SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board held a public hearing May 3 regarding applications for grants to fund the construction of Phase 2 of the collection system.
Great West Engineering is preparing to submit applications for funds from the Renewable Resource Grant and Loan (RRGL) program administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the Treasure State Endowment Project (TSEP) through Montana’s Department of Commerce. Both programs require an updated Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) and an environmental assessment.
Great West Engineering’s Amy Deitchler, PE, presented information from the Draft PER update for Phase 2 of the collection system. The current PER for the project was done in 2012.
Phase 2 expands in three directions off of Phase 1’s collection system. The three areas are: 1) The residential area north and east of the Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) to Cedar Lane and Tamarack Drive. 2) The east side of Highway 83 between Redwood Lane and the Wilderness Gateway Inn. 3) Properties between the lake and Highway 83, north of Lindey’s Prime Steak House to the intersection of Highway 83 and Cedar Lane.
The collection system for Phase 2 would be a combination of gravity and pressure systems. There are several properties along the lakeshore that will require grinder pumps. Most of the rest of Phase 2 can be serviced gravity lines that will flow directly into Phase 1’s collection system or use small lift stations where needed.
As the design is being finalized for Phase 1 some properties have had their phase changed. SLE was in Phase 1 but will be serviced in Phase 2 while properties fronting on the south side of Redwood Lane will be changed from Phase 2 to Phase 1. The changes are mainly to utilize gravity instead of having to use pumps to serve those lots.
The estimate for Phase 2’s collections in the updated PER is currently $6.5 million. Deitchler explained that the estimates are just the engineers best guess and a real cost won’t be known until the project is bid. She added that engineers are typically very conservative with the estimates.
The Draft PER update has several funding scenarios. Deitchler explained that the best funding scenario presented was still a “worst case” because she feels that the project will receive additional grants that can’t be accounted for in the PER. For instance, Phase 1 received $500,000 from the LOR Foundation and $600,000 through Senator Jon Tester from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Deitchler said there are several other grants and appropriations that may be available as well.
The best funding scenario in the Draft PER for Phase 2 estimates landowners would pay $139 per month including debt service for their collection system, debt service for the treatment plant and operating and maintenance costs.
Eligibility for grants is partially based on the estimated cost per month for residents compared to the Department of Commerce target rates. The target rate for wastewater is 0.9 percent of the Medium Household Income. For Seeley Lake, the target rate is $30.61 per month.
Because the estimated cost for residents is so much higher than the target rate the district should be able to get more grants.
“I don’t want people to freak out because we are not done finding grants yet,” said Deitchler.
Another place where the district may be eligible for additional grants is if it can show that there are more than 51 percent of residents are living with low to moderate incomes. This would require the residents to fill out income surveys. Without those surveys the district must use household income information from other studies that generally include a significant amount of residents not living inside the district. In the past the district has attempted to do income surveys but residents failed to provide enough responses to be used.
Great West has set up a website with information on the updated PER and the environmental impact statement. Documents including the presentation that Deitchler gave are available to download and view as well as a section to make public comment on the project. The site is: http://www.seeleylakeinfrastructure.com
The next regular sewer board meeting is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Thursday, May 17 at the Missoula County Satellite Office located at 3360 Highway 83.
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