Crowd assembles to discuss Town Pump, lack of zoning

By BENJAMIN KIBBEY

The Western News

Though the Troy City Council only met for a work session Wednesday night at City Hall, residents voicing concerns about a proposed Town Pump expansion and lack of city zoning guidelines filled most of the seats.

Since Wednesday’s meeting was a work session, the council could not make any decisions on agenda items, but council members and Mayor Dallas Carr spoke with the public about their concerns.

Prior to taking public comment, Carr said he has not heard any new information from Town Pump representatives since the public information meeting Feb. 7 at Kootenai Senior Center. He said he told Town Pump representatives that the Council can “hopefully” make a decision at their Wednesday, March 21 meeting.

Crossing the street

Town Pump has asked the Council to allow them to close the south end of Second Street at Highway 2 in order to expand.

The preliminary site plan they showed at the Feb. 7 meeting would double the size of the store, extending its east wall about halfway into what is now Second Street. The pumps and fuel tanks would be on the two properties Town Pump now owns on the east side of the street.

Project manager Dan Sampson said that Second Street would still be accessible from Highway 2 by driving through the Town Pump parking lot. He said the company would put in speed bumps or other traffic control to slow cars using the parking lot to cut through between Second Street and Highway 2.

Carr said he had spoken to a number of Troy residents in the past week, and had heard several alternative ideas. Those ranged from Town Pump buying other property and only expanding on the west side of Second Street, to making First Street one-way if the Council chooses to close the south end of Second Street for the Town Pump expansion.

Carr said he has communicated some of that input to Town Pump.

Council wants more information

“I would like to see alternate designs,” said Council Member Crystal Denton. “It can’t just be one design that they’re pulling out.”

Denton said she would like to see Town Pump come back to the Council work session with other options for comparison, and explain their reasons for their preferred option.

“Where everybody can come if they want to, but where we can sit down and get a little more thorough answers, and they’d be open to suggestions,” she said.

“I definitely want more options to look at,” said Council Member Chuck Ekstedt. “Truthfully, I’m for the growth of Troy. And if the Town Pump can come up with a way to make it work for the public, I’m all for it, I’ll vote for it, but they’re going to have to make it work for you guys.”

Council Member Shawna Kelsey said she did not think the Council had enough information to make a decision yet.

At the Feb. 7 meeting, Town Pump project manager Dan Sampson said that the company does not have an alternative plan if the Council does not approve allowing them to build across Second Street. However, due to safety and business needs, the Troy Town Pump cannot remain as it is, so doing nothing is not an alternative option, he said.

Sampson said by email that Town Pump does not have anyone scheduled to speak to the Council before their March meeting.

“Should any new developments arise or if city officials need any additional information, we are happy to make an additional appearance prior to the meeting in March,” he wrote.

Unanswered questions

Troy resident Rick White expressed concern over having no guarantee of what would happen if the Town Pump did not do as well as projected. In a few years, the new station could be an empty building blocking the end of Second Street, he said.

Local resident Sherrie Garcia said she read in The Western News that Town Pump had been unable to find neighbors on the west side of second street willing to sell. However, she had recently spoken with one neighbor who said he would be willing to sell.

Sampson said by email that Town Pump has not been approached by anyone looking to sell property.

“That said, if any opportunities that allow for a cost effective and safe alternative arise, we are definitely interested in exploring those opportunities,” he said.

Troy resident Celeste White asked the Council whether they would consider requiring a traffic study prior to making a decision on closing second street. If there was a cost for such a study, Town Pump should pay for it, not the city, she said.

At the Feb. 7 meeting, Sampson said that Town Pump does not have a current plan to do a traffic study for the streets around Town Pump. If Council approves the closing of Second Street at Highway 2, Town Pump would do a traffic study along Highway 2 to meet Montana Department of Transportation requirements, but no other traffic study is planned.

Audience member Mike Duperault said he has developed commercial buildings across the country. He gave the Council copies of planning and building codes he has had to meet in the past, as examples for what they should expect Town Pump to address before the Council votes on anything.

“I think that the meeting that the Town Pump put on the other day was about 30 percent ready,” Duperault said.

Carr and Duperault engaged in a short discussion regarding whether Troy has adequate ordinances in place to address obligations of businesses building in Troy.

“I just hope everybody understands that we’re here to try to do the best we can,” Carr said.

“I think new ideas are always good too,” Kelsey added.

Zoning in on the problem

City Clerk/Treasurer Tracy Rebo and Carr clarified the question of Troy’s progress on planning and zoning.

Rebo said that an intent to pass a growth plan for Troy was approved in November 2008, but the plan was not actually passed until 2017.

However, the zoning plan was never passed, Carr said.

As a result, Troy has nothing separating the town into commercial and residential districts. There is also no active city planning or zoning board.

Audience member Dave Dowson said he served on the Dawson County, Montana, planning board for 15 years. Troy needs to have a city planning board to avoid future legal problems, he said.

Tax money may be available that is earmarked for planning and zoning, Dowson said. However he cited a scenario involving county government, not city government.

Rebo said that the main hurdle preventing progress on planning and zoning for Troy is lack of people who will volunteer to serve on an unpaid board.

“It’s always the same people, and then they get burnt out,” Rebo said. “If we need planning and zoning, let’s get out there, get some fresh ideas, fresh faces.”

Currently, the Lincoln County Planning Department is the primary body anyone building in Troy has to deal with, Rebo said.

Denton pointed out that several audience members showed they had experience that could be valuable to Troy if they served on a board.

“Get on these boards, write letters of interest,” she said. “We don’t have this, we don’t have that -- we need you guys. We need your experience.”

More information

The next meeting of the Troy City Council is Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Court Room.

The agenda for that meeting is scheduled to come out Monday prior.

To contact the Troy City Council or Mayor, request being added to the email list for the Council agenda, or find out more about serving as a volunteer board member in Troy, call 406-295-4151 or email citytroy@troymt.net.