In continuation with the Paradise sewer project, the Sanders County Sewer District at Paradise held a public meeting over Zoom to discuss and approve the buy/sell for property owner Bridger Bischoff. While public meetings in the past have been held at the Paradise Center, due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, the board has voted to cease meeting in person and opted for virtual meetings for the time being. A concern brought up at the meeting as not everyone has access to the Zoom platform.

According to Sunny Chase, president of the Sanders County Sewer District at Paradise, the board had a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bischoff, who was not at the January 22 meeting.. The three-hour meeting started off with another heated discussion between Chase and the newest board member, Terry Caldwell. While the board collectively agreed a sewer system for Paradise is the right thing to do, they discussed misinformation and transparency that has shadowed this project since the beginning. Caldwell expressed his concerns, reiterating it’s not what the residents of Paradise want. “We are here on the board to represent the people,” Caldwell stated. “That is our sole purpose.” Caldwell brought to the attention of County Commissioner Carol Brooker, who attended the meeting, the Montana statute for eminent domain, asking if the Paradise has eminent domain over the sewer project.

The discussion to approve the buy/sell agreement had been tabled three times prior to the January 15 meeting. The board unanimously voted to approve Bischoff’s buy/sell, with Caldwell being the only board member to abstain from the vote. The district voted that there will be no connection fee for residents at the time of hookup, but because Bischoff, who has been reported as being in opposition of the sewer district, has not yet developed, he will have to pay a connection fee for each lot that is built. “He [Bischoff] has not started the subdivision process, but has future hopes to have 19 residential lots parallel to North Avenue, a convenience store, laundry mat, and a RV park bordering Paradise on the west,” Chase said. “Because of these future plans, he will be paying his share of the debt service on the loan part of the financial package. It amounts to 49 equivalent dwelling units (EDU’s).”

The tail end of the meeting involved the board discussing a draft for rules and regulations for the future sewer system. Michelle Pond, with Midwest Assistance Program, Inc., served as a coordinator working on the project, helping the board work through the legal wording of the rules and regulations. Pond suggested the board hold two more meetings before approving the final draft.

The consensus among the board is to do what is best for the community, as all five members agreed that the people of Paradise come first.