Sorted by date Results 351 - 375 of 405
The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District and Swan Valley Community Council are the only local boards required to hold a special district elections this May for their open positions. The rest of the local board positions were either filled by acclamation or remain open. Current Seeley Lake Rural Fire District board chair Bonnie Connell and Vice Chair Scott Kennedy’s positions expire in May. Scott Kennedy will run against Alyssa McLean and Rita Rossi for the two, three-year terms. Marcia Tapp’s term with the Swan Valley Community Council ends thi...
Hello Seeley-Swan! It’s been a cold, snowy winter in Helena but I think you all have us beat for winter weather! I am very busy this session, sponsoring 10 bills as well as an amendment to sewer and water district voting rights, on behalf of Seeley Lake residents. I understand confusion about who could and could not vote caused problems in the December Seeley Lake sewer election. Please know I’m working on clarification. Two of my bills have been approved in the Senate and will be heard in the House in March. Both bills address sexual int...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer Board discussed options as they try to retain a $10 million funding package after the failure of the bond election. The board was also informed at their Jan. 19 regular meeting that three positions on the board are up for election this May. The district received a letter dated Dec. 14 from the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development (RD) informing them that the funding package was no longer available as a result of the bond election failing. RD’s funding package consisted of $5.7 million i...
Open Positions on Local Boards - Filing Deadline Feb. 6 Several local government boards have trustee seats up for re-election in the May 2 election. Boards and number of positions to be elected include: Seeley Lake Community Council (2); Swan Valley Community Council (1); Seeley Lake Sewer District (3); Seeley Lake Rural Fire District (2) and the Seeley Lake-Swan Valley Public Hospital District (2). Terms vary in length from three to four years. The Declaration for Nomination and Oath of Candidacy must be completed and returned to the Elections...
SEELEY LAKE - The Sewer Board’s decision to protest the bond vote that did not go its way is disappointing. The facts are: • The board has no one to blame but itself for the outcome. • The board and the county representatives supporting it attempted to shove a costly proposal down voters’ throats. • The proposal would not have significantly protected or improved water quality. • The project fell most heavily on the low and fixed income residents. • The elections board went overboard to try to pull together a fair election based on its time a...
SEELEY LAKE - Calling the bond election “flawed,” the Seeley Lake Sewer District Board took action to protest. At their Dec. 15 meeting, the board also discussed other issues they felt contributed to the failure of the bond including Rural Development’s timetable, the inability of the board to legally distribute information and the Pathfinder’s coverage of the board’s meetings. Preliminary numbers reported by the Missoula County Elections Office show the $4.4 million bond failed by 49 votes. 137 voted “yes”, 186 voted “no” while 170 of the...
SEELEY LAKE - Preliminary numbers reported by the Missoula County Elections Office have the $4.4 million Seeley Lake Sewer Bond failing by a margin of 186 "no" votes to 137 "yes" votes. The bond would have paid to build the proposed wastewater treatment plant and Phase I of the collection system. Look for full coverage of the election and reaction from the sewer district board in the Dec. 22 issue of the Pathfinder....
SEELEY LAKE - To respond to the full-page ad from Concerned Citizens, let me address two issues: Is the ground water contaminated? Answer – YES. The fact that test results vary with weather conditions doesn’t change the fact that nitrates in high numbers are present. The fact that they haven’t quite reached the stage where they exceed the safety limits continually does not negate the fact that they are present in excess - enough to cause Missoula County to create a Special Management District for Seeley Lake to limit additional nitrate contamin...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council hosted a question and answer session with experts involved in the proposed wastewater treatment plant. Voters will decide whether or not to allow the board to move forward. Ballots for the bond election are being mailed Nov. 23 and are due back to the Missoula County Elections Office Dec. 13. Seeley Lake Sewer District Vice President Mike Lindemer introduced the panel. Engineer Craig Pozega from Great West Engineering (GW) was attending to answer...
SEELEY LAKE - As of their Nov. 17 regular meeting, the Seeley Lake Sewer Board will not be sending out informational packets on the proposed wastewater treatment plant. Concerned residents discussed the possibility of sending out information on their own at the meeting. District Vice President Mike Lindemer said the district planned to publish an informational packet but hit a legal roadblock. An attorney with the public relations company the district hired to produce the packet said it would be illegal to send. Lindemer said the board was...
SEELEY LAKE - The very life of Seeley Lake depends on getting a sewage treatment system into Seeley Lake. This is not just rhetoric on my part. Seeley Lake cannot build affordable housing without a sewer system. Seeley Lake cannot progress and bring more businesses in until we get a sewer system. This is not just for us but for those that will follow. Loren Rose, Chief Operating Officer at Pyramid Mountain Lumber Inc., has stated, “The high cost of housing in and around Seeley Lake means more Pyramid employees are commuting to work. A sewer s...
SEELEY LAKE - The crucial moment is here. After more than ten years of planning, voters in the Sewer District will make a decision that will profoundly impact Seeley Lake. The sewer issue is complex, but for me it boils down to two simple facts: our groundwater is getting more and more contaminated and that’s already visible on our lake with the increase in algae. Secondly, we have a one-time opportunity to receive $8 million in federal grants for the project, the largest award ever made. If we turn the sewer down, that pile of money will be p...
