Chamber of Commerce holds monthly meeting

ST. REGIS – Local business leaders, volunteers and citizens joined a roundtable discussing regarding upcoming summer events in the county. 

The Mineral County Chamber of Commerce held their monthly meeting on May 15 in St. Regis. 

With help from the St. Regis Senior Center, the chamber was able to hold the meeting in their facility, which is newly constructed.

At least a dozen people huddled together at tables to talk events and ways they can help Mineral County in the foreseeable future. 

The agenda included guest speaker Alicia Carter from Mullan Trail Bank who talked about trends in the banking industry. 

Other topics of discussion included the impending Old Schoolhouse Rock Car Show, the annual chamber of commerce golf tournament in June and whether or not requested materials should be distributed by the chamber.

The Old Schoolhouse Rock Car Show is going through the final planning stages before the event on June 7. Volunteers at the meeting discussed how vendor placement is going to be handled, along with how parking is to be enforced outside the Superior Fire Hall. 

The concern is that patrons will block the driveway that allows fire trucks to exit in case of an emergency call. The decision was to use a ribbon or caution tape to close the area off. But, the fire department may pull the trucks out into the driveway alleviating any of those concerns. 

The week after, the chamber hosts their annual golf tournament at Trestle Creek Golf Course in St. Regis. Teams will be able to participate as sponsors at the event for a sum, which benefits the chamber.

Finally, concerned members debated whether or not the chamber should still pay postage to mail things like relocation or traveler’s guides that provide information about Mineral County. 

Chamber Secretary Ann Troutman commented that doing so is a waste of resources for the chamber. Considering everything is online, Troutman thought everyone should be directed to the website for that information, allowing the visitor to print from home the material of their choosing.

In the past, students who were looking for information for a particular project may have requested information by mail, for example. It is often customary for people who may be interested in relocating to a certain area to also make a request to the local chamber of commerce. 

Chamber members agreed that with the changing times, there should be an upgraded method as to how they also do things technologically speaking. The discussion was tabled until the next meeting in which a decision will likely be made. 

The organization hosts meetings in a different location every month around Mineral County so everyone can be included. The next one will be in DeBorgia at the Old Schoolhouse, June 19 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. 

Local business owners or Mineral County residents can join the discussion, or bring ideas to ensure a better future for all citizens. 

Further information, as well as a calendar of events is always available on the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce website at montanarockies.org.