City gets needed funding for Cabinet Heights sewer work
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
October 30, 2008
The city of Libby has received preliminary confirmation of funding that will allow the extension of sewer service to the Cabinet Heights area to get under way next year.
Budgeted at $2 million, the project had already received a $500,000 grant from the Treasure State Endowment Program, a $250,000 grant from the Corps of Engineers under the Water Resources Development Act, and a $100,000 grant from the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, leaving $1,150,000 remaining in a funding request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program.
The city recently received unofficial word that it will receive the requested funding from Rural Development in a combination loan-grant award with $632,500 coming as a low-interest loan and $517,500 as a grant, said Mayor Tony Berget.
The city is currently "putting the finishing touches on the package," Berget said, and will be scheduling a meeting with property owners to share information on the project. A final engineering study is in the works and is expected to be finished within the next month or so, Berget said.
City officials hope to move quickly on the project once the engineering study is finalized.
"Potentially, we have the ability to get this out for bid in early spring and start work in the summer," Berget said.
At least two local firms have already shown an interest in bidding, Berget said.
"It was nice to see that we have the potential to have some local contractors working on the project," he said.
The Cabinet Heights area was annexed into the city in early 2007.
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Editor’s Note: See the October 27, 2008 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Monday, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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