiders and more. Thank you so very much to everyone who helped create this spooky haunted house and thanks to those families we had the pleasure of scaring! The helpers were the Phillips family, the Driscoll family, Ron & Trish Friez, Denise Worthington, Cynthia Waterman, the Weidrich family, the Brandenberg family, Jeff, Alison, Kristin and more, thanks!

Historic School House Committee met on 11/21 to decide on a plan of action. If any one would like to join this group please contact Alison. Mid January 2007 we will be going to Polson to obtain signatures from the general public; we desperately need help with this important job. Will you donate a couple of hours to help save this historic building for all future generations?............... Next meeting will be January 9, 2007 at 7 pm.

Web Page has an enormous amount of good information. Tom Eddy has done a brilliant job and we can’t thank him enough. If you want a quick look at all the local papers, or need local weather, history of Big Arm, read the past  newsletters or current information check out this site. HIGHLIGHT YOUR BUSINESS with name & telephone number for $10/ year or a business card for $25/ year. The site has already had hundreds of visitors.

Treasurers Report the balance is $18,250 after paying $7543 for the septic & waterline. Other bills were presented for sheetrock, wood, port-a-toilet, garbage, web page, Halloween misc. exp. For more information contact Sharon Williams.

 

Volunteer Firefighter News

11/7 Winterize Big Arm Trucks

10- Bulls Bridge Trailer Fire

14- PRFD meeting ,truck checks

21- Car Wreck Hot Springs

21- Truck Committee Meeting

25- car wreck, cancelled

Chains installed on Tender.

25 -car off road Big Arm

MANY, MANY THANKS

BIG ARM & POLSON

RURAL FIREFIGHTERS

Big Arm needs more firefighters please consider volunteering!

Ross Hoyt was sorting through old paperwork stored upstairs in the fire hall when he came across a book of poems by Bessie K. Monroe. This poet was born in 1888 to homesteaders in Tin Cup Valley southwest of Darby. We thought you might enjoy an excerpt...

MOUNTAIN CAROL

If your heart lifts to the mountains

And your thoughts claim you belong,

Just you listen Christmas morning,

Down the wind there’ll come a song.

 

For Changed to bells are all the pine cones

Ringing chimes from every glen-

All their chanting, all their message-

“Peace on Earth, Good will to Men.”