Public Safety, Infrastructure, Economic Development Highlight Southern Broadwater County Commission Meeting
 | Author:
Linda Kent, MT43 News Staff Reporter
MT43 News Correspondent |
Public Safety, Infrastructure, Economic Development Highlight Southern Broadwater County Commission Meeting
Linda Kent
MT43 News Staff Reporter
Broadwater County commissioners met at the Three Forks Livestock Auction Oct. 2 to provide residents of the county’s southern tip updates on the progress of several active projects, hear residents’ concerns, and gather feedback.
More than 40 area residents attended, sharing their comments on several areas of concern.
Old Town Bridge project and Old Town Road
Adam Hegel of Stahly Engineering provided an update on the Broadwater-Gallatin County joint project to replace the Old Town Bridges. The counties are partnering to replace the two bridges, which have been unusable for several years and are among the oldest in the state.
Hegel explained that, while bids have not been let for the projects, it is expected to begin in November. Hopefully, the piers will be completed by June 2025, with completion of the project dependent on meeting that goal.
Beyond the bridge project, residents discussed the need for Old Town Road itself to be improved, both to meet current needs and in anticipation of increased traffic once the bridges are in place.
Kim Kanta Fink asked about plans to widen Old Town Road, noting that the narrow road is not safe enough for two cars to pass at once
County Public Works Director TJ Graveley said his department is looking to widen the first half mile of the road.
“I actually have slid off the road trying to make room for somebody coming up in the winter,” Kanta Fink said. “The whole road needs to be widened. It needs to be safer, especially when you get our bridges. . . . The amount of traffic and people are not going to drive 35.”
“We’re well aware that once we put the bridges it’s probably going to create some other concerns,” commission chair Darrel Folkvord said. “But we’ll address them as they come.”
Steven Protratz of Three Forks Ambulance seconded Kanta Finks’s request, sharing an anecdote about recently responding from Three Forks to a call on Old Town Road.
“We almost got in three accidents because there wasn’t enough room for us to go by and another vehicle to come,” Potratz said. “It delayed patient care because we had to slow down so much and the road is so rough that we couldn’t drive anyone with that severe of injuries in the back with any kind of speed to get them to a paramedic for pain meds.”
Sheriff’s Department Resources
Broadwater County Sheriff Nick Rauser reviewed his department’s efforts to improve public safety for the county’s southern end. The county is working with Montana Highway Patrol and Gallatin County to reduce the number of drivers — usually driving under the influence – entering Interstate 90 the wrong directions, as well as increasing DUI enforcement in the region.
He also discussed the county’s current opening for a deputy who would reside in or near the south end of the county to reduce response time.
Responding to a question about the likely increase in violent and drug-related crime as the community grows, Rauser said his department has seen a significant increase in cases county-wide, about 20 percent, in the past year. He said the department is trying to get an intoxilyzer that could be housed at the shared law enforcement office in the rest stop just north of I-90, to eliminate the need for officers to take potential DUI offenders to Townsend to confirm blood alcohol content for those stops.
Proposed Southern Emergency Resource Center
Scott Cromwell of Slate Architecture presented an overview of the proposed Southern Emergency Resource Center, which could provide a home for county first responders, including fire, police, and ambulance services as well as community space, closer to the south end of the county.
Cromwell said the project began in April and August of 2023 with brainstorming sessions with brainstorming and preliminary public meetings to gather input on what such a center might contain. The price tag for the unequipped building at that time was between $6 million and $9 million.
“We are taxed to the limit,” Barb Mutter said. “I’m just not sure how well it’s going to go over with the public.”
“That’s not our decision,” Folkvord responded. “So that’s what we’re here tonight to find out. . . . There are some approaches we can take: Is a phased approach better? Should we start with the sheriff’s office and then move on to fire service and EMS?”
Potratz offered his strong support for the concept, noting that many of the area’s volunteer first responders live in the Wheatland subdivision. Having the resource center could significantly reduce response time for area emergency services, he said.
“I think it’s important to note that in the meetings we’ve had over the past year, we’ve heard repeatedly that these services are needed,” Commissioner Lindsay Richtmyer said. She added that ambulance services are not considered necessary by the State of Montana. “If those services are needed, then this community is going to have to come together and decide how they see that happening.”
Wheatland Targeted Economic Development District
Bill Jarocki, Broadwater County’s Administrative Officer, discussed upcoming changes in the Wheatland Targeted Economic Development District (TEDD). He said the county can say that Murdock’s has committed to opening in the district and four other major developments are expected as well.
Businesses locating in the Wheatland TEDD have their county tax payments held exclusively for the development of infrastructure and other needs in the district for 10 years, Jarocki said.
Responding to a question about a drop-off in communication between the commission and those who live in the southern part of the county, Folkvord said that, until recently, there has been little to communicate. Development of the TEDD was significantly impacted by COVID at the start of the 2020s, and development is just now ticking up. He added that he expected that communication will become more frequent going forward.
When asked about how and when infrastructure improvements, particularly a water district, would be put in motion, Jarocki explained that the original resolution to form a water district expired in August of 2024. The resolution was dependent on passage of a bond that did not materialize.
“To date, we have $93,000 to spend. That’s all,” Jarocki said. “What happens is, as development happens and those dollars accumulate, we can develop a plan for how those dollars are spent.”
Article Images
Click on Image Thumbnail(s) to view fullsize image
PhotoCredit: Linda Kent Photo
Image 1 Caption: Broadwater County Sheriff Nick Rauser addresses the crowd on the updates of the proposed community building project and law enforcement coverage in South Broadwater County.
Linda Kent Photo
**
Image 2 Caption: A group of about 40 people took part in the Commissioner Meeting.
Linda Kent Photo
**
Image 3 Caption: Commissioners Lindsey Richtmyer, Darrell Folkvord and Debi Randolph host the meeting.
Linda Kent Photo
**
 crowd (1).JPG)