SEELEY LAKE - It is clear by now that getting full, accurate and timely information about the proposed sewer project is like “getting blood from a stone.” To have confidence in the costly project, one needs time to think about all the implications. Forty years with no escape clause is a long time to be stuck. The sewer board has already announced four quick-fix, unfair policies. First, debt service is not being pro-rated by assessed property value as are school and other debts. Sewer debt will fall proportionately heavier on low- and fix...
SEELEY LAKE - Sewer board members have been yelling “wolf” telling residents the federal and state government will force us to put in a central sewer if we don’t approve this present proposal. That is wrong...here are two reasons why: 1. Donald Trump has publicly promised he will force the federal EPA to pull back on excessive environmental mandates and with a republican-controlled congress he just might get that job done. 2. Montana state law (MCA 1-2-112) says if the legislature enacts a mandate to a local government it must provide a fundi...
SEELEY LAKE - There are general and yet specific “ISSUES” to be considered in deciding to vote for the COMMUNITY SEWER PROJECT. They are as follows: 1. Decisions should be made with facts and proper education of choices & consequences. 2. The cost of the initial and final project. 3. The serious present and future human health consequences. 4. The short and long term environmental conditions. 5. The economic impact on the entire community of Seeley Lake 6. The image of residents and businesses of the community, present and future. 7. The pro...
SEELEY LAKE - Sewer hook-up is a hot-button issue in Seeley Lake. It costs money—particularly when laying down pipes. People are fearful of the added homebuilding a sewer might bring. However, the facts demonstrate that sewer remains the best choice for protecting Seeley Lake’s clean, safe and irreplaceable waters. Growth and development have been stifled in our community. Financial prosperity, jobs and opportunities for our residents, children and grandchildren have been limited. All these things could improve and provide all of us a bet...
SEELEY LAKE - I really feel for the “snowbirds” who make up a quarter of the non-business resident parcels of the Seeley Lake Sewer District. Unless they subscribe to The Pathfinder, they will probably miss their chance to vote down a multi-million dollar bond issue that can severely impact their futures. The Missoula County Elections Office will mail ballots on Nov. 23 to every REGISTERED voter who is a resident or property owner in the Sewer District for a bond issue that, if passed, could potentially cost them $178 a month for the next 40...
Would you buy a car without knowing the cost? Of course not, but hat’s what the sewer board wants us to do with its proposal. It has come up with a project that will cost between $12 and $20 million and will cost each household between $50 and $165 a month. Here’s a summary of some of the costs we face if we give the board a blank check and approve this project. • Construction Costs: There are two basic components, the treatment plant and the plumbing necessary to get the effluent to it. Because we’ll be pumping every gallon uphill, the pro...
SEELEY LAKE - Next Monday’s Seeley Lake Community Council meeting promises to be a lively event, dealing with perhaps the most controversial issue that has arisen here in recent years: the proposed sewer project. Many questions have been asked about the sewer project including what the proposed sewer will accomplish, how it will be financed and its final cost to the consumer, the district covered and why other locations were not included, the technology and methodology to implement it and whether a sewer system is needed at all. The aim of M...
Will the proposed sewer system clean up or change water quality in the Clearwater drainage? Probably not very much. Here are five reasons why. First, even though test wells show elevated nitrate levels in the core downtown area, the data is questionable. Engineers recommended a series of test wells to accurately determine groundwater quality. They were never drilled and only three test wells were regularly monitored. One of those sits near a laundromat and busy bar/restaurant business with four septics under its property and another is near a...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley Lake Sewer District property owners who hold their properties in family trusts will be able to vote Nov. 23 on the bond issue. That’s a reversal. The Elections Office notified those owners a few weeks ago they would be ineligible to vote if their properties were incorporated. The Missoula County Attorney’s office took a closer look at the law and has decided “family” trustees will be allowed to vote. If you are a trustee in such a property, you should contact Bradley Seaman at the Missoula County Elections office, 406-258...
SEELEY LAKE - The community of Seeley Lake has a water quality problem. The problem is that the local groundwater has elevated levels of nitrate. The main source of the nitrate is septic systems located in Seeley Lake. Septic systems do a great job removing bacteria and viruses from wastewater but do not remove much nitrate from wastewater. As a result, septic systems contribute nitrate to groundwater. Because of the high density of septic systems located in the town of Seeley Lake, nitrate levels are high. Elevated nitrate levels in ground...
SEELEY LAKE - We have been long time Seeley Lake residents (70 years) and have supported all community projects through these years. However, the Sewer Projects is one we must vote NO on! Our population is too small to incur this kind of a debt. We have not even seen a breakout of the costs for this project. There will be significant impact to our low-income residents and those on fixed incomes. Before we saddle ourselves with a huge debt, has every alternative been explored to upgrade existing septic systems? Pumping the sewage two miles...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer District proves to be an important local issue and for good reason. The wrong decision on this issue can put Seeley Lake in a situation of unaffordable debt service on a centralized sewage processing system (CSPS) when our community is better served by individual septic systems. Septics suffer from image problems. Many people still think of them as undependable, old fashioned or as a temporary solution until a centralized system is built. Part of the blame for this can be traced to the popularity of...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer Board has been discussing an alternative route for the main pipe to the proposed wastewater treatment plant. Plans to send out information packets on the proposed system and the names associated with the test wells were also discussed at their Oct. 20 meeting. Currently the main pipe to the treatment site is planned to go from a lift station near Highway 83 straight up Cedar Lane and over the hill on the other side of Tamarack Drive. From there it would go...