Resident says work to bring water to Melstone delayed as contractor scheduling slips

At a Musselshell County Commission meeting, a resident told commissioners that efforts to bring water to Melstone have been delayed because the contractor scheduled for the next segment is not expected to begin work until about May 18.

The resident, during the public-comment period, said “I told you what I wanted,” and described timing problems for the final piece of the project. A member of staff summarized the public comment as saying “they're working on getting water to Melstone” and noted that a local certified crew from Belgrade is being used for the Broadview parcel to avoid further delays from the Colorado-based pipe crew.

The speakers said the Colorado contractor’s travel and scheduling had caused setbacks and that if problems arise the crew would need to return, creating additional delay. Commissioners and staff exchanged brief clarifying comments about contractor names and who will perform the next segment; one speaker identified the next on-site start date as roughly May 18 but did not provide a signed contract date or a written schedule in the meeting record.

The chair closed the public-comment period after asking for any other speakers and said the commission required a motion to proceed with the next agenda item. The transcript does not record any motion text or a subsequent vote.

The matter discussed affects residents in and around Melstone and the Broadview parcel; the commission did not take a recorded formal action on the project in the excerpts provided and left scheduling and contractor assignment as operational details to be resolved by staff.