Let's Get Our Sewer Information Correct

SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Sewer Board distributed a flyer from Lindey’s parking lot during the Fourth of July parade which contained some error in fact and some unsubstantiated assumptions. The Board must work harder to give us accurate information so we sewer district residents can make an intelligent decision.

1. The flyer states a sewer would reduce the cost of housing when in fact it would INCREASE substantially the cost of housing. How can the cost of housing decrease when expenses are increasing? Residents can expect monthly bills well in excess of $50 for sewer service added to $60 a month for our expensive water service. That sewer charge will continue for 40 years. The sewer might increase the supply of housing but it will increase the cost too.

2. The flyer states the sewer will protect our rivers and streams. In fact the sewer includes less than 25 percent of the river, creek and waterfront residences in the drainage. The sewer will cost $20 million and will do little to protect/improve water quality.

3. The Federal Government will cover 2/3 of the funding for District 1. The board will then have to start all over looking for grant and loan money for the other districts. The Board has secured grants of $8 million and loans of $4 million. That’s for the first sub-district of four and includes the treatment plant. The Board has published NO numbers for the cost of building sub-districts 2, 3, and 4. Total cost of the project will easily near $20 million and users will be on the hook for all but the $8 million grant. Also residents in sub-districts 2, 3, and 4 will IMMEDIATELY BE CHARGED for the sewer district loans without EVER receiving service. It will be years before they are sewered and the Board has not figured out where it will get the money to sewer sub-districts 2, 3, and 4.

Here are some other items I would like to address.

There are people writing letters to the Pathfinder supporting the sewer, but they don’t even live in any of the sewer districts. It’s easy for them to support it because they DON’T have to pay for the next forty years and they are forgetting that the money raised now is ONLY for district 1, but districts 2, 3, and 4 will be paying monthly charges from the start of District 1 while receiving no service.

The Great Falls woman, who has lake property and is supporting the sewer, is in a financial position to pay for the sewer, but she is not considering the cost to those who live in District 1 who would be at a hardship to pay another monthly bill. She also addressed lake pollution, but is probably unaware that people who have lake property on State and Federal land are not in any of the proposed sewer districts. Don’t they also add to lake pollution? I was at the last Sewer Board meeting and the Board stated that the Federal lake residents will NEVER be on the sewer.

If we are to clean up the lake EVERYBODY would need to hook up. Those of us on the lake that are in District 2 and go only as far as C Street, are not alone going to save the lake.

Lastly, just a reminder that the Board stated last summer that home owners would be responsible for putting their property back together. That could be very costly for most people. Please take time to inform yourself of this costly project. 

 

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