Mayor John Engen says Missoula is 'sound' as city advances infrastructure, housing and transit projects

Mayor John Engen told the Chamber of Commerce in Feb. 2008 that "the state of the city is sound," outlining infrastructure projects, public-safety investments and housing initiatives as Missoula plans for growth.

Engen highlighted completed and ongoing street and sewer projects intended to improve traffic flow and serve new development, including a new section of England Boulevard, a North-South link on George Elmer Drive and planned reconstruction on Miller Creek Road. He said the city has new sewer mains under construction to serve commercial properties at the Wye and future homes.

The mayor described a pilot wastewater effort that uses hybrid poplar trees to absorb nutrients from effluent land application. "If this 3 acre trial is successful it could keep effluent out of the river, grow trees that take up greenhouse gases and create wood pulp as a marketable commodity," Engen said.

Engen reported progress on parks and open space, noting more than 1,000 acres of South Hills conserved through cooperation with the county and partners, new trail connections, and construction of a 50-meter pool at Splash Montana. He announced a Brownfields cleanup on Scott Street that will convert an industrial site near city shops into a three-acre park with private- sector collaboration.

On public safety, Engen recapped voter-approved bond funding that supported new and remodeled fire stations and allowed the city to hire additional firefighters. He said preliminary figures show the Missoula Fire Department responded to nearly 6,000 incidents in 2007 and described adoption of a comprehensive master fire plan.

Engen also reviewed police and public-health work: city and county public-health programs served thousands (WIC averaged about 2,700 clients monthly), Partnership Health Center returned to positive fiscal status and local law enforcement reported changes in crime patterns, DUI enforcement and youth-related property-crime investigations.

Housing and redevelopment were central topics: Engen said the city was supporting development of about 90 housing units through block-grant funds and partnerships, cited the downtown Front Street Urban Renewal District as part of a more than $20 million downtown investment, and noted final approval of a Safeway-St. Patrick Hospital development agreement and bond issue that will add a downtown grocery store and expand hospital facilities.

Engen framed planning work as essential, pointing to an overhaul of zoning and subdivision regulations and the UFDA process shared with the county. During a later question on transportation funding, Engen described local options and financing tools. Asked about bleak state and federal transportation funding, he said the city is considering alternatives including maintenance districts that add a line on local property tax bills and special improvement districts; he urged local discussion on sharing costs and noted long-running projects such as Russell Street require multi-year commitments.

Discussion vs. decisions: Engen reported completed actions (voter-backed bonds for fire projects, MRA approvals) and ongoing initiatives (pilot wastewater trial, zoning rewrite, downtown master plan, housing projects) that require further steps, funding or partnerships.