Now our community, as well as the rest of the nation, is deeply affected by severe economic conditions brought on by a pandemic. Prior to this, many of us couldn’t afford the proposed sewer system that is being, for lack of a better term, “shoved down our throats.” This system has been touted as a way to cleanup Seeley Lake. Will it have a positive effect on the nitrate level of the lake? Quite possibly, but so small as to be all but immeasurable.
Seeley Lake’s nitrate problems are, for the most part, a result of stripped watershed upstream of the lake. When one considers animal waste, wild animal carcasses, raw affluent going into the lake from old systems that won’t come under the “proposed” sewer district and fed into the lake via the Clearwater River, a sewer system for the town is not a viable solution.
Not only will the community face the unbearable initial expense of sewer construction and hookup but then there’s the ongoing bureaucracy of service, repair and operation. This will require employees, structures for offices, service vehicles and who knows what else. You only have to look at the Transfer Site (aka The Dump) to see how that bureaucracy grows every year!
Then why would anyone try so hard to get this unaffordable system built? One explanation is a major land grab by local realtors and businesses trying to get wealthier by ruining the economic lives of the not so affluent locals. Shame on these greedy people for wanting to turn Seeley into a Whitefish, Jackson Hole or Park City. Shame on the county for allowing them to tax those in the proposed district to pay for their own unwanted financial demise.
Seriously, most of the people living in the sewer district were either born here or moved here because they want to live in a beautiful, AFFORDABLE, small town. So, again, why is this happening and who is it benefiting? Again, it is business expansion within the district and increased property values outside of the district.
How many of the sewer board members actually live in the proposed district? How many sewer board members who are also landlords have their systems regularly inspected now? How many proponents of the project that do own businesses and/or rentals will be able to write off the expense while passing it on to customers or renters.
When I asked the president of the board at an open meeting what would happen to the people that can’t bear the expense of the proposed sewer, the answer was, and I paraphrase, “Some of the residents of the Double Arrow have talked about helping out financially.” Do you honestly think this will happen? I don’t.
One more thing, regardless of how you stand on this issue, it is important to get involved. Voting in the current election for the Sewer District is a start. The April 16 edition of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder had great profiles of each candidate running for the two open seats.
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