Winifred council signs resolution accepting fully funded street project, schedules open house

Mayor Shirley Dyer and the Winifred Town Council voted April 10 to sign Street Resolution 1-2025, formally accepting a fully funded street paving project for the town. The council clarified the resolution authorizes acceptance of the project funding and scope but does not approve final construction plans.

The council heard from engineer Kurt Thomson and reviewed plans from Stahly Engineering. Mayor Dyer told the council she had coordinated with donor Norm Asbjornson and the Central Montana Foundation to get funding in place. The council emphasized that the resolution is an acceptance of the project (not a final plan approval) and that detailed engineering and geotechnical work remain pending — Stahly Engineering is still awaiting Geotech results.

Stahly and Century Construction will host an open house on May 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Community Center to display maps of affected streets and discuss property-specific concerns with landowners. The town will distribute fliers with water and sewer bills to notify residents. The council also discussed ancillary issues such as stormwater routing; Thomson said the storm water plan will direct flows to the north side of the park area.

The council approved the resolution unanimously on a motion by Rick Baker and a second from Cody Isom. Mayor Dyer said outreach at the upcoming open house is intended to surface any individual property questions before construction decisions are finalized.

The town plans to circulate more detailed project information at the May 13 open house and will revisit specific plan approvals after geotechnical findings and final design reviews are complete.