MISSOULA – At their Jan. 20 meeting, the Missoula County Commissioners approved a letter addressed to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks that encouraged FWP to prioritize the repair and reopening of the Clearwater Junction RV Dump Station. Also at the meeting, the Commissioners appointed Swan Valley resident Dr. Helene Michael to the Open Lands Committee.
The Seeley Lake Community Council’s letter to FWP requesting the Clearwater Junction RV Dump Station was discussed and approved by the Commissioners at the Nov. 18 meeting. The Commissioners also agreed to draft a cover letter to include with the Council’s letter voicing their support.
“The Council and the community in general really appreciated the speed that the commission has handled this, and certainly Chet [Crowser] for being our point person,” Council Secretary Tom Browder said. “We think by getting on this the beginning of the year, maybe some construction can start before the summer tourist season.”
Nathan Bourne with the Pathfinder pointed out that in the past 20 years, Montana State Parks have significantly improved their camping in the area and with the closure of the RV Dump Station are now not dealing with the waste that comes with the increased camping options. The county would not allow this if it were a private business wanting to increase RV camping in the area. He also added that the only RV Dump Station that is operational in Seeley Lake is right next to a contaminated test well that has been a point of concern.
“The problem is much bigger than the letter is making it sound,” Bourne said. “They are creating part of the problem without providing any of the solution.”
Chair Juanita Vero said that they do recognize those issues.
Missoula County Community and Planning Services staff Chet Crowser, who drafted the letter, said it generalizes a perfect storm of increased use, outdated infrastructure, operational dollars not keeping up with the site costs. He said while he does not disagree with Bourne’s site-specific needs caused by the expansion of those sites that have not been supported, he feels that taking a collaborative approach will bring more success in the future.
“This to me is just the opening of the conversation and I hope we will see some success,” Crowser said. “Frankly, the energy behind this from the community of Seeley Lake is a huge asset to us in that conversation. I would start from that place and then if we need to add more detail to the conversation, we can certainly do that.”
Crowser encouraged the residents of Seeley Lake to continue to engage in these issues to keep them in the forefront.
“This is one example of many scenarios out there, not just in the Seeley Community but all across Missoula County and western Montana where we are going to struggle with this,” Crowser said. “We are seeing increased demands and we don’t have the infrastructure that is going to keep up with that without some real engagement. That is why I appreciate the energy and engagement from the Seeley community. Recognize the issue but also encourage solutions and bring them to the table is always super helpful.”
The commissioners made no changes to the letter and will send it along with the Council’s letter to FWP Director Hank Worsech. The read the letter in full visit https://www.seeleylake.com/home/customer_files/article_documents/fwp_letter_from_commissioners.pdf
The Commissioners also discussed the nine new applicants for the two open three-year positions and two open alternate positions on the Open Lands Citizens Advisory Committee. They reappointed Rob Schlader and Bonnie Buckingham whose terms expired Dec. 31, 2021 to another three-year term.
Staff recommended appointing Dr. Helene Michael and Rob Labair to the Open Lands Committee and Dr. Andy Boyce as an alternate. Based on the committee’s by-laws, staff recommended Michael, who lives in the Seeley-Swan area, and Labair, who would represent the Clinton/Tura area, because they would fill out the requirement to have all geographical areas represented. Staff recommended Boyce as an alternate because they felt he would offer technical experience to the committee that is currently lacking.
The Commissioners agreed with the staff recommendations and appointed Michael, Labair and Boyce to the committee.
For more information about the commissioners’ meeting schedule, agendas and minutes visit https://www.missoulacounty.us/government/administration/commissioners-office/commissioners-meeting-minutes-agenda-portal.
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