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City approves special-improvement district and funding package to replace ViewVista water and sewer lines
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Summary
The commission created SID 182, approved multiple funding resolutions and construction contracts, and accepted a sewer easement to begin a water and sewer replacement project in the ViewVista community; staff and partners said loan forgiveness and grants make the project affordable for residents.
The Livingston City Commission approved a bundled package of actions on April 21 to fund and begin construction of water and sewer replacements for the ViewVista (Bu Vista) community.
After a staff presentation, commissioners voted to create Special Improvement District (SID) No. 182 (resolution 5185) and to accept financing through multiple state and federal programs (resolutions 5186, 5187, 5188). City officials said a combination of State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans, Community Development Block Grant funds, an additional renewable-resources grant and a significant amount of loan forgiveness secured through state partners made the project financially feasible for homeowners.
Owners and community advocates described a long history of failing lines, costly leaks and recurring sewer lift-station failures. "We purchased this community in 2020 and our lines are collapsing daily," Angela Zindler told commissioners, urging approval so the community can avoid repeated large emergency bills and persistent water-loss problems. Rebecca Heenstra of NeighborWorks Montana said new mains and accessible lines will provide long-term reliability for residents who have endured frequent outages and backups.
Following adoption of the SID and funding resolutions, the commission approved two procurement items needed to start construction: a construction-administration professional services agreement (Agreement 20253) with TDNH Engineering, and the construction contract (Agreement 20254 / EJCDC) with Helena Sand & Gravel (Montana Materials and Construction), which staff said was the low, responsive bidder. Commissioners also approved resolution 5189 accepting a sewer easement from the Livingston School District to allow ViewVista’s sewer outflow to connect to the city system behind the elementary and middle schools.
Public works staff said the work has been years in the making and cited extensive coordination with the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Department of Environmental Quality, the city’s finance team, bond counsel, NeighborWorks, the school district and engineers. Construction management staff said the project could complete as early as September if bids and schedules hold. Commissioners praised the collaborative partnerships that produced both the financing and the favorable bids and voted to authorize the city manager and chair to sign the contracts and associated documents.
Votes at a glance: Resolution 5185 (create SID) — approved; Resolutions 5186–5188 (funding bindings) — approved; Agreement 20253 (TDNH engineering) — approved; Agreement 20254 / EJCDC (Helena Sand & Gravel) — approved; Resolution 5189 (sewer easement acceptance) — approved.
