Board Given Verbal Go-Ahead from Rural Development

SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer Board received news at the March 16 meeting that they will be given a second chance at a funding package from the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development (RD). The board also discussed hiring a public relations firm to help put out their information to landowners and the community.

“[District Manager Greg Robertson] has received verbal approval that RD is going to let [the sewer district] move forward with another shot at the funding,” said Manager Amy Rose. “This time with a notice and protest period as [Robertson] has been trying to get [RD] to do.”

RD’s funding package consisted of $5.7 million in grants and $4.4 million in loans.

After the failed bond election in December, the board appealed to RD requesting that the district retain the funding. The board requested that the district be allowed to move forward, arguing that the election was not required by law.

A notice and protest period would allow all landowners, including corporations inside the district an opportunity to protest the bonds. If less than 50 percent of the district protests, the district can move forward with the project.

Further details of the decision and new conditions of the funding will be available once a written offer is received from RD.

In an email to the Pathfinder, RD’s Steve Troendle would not confirm that a decision has been made. Troendle indicated that a response to the district’s request to retain funding was being drafted and expected it to be sent by the end of next week.

Rose presented the board with an offer from PartnersCreative to create and run a public outreach program. The public outreach would be purely informational and not advocate for or against any one side.

The cost of the public outreach bid by PartnersCreative is around $40,000 and includes creating and answering Frequently Asked Questions, registering a domain name, mailings to land owners, town hall meetings, advertising, press releases and social media setup and monitoring.

Board President Mike Boltz said the only thing he felt was missing is a public location where people could visit to learn about the project. All the information would be visually displayed at the location.

Rose explained that the money could not come from any of the grants because they are already assigned to costs associated with design and construction.

Boltz didn’t feel that the cost was too much because educating the people has been one of the districts biggest problems.

“We did a lot of work in other areas but I guess we weren’t prepared for the end,” said Boltz.

The board will discuss the public outreach at a future meeting.

In other news, Rose has taken a new job and will no longer be working on Seeley’s sewer project. Rose and Manager Greg Robertson are both Missoula County employees that have been provided to the district by the county since 2011.

Rose said that Kim Myre will assume some of Rose’s duties for the sewer district. Myre works for the county out of Missoula County’s Seeley Lake office.

The next regularly sewer board meeting is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. April 20 at the Missoula County Satellite Office located at 3360 Highway 83.