The Clancy Water & Sewer District hopes to start receiving construction bids on its well project in April, following Great West Engineering’s March 12 submission of well design plans to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
Great West expects a response from DEQ by Thursday, April 2, and plans to put the project out to bid the second week of April, according to a project summary the firm sent to the District.
“With this timeline a special board meeting may be necessary in early May for the District to award the contract and ensure the ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] funds get spent,” project engineer Jesse Novak wrote in the summary, noting that all project dates are subject to change depending on factors such as DEQ’s review timeline.
Great West missed the District board’s March 25 meeting due to a calendar mix-up, but sent its update to board members the next day. The firm’s absence prevented the board from taking action on a Great West contract amendment for infrastructure design and construction.
That amendment, as well as new contracts for construction inspection and distribution/storage design are now scheduled for the next board meeting on April 29. The board also delayed action on the easement agreement with landowner Steve Marks because Great West, which is preparing the document, was unable to provide it for review.
After acquiring it from Great West, Jefferson County Attorney Steve Haddon reviewed the agreement and added language allowing the site to transfer to county ownership if the district were to dissolve.
At the meeting, County Commissioner Cory Kirsch presented an alternative to the easement: applying for an agricultural use subdivision that would allow the district to own the property outright. The process is easier for public entities than private landowners and could be completed in about two months. But it would have to be done before any infrastructure is built on the site.
“As long as nothing’s built on it right now, it qualifies for that,” Hammer said. “Once we owned it, once it was subdivided, we could remove that agricultural subdivision feature and develop the property.”
The option reignited board discussion about whether to pursue property ownership. President Lori Gilliland favored proceeding with the easement and making it “bomb-proof” – with strong protective language, according to Hammer. He said he would prefer to own the property, but acknowledged concerns about timing and funding.
“We have to spend a lot of money this summer or we lose it,” Hammer said, referring to the $180,000 or so remaining ARPA funds, which must be spent by June 30. “Going down the pathway to ownership of the land is going to take some time and maybe we’ll lose funding.”
Great West submitted the district’s application for $2.5 million in congressionally directed spending, formerly known as earmarks, through U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy’s office on March 13. The funds, if awarded, would be used for the project’s distribution and storage phase, which is estimated to cost $3 million to $3.5 million.
