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Columbia Falls Aluminum Company. BEACON FILE PHOTO spaces, that’s been tricky.
“Sometimes, I think people feel they should have gotten more ... including me,” former Lincoln County Commissioner and Libby Mayor Tony Berget said. “It’s somebody’s home. You take out a bush or a tree that had been put in by their great grandmother — they might put in a bush, but your yard is never exactly the same.
“At the end of the day, I don’t know if we’ll all be happy,” he continued, adding, “I think Libby is 100 times cleaner than before they arrived.”
Cirian said he’s learned that if “you’re consistent, and you’re giving the same thing to everybody, they appreciate that.” He has found that, over time, trust can be won through such consistency, openness, patience, and communication, the kind that emphasizes listening when answers aren’t easy or available.
“I would say that he does listen; he’s more than willing to sit down and meet with people and talk about an issue,” Ber- get said. “He’s de nitely always available to spend the time. There are very di cult individuals in the world to deal with and he is more than capable at handling him- self. It’s de nitely a challenge anywhere you go — individuals here are indepen- dent and opinionated. ... All in all, I think he’s very fair and reasonable.”
Sometimes, Berget said, he wishes Cirian had been more receptive to mak- ing changes when families were unhappy with the appearance of their yard or attic after the cleanup. But Berget also said he appreciated that Cirian is “a principled conservative” who didn’t “just throw money at the project.”
Peck said that he has received com- plaints from residents about the cleanup, but that whenever he’s followed up with Cirian, “he’s been really good to work with.”
“I think overall he’s handled things pretty well,” Peck added. “It’s a tough position to be in, so you have to be kind of tough.”
Critical to Cirian’s hard-won suc- cess in Libby is how hard he’s worked to become a real part of the community, outside of his EPA role. His wife works in Libby as a nurse. His daughter still lives in town. He was a Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, and is still active in the Catholic fraternal service organi- zation. He’s also the Western Director for the Montana Scholastic Clay Target pro- gram, as well as the head coach for the Libby Rock Crushers, a youth clay tar- get-shooting group whose members have won state and regional events.
“When he rst came to Libby, he had quite a job ahead of him, and he’s man- aged to integrate himself into the com- munity, which would be very di cult for anyone — concerning the cleanup, there was a lot of negativity, shall we say, about it,” Bene eld, the longtime Libby resi- dent, said. “His family lives here and he’s become a part of the community. When you’re like that, it’s very di cult to think of him even as government.”
Over the last decade, it has become clear to most community members that Cirian is in it for the long haul, and that he wants to do the cleanup right.
“Above and beyond, he has de nitely made himself part of the community. ... We’re really happy to have him as a res- ident,” Berget said. Peck agreed, say- ing, “He cares deeply about the com- munity, and he’s an integral part of the community.”
One of 31 remedial project managers in the region, Cirian is the only manager who doesn’t live in Helena or Missoula. He does plan to remain in Libby, so he won’t have the same hometown advan- tage in Columbia Falls. Still, he says,
“The nice thing with Columbia Falls is I’m already building relationships with folks. Even folks who don’t agree with what we’re doing, we still communicate. If there’s anything I’ve learned over this whole project, communication is the driver of what’s happening. This takes time.”
Even if it takes years to earn trust, Cirian will keep sampling, nding answers, and listening.
“I just think that it’s time to leave it in the hands of the EPA for the time being,” said Mike Shepard, a former CFAC employee and a Columbia Falls city council member, noting that con- taminants in the water remain at a safe level for drinking. “A lot of people have not taken the time (to understand this). They just hear the rumors and they y o . ... (They should) ask informational ques- tions and don’t go o the deep end.”
“I trust Mr. Cirian explicitly,” he added. “I think he’s going to do a good job.”
As the process stipulates, that means waiting, swallowing fear, having faith in science, and trusting that the data col- lected every three months will provide good answers. There’s no crystal ball.
“When I arrived in Libby, I was told the job would last from three to ve years, and I said I would see it through,” Cirian said. “That was almost 12 years ago. It has been a wild ride, but in the end, it has been a very rewarding experience. ... I like my job, so that makes it easy to carry that drive to work in Columbia Falls.”
“Knowing you are leaving something better for the future,” he added, “makes it all worthwhile.”
clare@ atheadbeacon.com
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“I TRUST MR. CIRIAN EXPLICITLY. I THINK HE’S GOING TO DO A GOOD JOB.”
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NOVEMBER 9, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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