Sorted by date Results 301 - 325 of 405
SEELEY LAKE - Greg Robertson revised his proposed sewer rate schedule at the board meeting Thursday, Oct. 19. The problem is that he moved from one tremendously warped method (that had over 100 residences labeled as “businesses”) to another equally unfair approach. Under his newest scheme, ALL – be they high or low users, business or resident, year-round or seasonal, prosperous or low-income residents, owners of occupied or vacant parcels—will now pay the same for both debt service and operations and maintenance (O&M). Robertson seems to look...
SEELEY LAKE - Rumor has it that critical engineering documents, revealing the design, actual plan components and budget for the proposed sewer, are finally in the hands of the sewer board. Can that group demonstrate the integrity, maturity and confidence needed to provide constituents the time to access, review and develop questions regarding their proposed project now that “full” engineering information has been delivered to them? While each property owner (and interested renter) may not feel fully qualified to analyze the entire set of doc...
SEELEY LAKE - Many of my friends and neighbors along Boy Scout Road and C Street are under the impression that the lake is severely polluted. They have all written letters regarding this theory. I took the time this summer to go to the Seeley Lake Water District and printed out all the information about all the water testing that has been done regarding the sewer. The tests for nitrates in the lake, which the Board paid for, are very low. The average being .06 mg/l. A full 10 represents the standard for issues with drinking water. The...
SEELEY LAKE - The self-created mission for the sewer district clearly establishes why the board’s current proposal is so out-of-line. The statement introduces itself appropriately: “to assist the community in determining the need and cost for a centralized sewer system.” But, from that point on, the goals and subsequent board actions headed in a different direction. Rather than establishing NEED by developing a plan for a comprehensive study and analysis of environmental factors, the board settled for doing some water testing on FEWER SITES...
SEELEY LAKE - The Pathfinder has published 41 letters to the editor about the proposed sewer in the past four months...June through September. Twenty-one have been for the project and 20 have been against it. All the 20 against the project were by residents who live and vote in the Sewer District. Of the 21 in support, only seven live and vote in the District. Curious...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer Board has been assessing district residents $47,000 for the past 13 years for “study” of the sewer situation. That’s a total of more than $600,000 of taxpayer money. Now add the cost of the services the Missoula County Commissioners have donated through an interlocal agreement signed in 2011. They’re easily a couple hundred thousand dollars and include a hundred thousand dollar “loan.” These services include the Public Works Directors time...between 10 and 30 hours a week as well as that of an administrat...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board refused to answer questions brought by the public at their Sept. 21 meeting. Also at the meeting the board was updated by their manager on the status of funding and progress toward the next step. The district also voted to retain an attorney and discussed their inter-local agreement with the county and the health department’s refusal to pay for water testing. During “Public Comment,” Don Larson asked who made the decision and what the rational was behind using the Seeley Lake Regional Plan...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board voted at a special board meeting Sept. 14 to accept Rural Development’s (RD) new conditions for funding that includes an extra $1 million in grants and $1.3 million in loans. The extra funding to cover the increase in construction estimates for Phase I of the collection system and the treatment plant brings the funding package to a total of $15.6 million. Board member Bob Skiles questioned if Manager Greg Robertson had reviewed the letter. Robertson was not at the meeting but Robertson had s...
SEELEY LAKE - A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is just that: a possible event which offers enormous gain but will never be re-offered and if not seized will leave decades of regret in its wake. The federal government, whose purse strings are rapidly closing, is offering Seeley Lake a $8,000,000 (!) grant, the largest award ever to any community, to construct a sewer system. This will solve a problem that threatens the very economy and way-of-life of Seeley Lake: ancient septic systems are contaminating our ground water and polluting our beloved...
SEELEY LAKE - This is the third time of my writing on the Seeley Lake sewer issue. Each time visiting the subject, more troubling issues arise. First off, who are these people who are able to go against the wishes of citizens who have voted down financing the sewer? They are able to hire lawyers to find some loophole to get around the voting of residents. The capper is WE are charged to pay the lawyers. How is this possible? Is this some sort of totalitarian hidden government whose ugly head arises only when their lawyers are paid? I have also...
SEELEY LAKE - The underlying issue of the sewer proposal is Seeley Lake’s ability to sustain itself as a community. We have seen most private land around Seeley revert to government ownership, so the growth potential of the community is capped. Forces continue in play to depopulate the town. Forest management is decreasing, making it harder to manage large wildfires. Rivers run through them the color of chocolate milk. The impact of current septic systems on the lake seems speculative. Depends on whose definition of unacceptable impact you u...
SEELEY LAKE - First, a solid majority voted in a certified, legal election against the sewer initiative last December. That speaks volumes about peoples’ no-growth wishes for Seeley Lake and for their inability to shoulder the heavy financial burden the proposal represents. Majority rule is an age-old democratic principal, even in remote Seeley Lake. Second, business is at a standstill in Seeley Lake by Missoula County Health Department fiat. In gestapo-like fashion it has changed the septic regulations regularly over the years without a p...
SEELEY LAKE - In the Aug. 30 Pathfinder, the article written about the public sewer meeting brought up a plan by [District Manager] Greg Robertson which should make anyone involved with the sewer outraged. Here is some of what the Pathfinder article said that you should sit up and listen. The Pathfinder said on page 11, “For the debt service across the entire district Greg Robertson used the Seeley Lake Regional Plan’s land use designations. Because of this difference there will be a SIGNIFICANT NUMBER of properties that are currently pay...
