County Receives CDBG Grant

The Valley County Commissioners received word from Governor Steve Bullock on Dec. 21 that the county had been selected for A community Development Block Grant. The $450,000 grant award is for water system upgrades to water mains, a storage tank and installation of water metering in the St. Marie water district.

Craig Erickson, certified grant writer with Great West Engineering, led a presentation and discussion in August during a public hearing on CDBG funding available, which originates from Housing and Urban Development. At that meeting, several residents of St. Marie voiced their needs for their water and sewer treatment system. The infrastructure at the former Air Force base is decades old and out of date, if not completely nonfunctional. Robert Esias, water operator for St. Marie at the time, told those in attendance the costs for repair were more than costs for replacement.

At the commissioners’ regular meeting the day after the public hearing, the commissioners discussed the needs of St. Marie and encouraged the residents to set up a meeting with the county to discuss further details. The deadline for grant applications was Sept. 15.