SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council (SLCC) agreed to write letters of support for two area projects and hosted discussion on the upcoming library bond at its Oct. 10 meeting.
Mike Boltz presented his plans to convert the Wilderness Gateway Inn, just south of Cory’s Valley Market, into an apartment complex. Boltz is applying for financing from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (RD).
The RD loans are to help build housing for elderly, handicapped and low to mid-range income. Boltz said that he isn’t doing “low income” housing. His main intent is to target working class people with mid-range income. The first floor of the structure will be available for handicapped renters who can apply for government assistance if needed.
Potentially, 15 units would be single room efficiency apartments with kitchens. There currently is a multi-room “managers” apartment and additional multi room apartments may be added when plans are finalized.
Pricing would start around $625 per month, including heat, water, electric, satellite TV and WIFI. Onsite, secure storage would also be available.
Boltz explained that he looked really hard at keeping the property as a hotel but he has had a hard time finding employees. He said potential employees couldn’t find any housing. He has talked to several other businesses with the same problem so he is moving forward with the conversion to apartments.
Boltz asked the SLCC for a letter of support to help him with the RD loan process. The council unanimously voted to write a letter of support.
The Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) was also seeking a letter of support for their project to map out all the existing trails in the valley. CRC President Bill Wall explained that they are trying to put together a comprehensive plan for trails in the valley. The plan includes all types of users including motorized and non-motorized.
“Really what it’s about, is pulling an inventory together and understanding what we’ve got and then taking that to the community and asking: Here’s what we’ve got, here’s what our opportunities are, what would you like to see in the future,” said Wall.
CRC currently has a $21,000 grant from RD to support the development of this plan. CRC is applying for additional grant funding.
CRC requested a letter of support from the SLCC for their grant applications. The council discussed the idea and voted unanimously to support the project with a letter.
Yes for Missoula Library Committee Chair Scott Sterns spoke at the meeting in support of the library bond on the ballot this November.
The $30 million bond would replace the Missoula County Public Library in downtown Missoula. The bond would cost about $28 per year on a $200,000 house for 20 years.
The new library will have about three times the space and more parking. Three partnering agencies would also get space in the new building and private funds will be used for their part. Those three agencies are the Children’s Museum of Missoula, Missoula Community Access Television and University of Montana spectrUM Discovery Area.
Sterns feels that by putting these partners with the library under one roof, it will make family trips to the library an all-day affair. He feels that the new facility will provide better outreach to the rural branches like the one in Seeley Lake.
Seeley Lake’s Branch Librarian Sue Stone said one of the big advantages for the rural branches she sees is the expanded inventory of books available. Currently there are about 300,000 titles available and would increase to about 900,000. Books from the main branch can be ordered and sent to the rural branches.
Seeley Lake resident Ken Kronsperger questioned why the parks bond for building ball fields in Missoula was prioritized ahead of a new library. Sterns said he would have liked to see the library bond run first but it wasn’t ready. Sterns noted that the bonds are not related.
The new library will be built across the street from the old one. Once completed, the old library will be given to the current landowner of the new location in a land swap. Sterns didn’t know what would become of the old structure.
The next SLCC meeting is scheduled for Nov. 14, 6 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Historical Museum & Visitors Center. Snacks and beverages will be provided starting at 5:30 p.m.
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