A prosperous, idyllic Montana town is on the brink of financial ruin due to its reluctance to build a centralized sewage system.
Workers living in Seeley Lake, an unincorporated community in Missoula County, are being forced to leave the area after officials failed to replace the town’s septic system.
Due to the lack of a proper sewage system, developers have been unable to build affordable housing, forcing people to move.
As a result, Seeley Lake’s largest employer was also forced to leave and close its 75-year-old business after failing to attract enough workers.
Workers living in Seeley Lake, an unincorporated community in Missoula County, are being forced to leave the area after officials failed to replace the town’s septic system.
The owner of Pyramid Mountain Lumber said this was the “hardest” thing they had ever done and that they couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.
“Probably the hardest thing was announcing to the crew that we have friends, family, generations, good friends who work here. I had to tell them that we were going to close the doors.” Todd Johnson, the mill’s third-generation owner, said: ABC News.
“I’ve never taken a salary from any other business in my entire life. I started here in sixth grade. This is all I’ve ever known.”
Explaining the mill’s importance to the city, he added: “There hasn’t been an apartment, duplex or fourplex built in this city in over 30 years.
“When we talk about entry-level housing for more manual workers… it’s not available.”
The owner of Pyramid Mountain Lumber said this was the “hardest” thing they had ever done and that they couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.
“Our employees here alone pay over $6 million a year. If we take that amount out of the economy, it will change the fabric of the city. There’s no question about it,” said Todd Johnson, the factory’s third-generation owner.
The closure of Pyramid Mountain marks the official end of the county’s once-thriving lumber and sawmill industry.
“We pay our employees over $6 million a year here alone. If we take that amount out of the economy, it will change the fabric of the city. There’s no question about it,” Johnson said.
Kyle Marx, general manager of Rovero’s Hardware, also noted that despite being in peak season, the store is “operating with a skeleton staff.”
“There is no affordable housing here. Rents have gone down since COVID hit and everyone came here, bought up all the available housing and turned it into vacation rentals or moved in on their own,” he said.
The closure of Pyramid Mountain marks the official end of the county’s once-thriving lumber and sawmill industry.
According to Dave Strohmaier, chairman of the Missoula County Board of Commissioners, the situation is a result of officials’ reluctance to pay for a centralized sewer system.
Dee Baker, owner of an antiques store called Grizzly Claw Trading Company, said the sewage problem has been around for years.
“Low-income housing could be built, but the townspeople can’t come to an agreement (on a sewer system) with Missoula County. And this has been going on for years,” Baker said.
According to Dave Strohmaier, chairman of the Missoula County Board of Commissioners, the situation is a result of officials’ reluctance to pay for a centralized sewer system, as well as fear that such a major infrastructure change would alter the character of the community.
“The irony is that lack of infrastructure is one of the main reasons Pyramid Mountain Lumber can’t find housing for its employees and keep them operating, and so change is upon us,” he said.