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In the break in projects given by the winter weather, Mayor Mark Sheets wanted to explain the current situation on the infrastructure projects. The Thompson Falls mayor talked about the ongoing projects to give citizens an idea of what to expect over the next couple summers.

Construction teams are working on the electrical elements and minor construction at the wastewater treatment plant, but most work on the sewer project has stopped for the winter. According to Sheets, projects will resume in full in the coming spring. As soon as weather permits, possibly in March or April, crews will finish putting in main lines on Grove Street, Ferry Street and the upper ends of Cedar and Columbia streets. They will also finish up both lift stations and connecting lines to properties. The city hopes to be finished with the treatment site by May and done with the lift stations and hooking up the homes on the current streets in phase 1 and 2 by October.

Over the summer crews will take a new force main downtown. They will also put in a new main from Ferry Street to Main Street, connecting downtown businesses and residents to the sewer system. They also plan to upgrade the current lift station. According to Sheets, the work on Main Street will be done along the sides of the road and should not affect traffic too much. However, Sheets referenced a project planned this summer where the Montana Department of Transportation will repave Highway 200 through Thompson Falls, which will impede traffic on Main Street.

By the end of the summer the city is hoping to have the paving done along the places the sewer project has been working on so far. At that point, the crews will be halfway done with the project, completing phase 1 and 2 by November. Sheets said the city has all the funding in line for phase 3, during which they will also need to form a Sewer Improvement Board. Phase 3 is currently undergoing preliminary design. This part of the project will work on Church Street to Greenwood Street and crews will be putting in lift stations, main lines and connecting sewer to homes, as they are currently doing for properties in phases 1 and 2 on the west end of the city..

The city has applied for Rural Development funding for Phase 4 and should hear back by May if they are approved. Sheets explained that Rural Development has been working with them to get the best interest rate possible, about 1.25%. This means, according to Sheets, the city will have saved close to $1 million over the project. “The USDA has been wonderful to work with, under the financing.”

The funding for phase 4, according to the mayor, will look very similar to phase 2 and design will take place in the fall of this year. The city will begin seeking bids between February and March of 2023. Phase 3 and 4 construction is scheduled to begin in the Spring of 2023.

As for the water project, Sheets explained work over the summer will begin on Spruce Street. An American Rescue Plan Act funding (ARPA) application has been put in to help continue that. The city will need to add a new well, new storage tank and continue replacing pipe, much of which was last laid in 1936. “We are just trying to get everything up to modern specs,” said Sheets. He explained the importance of the water project, saying “we’ve been working under an exemption from the state as far as storage goes.” Sheets cited the summer dry weather and tank problems after the wildfires as examples showing how under code the city is. “It’s hard for the citizens because we have so much going on,” said Sheets. “Hopefully when all this is done, we can concentrate on the streets.”