A prosperous and idyllic Montana town is on the brink of economic ruin due to its reluctance to build a central sewer system.
Workers living in Seeley Lake, an unincorporated community in Missoula County, are being forced to leave the area after authorities failed to replace the city’s septic system.
Due to the lack of a proper sewage system, developers are unable to build affordable housing, forcing people to move.
As a result, Seeley Lake’s largest employer has also been forced to leave and close their 75-year-old business because they could not attract enough employees.
Workers living in Seeley Lake, an unincorporated community in Missoula County, are being forced to leave the area after officials fail to replace the city’s septic system
The owner of Pyramid Mountain Lumber said it was the “hardest” thing they had ever done and they couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.
“It was probably the hardest thing to make the announcement to the crew; I have friends, family, you know, generations, good friends that work here. I had to tell them that we’re closing the doors,” Todd Johnson, the mill’s third-generation owner, said ABC news.
“I’ve never gotten a paycheck from another company in my entire life. I started here in sixth grade. This is all I’ve ever known.”
He explained the importance of the mill to the city, adding: ‘There hasn’t been an apartment, duplex or quadruple plex built in this city for over 30 years.
“If you’re talking about entry-level housing for more workers… it doesn’t exist.”
The owner of Pyramid Mountain Lumber said it was the ‘hardest’ thing they had ever done and they couldn’t imagine working anywhere else
“Our payroll just for our employees is over $6 million a year. When you take that out of this economy, it changes the fabric of the town. That’s for sure,” noted Todd Johnson, the mill’s third-generation owner.
The closing of Pyramid Mountain marks the official end of the region’s once thriving lumber and sawmill industry.
“Our payroll just for our employees is over $6 million a year. When you take that out of this economy, it changes the fabric of the city. There’s no question about that,” Johnson noted.
Kyle Marx, general manager of Rovero’s Hardware, also noted that despite the busy season, the store is “operating with minimal staff.”
“There’s no affordable housing here. Rents have gone down since COVID hit, and everyone came here, bought every rental they could find and turned them into vacation rentals or moved here themselves,” he explained.
The closing of Pyramid Mountain marks the official end of the region’s once thriving lumber and sawmill industry
According to Dave Strohmaier, chairman of the Missoula Board of County Commissioners, the situation is the result of officials’ reluctance to pay for a centralized sewer system.
According to Dee Baker, owner of an antique store called Grizzly Claw Trading Company, the sewage problem has been going on for years.
‘Social housing could be built, but the people in the city cannot agree on it [for a sewer system] with Missoula County. And it’s been going on for years and years,” Baker noted.
Dave Strohmaier, chairman of the Missoula Board of County Commissioners, said the situation stems from officials’ reluctance to pay for a centralized sewer system and fear that such a major infrastructure change would alter the character of the community.
“The irony is that the lack of infrastructure is a major reason Pyramid Mountain Lumber can’t find housing for its employees and the employees that keep the business running. And so we’re pushing for change,” he said.