Radar speed signs to be requested

SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Community Council voted to seek radar operated speed signs for downtown Seeley Lake at its Nov. 12 meeting. Also at the meeting: Tom Browder was sworn into the vacant council seat; US Forest Service District Ranger Rachel Feigley gave a District update; presentations were given on an environmental cleanup assessment and planning grant for which the county is applying and the proposed RV park in Seeley Lake.

Council member Bruce Friede led the discussion of radar operated speed signs for Highway 83 in Seeley Lake. He said there is still a lot of traffic going through town faster than the posted 25 miles per hour. He felt the signs would help slow people down.

The signs would be similar to what Bonner has on Highway 200 that displays the speed limit and the speed of the vehicle going by. The requested signs would replace the current 25 mph signs downtown and cost between $1,800 and $3,000 each depending on the model.

Council Chair Klaus von Stutterheim asked if the signs could display “slow down” if the vehicles were speeding. Friede said the signs come in many different configurations and that feature could be requested but he thought the county would probably have one type they use for all of them. Some signs display a vehicle’s speed in red if they are speeding and then it changes to yellow when they slow down enough.

A resident was concerned that some similar signs were placed on Double Arrow Ranch roads and they didn’t function half the time. Friede said some are solar powered while others are wired directly to electricity. He felt that solar powered signs and snow didn’t mix well.

The council voted to send a letter to the county requesting the signs.

While much of Feigley’s update mirrored the update she wrote for the Pathfinder’s “A Place for All” column Oct. 25, she did provide some additional information.

The USFS is working with winter trail user groups to try and mitigate the impacts of salvage logging this winter. The ski club, snowmobile club and Race to the Sky all have events that historically uses routes that may be plowed for logging. Some outdoor guides may also be impacted and have been contacted.

Feigley feels that there are some workable solutions to these issues that may include changing some routes and limiting contractors from using the roads on the dates of specific events.

The Big Larch Campground boat ramp reconstruction has begun but the contractor missed the window of good weather and didn’t get started until the heavy rain came. The rain raised the level of water and created other issues for the contractor so they did not finish by the original deadline, Nov. 15. Their contract was extended until Dec. 21.

Feigley talked briefly about some changes in USFS policy coming from the national level that will impact the local District.

There has been a change in how firefighting funding comes out of the Forest Service budget. In the future, funding allocated to other disciplines within the Forest Service including recreation and timber management won’t be diverted to fighting fires as it has in the past. Because these other programs will not be losing their budgets anymore, there is an expectation of increased services, volume of timber harvested and acres of fuels reduction.

Missoula County is seeking potential projects for Brownfields Assessment Grant funding in the county. A brownfield is a property where the expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

If the county were successful at getting the grant it would provide funding to complete assessments of environmental issues and create cleanup plans for properties. The grant does not fund actual cleanup but cleanup funding could be sought later. Participation is voluntary on the part of the landowner.

Examples of brownfields include, but are not limited to, former gas stations, wood product treatment sites, other industrial sites, suspected meth houses, landfills, salvage yards and sites that may have lead paint or asbestos.

Potential projects can be submitted to the county through an online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MissoulaCountyBrownfields. To learn more contact Grant Administrator Sindie Kennedy at 406-258-3688 or email skennedy@missoulacounty.us

Brandon Grosvenor presented on his proposed 82-lot RV Park that would be located on Highway 83 south of the Seeley Lake 1-Stop. His proposal was covered in depth in the Oct. 11 issue of the Pathfinder.

The proposal hasn’t changed but Grosvenor wanted to present at the council meeting to continue gathering input. He doesn’t want to be the guy who shows up and builds something without involving the community.

Some of the same issues came up at the council meeting including sewer issues and the potential of increasing emergency response needs brought on by the potential RV Park.

Different issues raised at the council meeting included how town businesses would handle any more visitors during the peak tourist season when they are already at capacity and if Grosvenor planned on allowing tent camping. Grosvenor said he hopes that businesses will see more customers as a result of the RV Park but initially he can’t offer tent camping. He plans to only allow self contained RVs until sewer services become available and then tents may be possible.

Grosvenor has not submitted the proposal to the county and did not have an estimate as to when that might happen. He assured the Council it wouldn’t be a secret.

In other business, Missoula County Commissioner Jean Curtiss discussed her 18 years as a commissioner. Seeley Lake Community Foundation Executive Director Claire Muller and Seeley Lake Elementary Director of Student Support Angela Harris also gave a presentation on a mental health grant secured by the Seeley Lake Community Foundation that brought Stacy York to Seeley Lake.

The December Council meeting is canceled. The next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Seeley Lake Historical Museum and Visitor’s Center, 2920 Highway 83. An informal gathering ahead of the meeting with pizza and water starts at 5:30 p.m.