The Seeley Lake Community Council heard new plans for the Clearwater Resource Council, clarification on current Sewer Board actions and added a new council member at its Oct. 9 meeting.
Dave Torrell, the new executive director from CRC, said the group has had some leadership changes over the last few years, and his goal is to get the organization more involved in local projects about the environment.
“This valley is prime for issue-based programming for several reasons,” Torrell said.
He said Seeley Lake’s want to stay rural while respecting the environment means there are plenty of local projects that CRC can help out with to create ecosystem residency while factoring in social issues and the economy.
He said CRC can be like a catalyst for smaller, local organizations across the Clearwater Valley.
Sewer District manager Bill Decker talked about testing that the agency has done to find troubling areas around Seeley Lake that could benefit from a sewer system. He made clear that there is no plan in motion to build a system.
Decker added that there are several oversight groups to the sewer districts work, like the county and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
Sherri Thompson, a board member for the Sewer District, added that because locals couldn’t afford a new sewer, the board has had to get creative with what they do. She said hostility from outsiders has been a problem.
“It is really hard on the people within the district when outside people are not kind in their comments, because people inside the district could not afford $150 month for the system,” Thompson said.
She added that while there might be some hostility outside of the district, there has been little public involvement recently. She said nobody has come to a sewer meeting online or in person to deliver public comment for more than a year.
New council member Jeanette Smith joined the council for the first time on Oct. 9. Smith works for the Sheriff’s Office as a public communication officer, and said she previously worked for the Forest Service.
“I wanted to be a part of this group to give back to the community,” Smith said.
Later on, Seeley Lake District Ranger Quinn Carver provided updates on the Highway 83 project, which would do management on the east side of the highway from Seeley Lake to Lake Alva.
He said some trimming done around the Seeley Lake Ranger Station should be a little preview to the large-scale operation, which would be a multi-goal project over 10,000 acres of land. Much of the project would decommission old logging roads, while other stands of trees would be commercially harvested.
He said the Secretary of Agriculture has granted an emergency distinction for the project, meaning there will not be an objection period after the project is approved.
“But that’s why it is critical to get more engagement now as we are moving through to get a better project,” Carver said.
At the end of the meeting, Sharon Teague, the leader of the Seeley Lake Bear Smart Working Group, announced that the group has been tracking bears in the watershed and should have some information available on bears in the area soon.
Next month, the council will hear from Kim Myre on the Seeley Lake Refuse District. The council meets on Nov. 13.
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