Special meeting and easement hearing held

SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board held a special meeting July 15 to set District’s administrative fee assessment method, set the assessment method hearing date and sign an engineering contract to change the location of the force main. Last week, Missoula County held a hearing July 11 on the Pine Street easement petition.

Missoula County Public Works Seeley Lake Projects and Operations Coordinator Kim Myre said the presented assessment methodology is the same as last year. It charges a flat rate to property with dwelling units and charges everything else including vacant land and commercial properties based on the square footage of the property.

The board adopted the assessment methodology as presented and set a hearing for Aug. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Community Hall. The board’s regular public meeting will begin at 5:15 p.m. and will recess for the hearing. The public is welcome to attend both.

In order to collect the adopted budget of $95,625 for next fiscal year, properties’ dwelling units will pay a flat fee of $154.79 and properties with no dwelling units will pay a rate of approximately a third of a cent per square foot, which works out to approximately $137 per acre.

Due to issues obtaining easements, District Manager Jean Curtiss said that the board had decided to move the force main from going up Cedar Lane and across private property to using the public right of way on Locust Lane up to the Seeley-Swan High School. There will be a second lift station and then the force main will go past the east side of the school on its way to the treatment plant located near the airport.

Great West Engineering needed a contract amendment to make the change to the design. The board voted to accept the amendment, which added approximately $43,000 to the cost of the design.

Last week’s hearing, on the Pine Street easement petition the District submitted to the county, shed light on the ownership of that parcel. The easement extends from the north end where Pine Street ends to Cedar Lane. In the past the Seeley Lake Water District was unable to get an easement because the landowners were unknown.

When the county began processing the easement, they discovered the owners of the property, heirs of the original developers. Two of the heirs spoke at the hearing and requested time to figure out what their rights were on the property. The hearing will be continued Aug. 22.

The next Sewer District meeting is scheduled for July 18 at 5:15 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Community Hall.