(winter '07)ST. IGNATIUS — Mission council members were treated to a positive report last week regarding continuation of the sewer project, and they were chastised for spending too much money on a police cruiser that isn’t always available for use.
Fred Phillips, Project Manager with Great West Engineering, gave a glowing progress report on the new sewer system indicating many milestones have been met.
Treatment lagoons are being rip-rapped, irrigation pipe is being laid, electrical service is approved, irrigation pivots are in and blowers are ready to be installed — generally, the project is on rapid “go” mode.
Contractors “have a month to get the project on-line,” Phillips said.
All land acquisition issues have been settled, and there were no major changes to the project, the consultant said.
The sewer project has “about a quarter million dollars in the contingency fund,” he said, although current expenditures of $40,000 must be taken out. The remaining $185,000 is available to use for replacement of current sewer lines, hooking up existing properties to the new system, general maintenance and other septic-related items.
Planning Board member Claudia McCready is thrilled by the prospect. “All the old pipes are clay; they’re over fifty years old. There’s a lot of leakage problems.”
“We’re all excited to have some money to fix the existing lines,” she said.
As for “the things that are left to be done,” with the new system, Phillips said, “I don’t see any problem getting those done in the next month.”
Mayor Charley Gariepy said the process has been a “dream come true.” The only possible hitch to the project is a necessary easement through Tony Incashola’s property, but the mayor said the issue has “been resolved with a handshake,” though “it hasn’t been resolved on paper.”
Funding for the sewer project was, for the most part, via grants secured by Great West.
“We’ve really made it our business to know how to get the grant money for these projects together,” Phillips remarked.
The project has brought in $5,012,000 since it began in 2003.
The latest grants and loans compromised about $3,200,000 of the total budget.
A recent State and Tribal Assistance Grant along with a Rural Development loan, each for $750,000, will accommodate increases in construction costs since the project began.
Phillips said the community received the funds based on the high percentage of low-to-moderate income individuals living within the Mission sewer district boundaries. Once on-line, service costs will be at least $40 per household, said City Clerk and Treasurer Lee Ann Gottfried.
In other business, $417,603.86 in claims was paid out by the city, with the bulk (over $385,000) going to Phillips Construction as general contractor on the sewer project.
As for the police car, former mayor Ken Hurt complained to the current mayor about the town’s newly hired police officer taking one of three town police cars home to Arlee every night.
Hurt said the action is costing tax payers $300 to $400 a month in gas, plus limiting the availability of response should a law-enforcement problem arise while the car is out-of-area.
Hurt stated “I am vehemently opposed to driving our car to Arlee or Ronan or wherever when the officer is not working.”
“Exposing officers and equipment needlessly to dangers on Highway 93 is not a good policy,” he said.
Police Chief Jerry Johnson mentioned the officer has 90 days from point of hire to move into the Mission area. The 90 days runs through Dec. 1. Both Ronan and Polson give officers much more time for such a move, he said.
The mayor remarked he, too, was unhappy with the policy, but good candidates were hard to find, at which point Hurt retorted that if qualified candidates could not be found, the city should look into contracting with the sheriff to provide the town’s public safety duties.
Gariepy replied he was meeting with the sheriff and the tribe the following day to discuss shared duties.
Chief Johnson also explained why the Mission police cars are left idling. Apparently, the cars were wired incorrectly, and electrical equipment in the cars continues to draw off the battery even when the ignition is off. As a result, the cars must be plugged in, or left idling, so as not to lose power. Johnson noted the equipment is sensitive, and letting the battery die and jump-starting the vehicle would be detrimental to the electrical system. OSHA regulations prohibit using a supplemental battery in the vehicle.
“The only option we have is to rewire those cars, and that’s a very expensive venture,” Johnson said.
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