Boulder residents had a chance to meet with officials from the Montana Department of Transportation June 20 and ask questions about the rest area proposed for the I-15 interchange. As proposed, the rest area would go into the northwest corner of the interchange, providing spaces for 25 trucks and 14 cars on about eight acres.
Estimated cost on the construction would be $4.57 million, of which about $854,000 would come from local government, said engineer Loren Frazier, who did the feasibility study. One advantage of the chosen location, said Frazier, is that it sits up above town, making it easy for those who stop to see the town.
“If you want people to stop for economic development, you want them to be able to see the town,” he said. Economic development hopes are a major driver behind the desire to have a rest area located near Boulder.
As Jefferson County Commissioner Leonard Wortman told the roughly 20 folks at the meeting, approximately 1.4 million vehicles each year pass Boulder. “They have a window of a few seconds to decide if they want to stop in this little community or drive on by. Most of them drive on by,” he said.
The commission believes that having a rest area will provide a chance to showcase the community and perhaps get more of those passersby to spend a little time and money in Boulder, said Wortman. When the idea of replacing the outdated rest area near Jefferson City arose, Wortman said backers visited with the Skytop Ranch about allowing the rest area on ranch property.
The message, he said, was that owner Nelson Chang was “very interested in doing anything that would benefit Boulder as long as it wasn’t going to damage the ranch.” In the interest of securing the project, the county commissioners agreed to fund getting utilities to the site.
Attendees covered a wide range of topics in their questioning, including security, growth plans, lengths of stay allowed, air pollution during inversions, lighting, stormwater drainage, water resources, promotion of local attractions, and project timeline.
Boulder Chief of Police expressed some concern that the initial design has the front of the building facing away from town. For his officers to be able to see what is happening in front of the building, they would need to drive into the parking lot, he noted.
Jeff Ebert, Butte District Administrator for MDT, said there will be cameras on site, and suggestions that the system be connected to transmit images to law enforcement is something that can be looked into.
Engineer Frazier said the design has accounted for some future growth and the location would be amenable to future increases if necessary. In response to questions about people “camping out” at the rest area, MDT officials said there are regulations that limit stays to 12 hours except in emergencies when 24 hours are permissible.
David Anderson, whose home is near the interstate across from the rest area, asked about trucks idling during inversions, creating air pollution. Officials said a city ordinance could bar that if the site is annexed into the city, something that could be considered. Bettie Schlueter, a city council member, asked about whether the rest area would be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and was told it would.
In follow-up discussion, the type of lighting was discussed. Monitor editor Jan Anderson asked about stormwater drainage. The majority of the drainage would go north and east into a retention pond and then along the west side of the interstate, said Frazier. Some would run south and under the interstate in existing culverts, he said.
Ebert said criteria for the development of the rest area limits runoff and paving and rooftops are taken into consideration.
Boulder area rancher Ed McCauley voiced multiple concerns. Although he does not live in the town, he uses water from the area’s resources, he said. “Basically, you’re taking the water away from my ranch,” said McCauley. He noted that plans call for an 8-inch water service line, enough to allow for future development in the area since the rest area only needs a 4-inch line. That means extra county tax money, he said. “I don’t know that my tax dollars should be paying for the extra 4-inch line,” he said.
McCauley also expressed doubts the citizens of Boulder will benefit, saying every year the city puts on water restrictions. In addition, the impacts of development could be a negative, he said. He expressed reservations about the quality of fencing around the site, saying he has had livestock killed because of poor maintenance of fencing on interstate right of way.
Editor Anderson asked about the idea that had been discussed of having some sort of tourism office at the rest area.
The city cannot put a building on the rest area grounds but can have a display of community information in the rest area facility, perhaps booklets in a kiosk, Ebert said.
Wortman said the county is also exploring the idea of having a building near the rest area but not within its borders.
Ebert said construction will probably take about one season once the plans are approved. He said he expected there will be “at least one meeting” during the design phase for the public to weigh in again.
