Sign up for the free Great Falls This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Great Falls city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events.
02/23/2026
Eagles Manor to drop food service, 55+ designation
Karla Lippert’s kitchen inside her small studio apartment at the Eagles Manor Retirement Community includes a sink and little more than two feet of counter space. She likes to prepare treats to share with her neighbors during the holidays, but she has relied on the building’s food service for her regular meals.
But the new owners of Eagles Manor plan to cut the meal service, one of several disruptions that the 84 residents are facing. Lippert, 81, has a microwave and is now looking to purchase an electric skillet and a small crock pot to prepare food herself, though it’s tough to see where she might put them.
“I can make it work,” Lippert told Montana Free Press during a recent visit. “But it’s just the fact that I don’t have room for food.”
In January, the owners of Eagles Manor sold the building to Ness Management, a property management company based in Washington state. The company plans to cut meal service, which residents previously paid for, and remove the 55+ designation to open the building to any potential tenants.
Part of James Rickley’s job as president of the residents’ council has been to manage a growing rumor mill around the change in ownership. He said one resident started tearfully packing because they believed the new ownership would force them into new apartments.
Rickley, 77, is a former Poplar school superintendent, neighborhood council member and a church organist. He’s been at Eagles Manor for nine years and was drawn to living there in part due to the on-site meal service. And the arts community in Great Falls has suited him over the years.
“I enjoy the town,” he said. “I’m very happy in my home.”
Rickley had been working with the previous Eagles Manor management on routine issues, such as building maintenance, housekeeping and personnel. But the new ownership brought more frustrations.
On Jan. 26, the previous owners sent letters to residents announcing a 5% rent increase. The letter cited labor, building maintenance, insurance and fuel costs as reasons for the increase. At the time, Rickley didn’t know the change in ownership was coming.
Just four days later, on Jan. 30, Ness Management sent letters announcing its ownership. The realization hit — the old owners had raised the rent while finalizing the purchase with Ness.
Attempts to reach Ness Management were unsuccessful. An inquiry made to the previous owners, Polson real estate developers Marlo and Michael Maddy, wasn’t returned. Property records show the new deed to Eagles Manor was recorded on Jan. 30 and that the Maddys have retained ownership of Golden Eagle Plaza, an assisted living facility next to Eagles Manor that’s linked by a skyway.
The food service at Eagles Manor, two meals daily, was prepared in a large kitchen on the building’s ground floor. A cafeteria is connected to the kitchen. Rickley said that the kitchen will be shuttered and the equipment within will be removed by the old Manor owners.
Not all residents rely on the building’s food service. Up on the fourth floor, 83-year-old Vernita Hoen was taking the news in stride. She has a “double studio,” which is two adjacent rooms linked by a doorway that Hoen shares with her partner. Her kitchen area is a bit larger and has a full-sized fridge. She’s been cooking for herself in her room.
“You just wait and see what happens,” Hoen said. “You deal with it.”
The other major shift at Eagles Manor will come as the building opens to all potential tenants. As a 55+ community, the building was tailored to senior living. Rickley said that if a resident missed a meal, there was always someone to check on them.
On the ground floor of Eagles Manor are several communal spaces. In addition to the cafeteria, there’s a bingo lounge, a small combination gym and chapel room and a large TV room. Those amenities are common for a senior living facility, but not as much in regular apartment buildings.
Rickley wonders: What will become of his community?
“This is built on a social model, and in a social model, you need to interact,” Rickley said. “You’re a little bit more communal, and that has to be up front.”
Photo Op
Record temperatures on Feb. 5 seemed like a distant memory last week as cold, blustery snow descended on northcentral Montana. A warming trend to more seasonal temperatures is expected this week, according to the National Weather Service.
Calling all photographers: Submit a photo for Great Falls This Week to [email protected].
City, County at odds over TIF appointment
The Great Falls City Commission appointed former county commissioner and former state lawmaker Don Ryan to the new Super TIF Advisory Committee. Cascade County officials suggested longtime commissioner Joe Briggs join the committee to represent the county, but the city has said that the appointee must be a county employee, not an elected official.
Ryan is a part-time driver for Cascade County Aging Services, according to his application.
The new advisory committee will recommend funding projects for the city’s five tax increment financing (TIF) districts. The committee was required under a new state law that aimed to bring participation from all taxing jurisdictions, such as the county and school district, into TIF decisions. Read background on the committee here.
In October, Great Falls city commissioners approved the creation of the committee and in December appointed Great Falls Chamber CEO Ed Brown, Downtown Great Falls Director Kellie Pierce and Easterseals-Goodwill administrator Mitch Tropila to the committee. Great Falls Public Schools put forth Business Operations Director Luke Diekhans as its representative.
During the December meeting, Briggs was noted as the county’s designee, but city commissioners said at the time that they weren’t interested in appointing an elected official.
Cascade County maintains that an elected official must be the appointee. The Electric reported that a county official pointed to a law governing urban renewal districts, which Great Falls doesn’t have.
The law governing TIF advisory committees requires committees in the absence of an urban renewal district and requires membership to include “at least one representative” from the county. It doesn’t specify whether the person is elected, employed or lives in the county.
The committee requires a minimum of five members. The addition of Ryan brings the committee to that threshold.
5 Things to Know in Great Falls
Great Falls City Commissioners voted on Feb. 17 to terminate a contract with Great Falls firm L’Heureux Page Werner (LPW), which had been managing design and engineering work for upgrades to Voyagers Stadium. The termination is due to the appearance of a conflict of interest, as Tim Peterson, a principal architect at LPW, is also a director at Enbar, Inc., which owns and operates the Great Falls Voyagers. City Manager Greg Doyon said no payment had been made to LPW under the contract. A new professional services agreement must be approved before work on the stadium continues.
Downtown Great Falls saw the arrival of 34 new businesses in 2025, according to a presentation from Kellie Pierce, chair of the Downtown Development Partnership. The result was an estimated 100 jobs for the district, she added. Volunteers for downtown events and projects logged 26,895 hours over the past year.
Four Great Falls students are national qualifiers in speech and debate. Lydia Comstock, a junior at CMR, qualified in U.S. extemporaneous speaking and will make a third national appearance. Great Falls High senior Calissa Ward qualified in informative speaking for her first national appearance. Delaney Lautenschlager, a junior at Great Falls High, and Nolan Joyce, a sophomore at St. Patrick’s Academy, both qualified in congressional debate for their first national appearances. Six additional area students earned alternate spots.
Sydney Blair is stepping down as CEO of Many Rivers Whole Health after 15 years at the organization. “Our mission remains vital, and I am committed to supporting a seamless transition that positions Many Rivers Whole Health for continued success,” Blair said in a statement. Board Chair Cyndi Johnson added that the leadership transition will be “smooth and well-supported.”
A budget committee for Great Falls Public Schools has recommended that the district not seek a school funding levy from voters for the 2026-2027 school year, according to documents filed with the board of trustees. However, trustees will consider non-voted levy increases in certain special funds supporting buses, adult education, buildings and special education. Those increases would add an estimated $26.85 to the annual property tax of a $300,000 home and $53.10 for a $600,000 home. Trustees will consider a resolution for these increases during a meeting Monday evening. The agenda is here.