SEELEY LAKE - After the Seeley Lake Sewer Board’s special meeting Sept. 14 where the board voted to accept Rural Development’s new conditions, the Pathfinder compared the new Letter of Conditions with the previous letter. The comparison revealed a handful of changes not discussed at the meeting. RD did not respond to the Pathfinder’s request for additional information and clarification on changes to the Letter of Conditions by the press deadline. Letter of Conditions dated Sept. 11, 2017 versus Letter of Conditions dated Aug. 17, 2016: • The...
Community Handbell Choir Fall Season Begins SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan Mountain Bells, a local community handbell choir, will kick-off the fall season Tuesday, Sept. 26. New members are welcome. Anyone who is curious is encouraged to give the group a try and see how you like it. Members are expected to be able to read music. The choir practices Tuesdays in the music room at Seeley Lake Elementary school. Set up begins at 3:15 p.m., practice is from 3:30 – 5 p.m. and then members should allow time to take down. Director Joann Wallenburn d...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley Lake is the water supply to much of the town, community and others draw water from the lake or the surrounding community aquifer. So, let’s “cowboy up” to our responsibility of protecting it now and for future generations. Let’s support the construction of a community sewer system. We have owned a cabin on the lake for 50+ years and we certainly understand the need for clean lake water and drinking water. We continue to enjoy and appreciate the Seeley Lake community; we have worked on community projects, we support the Com...
SEELEY LAKE - In an earlier letter-to-the-editor, I pointed out that Sewer District 4 has some 40 properties which are, in fact, residences or the occasional vacant lot. Seeley Lake Sewer District Manager Greg Robinson would have them charged as “businesses” to cover the debt and Operation & Maintenance (O&M) expenses if district property owners accept the proposed sewer project. (Please see the Pathfinder archive if you wish to review that information.) At that time, I noted that similar situations also existed for other sewer districts. So...
SEELEY LAKE - Most of us living in Seeley Lake share some common values: independence, some desire to be isolated, appreciation of nature and security for our families and homes. These are important values that are not easy to compromise. We also know that making a living in Seeley Lake is difficult. Given this understanding, let’s consider an important initiative that can affect our values and income—the Seeley Lake Sewer Initiative. No one wants our small community to become a booming met...
SEELEY LAKE - With his letter in last week’s Pathfinder, Dennis Clark became a strong, though likely unwitting, ally to Citizens for Sensible Wastewater Solutions (CSWS) and the constituents of the Seeley Lake Sewer District. We at CSWS found most of what Clark said quite agreeable as he applied criteria and a level of critical thinking skills rare to the current support’s side of the debate about the proposed sewer project. Mr. Clark, while you and CSWS may seem to be on opposing sides of the issue, like England’s famed “Loyal opposit...
SEELEY LAKE - The first of two public meetings aimed at educating property owners in the Seeley Lake Sewer District was held Aug. 23. Presenters Dr. Walt Hill, Craig Pozega, professional engineer from Great West Engineering and District Manager Greg Robertson provided information on the project background, community and environmental impacts, the proposed sewer system, financial impacts and the process ahead. The presenters then took questions from the audience. Joe Nickell from the public relations firm PartnersCreative ran the meeting. Dr....
SEELEY LAKE - Well here we go again residents of the Seeley Lake Sewer District. After attending the public meeting, I actually thought I was watching CNN but realized this was worse than that. I wrote questions that were ignored (couldn’t answer them honestly)? This board has failed to honestly represent the town of Seeley Lake and has used the liberal approach that they are for it, if they benefit. I have followed this sewer project since the beginning. I have spoken to past board members and have gotten the facts. They are just the o...
Were you aware that, under sewer general manager Greg Robinson’s desire to determine equitable sewer debt and Operation and Maintenance costs, 40+/- historically residential properties in Sub-District or Phase 4 have become “businesses”? Such a business designation burdens us with the privilege to pay double for sewer charges — even though our parcels have never functioned as business properties and are hardly likely to become businesses after 50+/- years of us enjoying our homes. As non-business “businesses”, we cannot deduct such charges fro...
SEELEY LAKE - Prior to the Public Information meeting regarding the sewer last Wednesday, members of the Citizens for Sensible Wastewater Solutions (CSWS) were handing out a flier on light green paper. The flier is titled Some Facts about the Proposed Seeley Sewer. This same document has been made available at various locations around town. As a summer resident interested to learn about both sides of this important issue, I brought this Fact Sheet home and read it. The following is what I learned. I was interested to see that CSWS are so...
Potential residential customers outnumber commercial in the Seeley Lake Sewer District nine to one. So for every commercial customer who would pay $104 per month, NINE residents will pay $71 per month. Those are the preliminary cost estimates for monthly sewer service put out last week at the Sewer Board’s show. The Sewer District boundaries were drawn back in the 1980s to reflect the lowest per-capita-income possible to better-qualify their project for federal funding. So, stated another way: the lowest income residents in the district are c...
As a long-time summer resident of Seeley Lake, I’ve seen many changes throughout the years. Our community has developed and grown in many ways. The Seeley Lake Sewer District has an opportunity to improve our community and provide the right choice benefitting future generations. By going forth with this project it will create a number of positive things for our community. It will reduce ground water contamination. We have been aware of this issue for decades and it’s time to take care of our ground water. Additionally, it will help reduce the...
