Evergreen sewer decision delayed

The Flathead County commissioners took no action Tuesday on a proposed zoning text amendment that would make it possible for Evergreen to locate a sewage treatment plant next to two schools.

Following a brief public hearing, Commissioners Joe Brenneman and Bob Watne agreed to take the text amendment under advisement, saying they wanted to study the issue a little more before making a decision.

Commissioner Gary Hall was out of town on vacation.

About 20 people attended the hearing.

Kerry Finley, president of the Evergreen Business and Property Owners Association, spoke in favor of the amendment, which would add sewage treatment plants to the list of conditional uses allowed in public zoning districts.

Finley noted that the public zone is intended to facilitate uses that serve the public health, safety and welfare. She also pointed out that landfills, water treatment facilities, power plants and other potentially objectionable operations are already allowed in the public zone as conditional uses.

A public hearing would be required before any conditional use actually could locate in an area zoned public.

Several other people spoke in opposition to the amendment, which is intended to facilitate the Evergreen sewer district's efforts to build a new sewage treatment plant on 10 acres of county property at the end of FFA Drive, next to the county Weed and Parks Department.

The site adjacent to the Vo-Ag school and Stillwater Christian School is less than two miles from Kalispell's wastewater treatment plant.

Some speakers questioned why the commissioners agreed to donate the property to the Evergreen sewer district, given that Stillwater Christian and School District No. 5 had both previously asked to purchase the land and were told it was unavailable.

Others suggested that the amendment would only apply to the FFA Drive property because it's the only area in the county that's both big enough for a treatment plant and zoned public.

The county planning staff could not immediately confirm that suggestion.

The commissioners haven't scheduled a time to resume their discussion of the proposed text amendment.

Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com