St. Ignatius weighs stimulus

ST. IGNATIUS — Pending the outcome of a June 29 public hearing, the St. Ignatius city council has motioned to take a vote on refusing $20,138 in Recovery Act federal stimulus funds for local infrastructure projects.

The debate began at the council’s June 2 meeting when the town was briefed on the amount of funds allocated to the city and council member Rod Arlint spoke out in adamant opposition to the stimulus funds calling the federal Recovery Act system “irresponsible” and “not the right solution to encourage economic growth.”

According to the record of meeting minutes, Arlint then made a motion to refuse the funds. The motion was seconded by another council member. Mayor Charles Gariepy supported the motion, stating that he agreed with Arlint “100 percent,” while council member Marine Johnson held out, adding that she was surprised by the notion and was not ready to vote.

Cooler heads prevailed and the two sponsoring council members agreed to table the motion until public input was gathered on the issue. The council will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. on June 29 to determine if the town will accept the $20,138 in Recovery Act federal stimulus funds and, if so, to take public comment on ways to spend it.

Back in late March, city officials had a window of less than 24 hours from when they were notified of the possible stimulus funds they could receive to the deadline they had to meet with a proposed plan for projects to be funded. The proposal for the $20,138 in infrastructure grant funding was originally aimed at spending $12,000 towards paving two city blocks — bringing the total of city grid blocks paved in 2009 to five; $7,560 on a pedestrian path in Taelman Park and $1,709 to install a fence and paint bleachers at the “Blue” ballfield.

Nowadays, city officials aren’t so sure the project proposals made in mandated haste are the right fit for the money or the town.

“It was kind of shoved down our throat a bit, and I would like to spend the money towards something the public needs rather than projects planned at the drop of a hat,” Mayor Gariepy said.

The mayor added that there’s been a lot of talk around town on the need for more street signs to help provide easier access to residents and emergency first responders. The council is allowed to choose different projects for the funding as long as the alternatives still meet the original criteria of infrastructure improvement projects such as: Public buildings, water, sewer, streets, street lighting, and parks and other recreational facilities. All of the $20,138 must be spent by Sept. 30, 2010.

When Arlint was later asked about his motion on June 4, the council member explained that although he strongly believes that the federal government’s system of spending is entirely flawed, he also realizes the stimulus funds are going to be spent regardless of whether the council refuses them.

“That’s a commentary on how bad things have gotten in Washington, and it’s frustrating the debt the federal government is incurring,” Arlint said. “There is a lack of transparency with the stimulus moneys and they’re spending money that isn’t even in the system yet.

“It’s just a sad situation because as a town government we manage to live within our means and always have.”

The council member clarified that he was not “gunning” to ensure that St. Ignatius does not accept they money, but rather blowing off some steam at big government’s “radical” spending methods.

St. Ignatius residents are encouraged by city officials to turn out for the public hearing on June 29 to voice their opinion on the issue and have their wishes and concerns considered in the process.

St. Ignatius receives $253K for water project

ST. IGNATIUS — The City of St. Ignatius received word on May 26 that they would be awarded $253,000 in Treasure State Endowment Program grants for the city’s water project aimed for construction in 2010.

The TSEP grants are awarded to local governments in Montana for the construction of infrastructure projects. According to the Montana Department of Commerce web site, Recovery Act federal stimulus funding added an additional $20.5 million to funding of such projects in 2009. Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed House Bill 11 on May 6 after the bill authorizing the appropriation of money for TSEP projects passed the state Legislature.

According to City Clerk Lee Ann Gottfried, a preliminary engineering report conducted a year ago for the project showed that the city’s water source was a little at risk because both wells are on the south side of Mission Creek and only one water line transports water to the north side of town. The proposed project would install a new well including a pump house, emergency generator and connection to the distribution system.

Additionally, the project includes a complete leak detection survey be conducted as well as distribution system improvements including a second water main crossing on Mission Creek, a new water main for Mountain View Drive and replacement of a four-inch main on Home Addition.

Gottfried said the city has also received additional funding to the tune of $100,000 in grants for the project, making financial coverage of the project a faster approaching reality these days. But for now, the city is in the preliminary design phase of the project as project consultant Fred Phillips of Great Western Engineering out of Helena prepares the project plans for submittal to the Department of Environmental Quality. If things go according to plan, Phillips confirmed the project should be online for construction to commence next summer.

Before the TSEP funding can be provided, the town must complete specific start-up requirements, including — most importantly — obtaining a firm commitment for all of the funding needed to complete the project. All start up conditions must be met by Dec. 31, 2012 or the grant will automatically be terminated. A series of four TSEP project administration workshops will be held statewide in May and June to explain various preliminary requirements that accompany these various grant-funded projects.