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APRIL 2, 2014 | 21

Susan Storfa discusses the landslide on her property along Whiteish Stage Road on March 26. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON

damaged storm water pipes that were it’s not is surprising,” Smith said last was proper communication about the “We got more information since the
afected during the major slumping epi- week.
project among county administrators; award,” Holmquist said. “We spent a lot

sodes, and reduce additional sources of During the March 26 hearing, the though OES has been involved from the of time on it, we just don’t feel that we
water on the bluf.
commissioners ofered little in the way beginning, other parts of the county should move forward with it.”
FEMA approved the $400,000 grant of speciics about why they wanted to were not, he said.
Storfa said she is angry about the
last October, agreeing to pay $298,000, terminate the grant process. In an inter- “One hand wasn’t communicating March 26 decision, and confused about
or roughly 75 percent of the cost, while view after the vote, Krueger said he had with the other,” Scott said.
the lack of comment from the commis-
the landowners provided the 25 percent concerns about the county being on the Both Scott and Krueger noted the sion over its decision.
match of $102,000. The county’s part hook for liability if the project fails.
pursuit of the grant had been happen- “If they had questions on an ongo-

would be administering the funds, act- “I’ve had liability concerns from ing before either got in oice – Krueger ing project, you would think they would
ing as a facilitator.
the very beginning,” Krueger said. “I took oice in 2013 and Scott took over ask,” she said.
The matching funds from the land- have concerns in that if something goes the District 1 seat after Jim Dupont died At this point, there is an efort un-
owners are being held in escrow, Storfa wrong, Flathead County will be held li- in March 2012.
derway to see if the City of Kalispell
said.
able.”
According to minutes from county would be willing to facilitate the grant,
On Jan. 14, the commission autho- While Krueger said no one has ad- commission meetings, then-OES direc- but Mullaney said she wasn’t sure if the
rized the publication of requests for vised him legally or otherwise that the tor Scott Sampey discussed the grant in grant could transfer between public en-
qualiications from engineers for the county could be held liable in this case, November 2011; the following Feb. 14, tities.

project, and on Feb. 18, the commission he maintained that he has not had any- Mullaney told the commission the grant Scott said he would be open to a part-
opened the responses from engineering one tell him the county doesn’t have li- process was moving forward.
nership with Kalispell on this project,
irms. They took those responses un- ability in this case.
FEMA awarded the grant on Oct. 5, and Krueger said he believed Kalispell
der advisement and forwarded them to Scott also had liability concerns, 2013 and the county was informed of it could be more involved because of the
a scoring committee with OES to con- saying in an interview after the vote that on Oct. 8. On Nov. 14, 2013, Commission- shared jurisdiction of the area.
sider.
he didn’t want to set a precedent for the ers Holmquist and Scott voted to accept If the grant can be transferred, work
Josh Smith, co-owner and engineer county “being in a position to cover the the grant award, with Krueger voting on the project must be completed by Oc-

at CMG Engineering in Kalispell, has expense and potential liability for a few.”
against it.
tober 2016.
been involved in the project from its Building in the corridor where the By December, OES reported to the Todd Sharpe, who lives on the bluf
beginnings, and said federal and state bluf is located has “always been” a risk, commission that the requests for pro- two houses north of Storfa, said he is dis-
agencies, including the Montana De- Scott said.
posals for engineering services on the appointed by the commission’s actions
partment of Environmental Quality, Smith, the engineer, said in an inter- project were being developed.
at the recent meeting.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the view that any liability in the slope miti- In an interview, Holmquist said she “They had to go out of their way to
state Department of Natural Resources, gation project would fall on the land- would have also voted to terminate the stop the process,” Sharpe said. “We’ve
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, owners, the contractors and the engi- grant process had she been at the meet- got a lot of questions for our commis-

agreed it is viable.
neers, not the county.
ing on March 26, despite having voted to sioners.”
“At this point, for the county to say
Scott also said he didn’t feel there
accept the grant award last winter.
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