Broadwater County Sheriff’s K-9 officer Max Retires
 | Author:
Nancy Marks, Reporter
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
Broadwater County Sheriff’s K-9 officer Max Retires
Nancy Marks
Reporter
German Shephard Max had worked five years with the Broadwater County Sheriff’s Department and is having some health issues, so Sheriff Nick Rauser has decided to retire the faithful animal. Max was donated to the county department by Washington D. C. Metro police. Rauser said the dog has done wonderful work finding drugs and protecting officers in difficult situations. “We just can’t put a price on his service,” Rauser noted.
Max will retire to the home of his handler, Officer Tony Cordova. The department has two additional dogs to take his place. Commissioners approved Max’s retirement and ownership of Cordova.
The commissioners approved accepting funding to replace Old Town Bridges located on Old Town Road. The one-way bridges were closed in 2023 after a state inspection showed safety issues. Both bridges are located in Gallatin County. The two closures resulted in a 10-mile detour for South Broadwater County residents in the area. As a result, Broadwater County agreed to apply for grants together with Gallatin County. Broadwater County and Gallatin County received $750,000 each from the Montana Coal Endowment Program (MCEP) as well as $ 1 million each in matching funds from the Montana Department of Transportation for the MCEP grant. Construction on the two bridges is slated to begin in June with completion at the end of 2024. “The project costs have come in at $1,814,491 for the bridges which will be almost fully funded by the two grants,” Folkvord said.
Chairperson Debi Randolph pointed out that the contractors who rebuild the bridges will file for instream permits to comply with floodplain and water safety regulations.
The Solid Waste Department will have new advisory board members with the appointment of four members of the public who showed interest in joining the board. The commissioners appointed Eric Stahl, Chris (Kiff) Meier, Peter McBride and Patrick Miller, Sr. Commissioner Darrel Folkvord will act as liaison with the board. Commissioner Lindsey Richtmyer will serve as the fifth member of the board until another member of the public can be appointed. The first board meeting was on January 9.
In other Solid Waste Board news, Public Works Supervisor TJ Graveley asked the commission to approve payment of annual fees of $200 each to the Montana Department of Natural Resources for the lease of both the Winston and the Radersburg Cannister sites. Payments were approved.
The commissioners elected Darrel Folkvord chairperson of the commission for the 2024 term. Debi Randolph was elected vice chairperson. Folkvord is in his sixth year of his first term on the board.
The Able Minor Subdivision was presented for preliminary approval by Community Planning Director Nichole Brown. The subdivision, owned by Steve Upton, is six miles northwest of Townsend and is situated off Foster Drive, a private road. The 4 lots are between 2 acres and 5 acres in size. Each will have its own exempt well and sewer system. Discussion centered around possible problems with maintaining shared driveways and private roads. Commissioners made no decision.
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PhotoCredit: Photo Credits: Nancy Marks
Image 1 Caption: Max, the K-9 police dog retired from duty at the January 3 Commissioners meeting. He is shown here along with handler Tony Cordova and Broadwater County Sheriff Nick Rauser.
Photo Credits: Nancy Marks
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