If you have a safety hazard in your neighborhood, Flathead Electric's Roundup for Safety program may be able to help.  Roundup for Safety's board of directors evaluates applications and awards grants to 501c3 non profit organizations to help pay for worthwhile community safety projects.

Funds for the program come from Cooperative members who participate by allowing their monthly bills to be rounded up to the next dollar. The average cost for each participating member is $6 per year. Roundup for Safety asks you to look for neighborhood projects to consider.

If you find a safety problem that needs fixing, Roundup for Safety could be the answer. Apply online or pick up an application at the Cooperative office, 2510 Hwy 2 East, Kalispell.

Application for Roundup for Safety

Roundup For Safety Board Members

Roundup for Safety's five board members have a variety of backgrounds and professions, but all of them said they believe community involvement is important and that serving on the board is a good way to serve their communities.

Roundup for Safety awards grants to non-profit groups throughout the Cooperative's service area to help pay for safety-related projects. Participating members allow their monthly bills to be "rounded up" to the nearest dollar, with the extra money going into a fund administered by an independent board of directors. Since it began, the program has awarded more than $500,000 in grant money.

The new board members were appointed to represent districts established when the Cooperative service area was redistricted along House legislative district lines. Five previous Roundup for Safety board members did not meet residency requirements under the redistricting.

District 2, Lower Valley — Helen Yonge has lived in the Flathead Valley for 26 years. She and her husband own Antonich Adjusters, an insurance claims adjusting service. She lives on Forest Hill Road north of Somers.

District 3, Whitefish — Rex Harris is a financial advisor with Linsco Private Ledger in Whitefish. He has lived in the Flathead Valley since 1989.

District 6, West Valley — Wally Sutton has lived in the Flathead Valley since 1961. He drives a truck for City Service, and worked at Equity Supply for 9 1/2 years before taking his current job. He lives on Tetrault Road between Kalispell and Whitefish.

District 7, South Kalispell — Bob White is a financial consultant at D.A. Davidson and Company in Kalispell. He was raised in the Flathead Valley and attended the University of Montana. He lived out of state and worked in the financial field for 16 years before moving back to the Flathead Valley.

District 9, Libby — Robin Swimley is a lifelong Libby resident. He is a registered representative for Western States Insurance and divides his time between the Libby and Kalispell offices.

Holdover board members.
District 1, Columbia Falls to Essex  — Dawn Polotto
District 4 Helena Flats  — Marie Hanson
District 5, North Kalispell  — Mark Lalum
District 8, Bigfork  — Dan Purcell

The Roundup for Safety Board meets the second Thursday of each month at Cooperative headquarters to consider grant requests, and are always interested in hearing about projects.

Grant applications are available at Cooperative offices in Kalispell and Libby and here, online.

For more information, call Mike Radel at 751-4429.