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Colstrip council awards $395,160 contract for cemetery paving after debate over street priorities
Summary
Council voted to award a $395,160 paving contract for Colstrip Cemetery after a lengthy discussion about funding sources, engineering contingencies and whether the project’s timing competes with other street repairs.
The Colstrip City Council voted to award a paving contract for the Colstrip Cemetery after a prolonged discussion about costs, funding and competing street-repair needs. Mayor presented KLJ Engineering’s recommendation to accept the low bid and asked the council to approve a $395,160 award for the paving work; a motion was made, seconded and the council approved the award.
Mayor described the history and planning for the cemetery project: Rosebud County transferred ownership of the cemetery to the city in 2023, the council subsequently established a cemetery board and the council approved a master plan in January 2025. The city has included cemetery paving in its capital improvement plan and has applied for outside funding: a $200,000 request to the Montana Coal Board and a separate $100,000 application to the Colstrip Impact Foundation to help offset local costs.
Engineering staff answered council questions about materials and construction. Ryan Brown, deputy engineer, said the design calls for native grass on the exterior of the roundabout and “parkland grasses” on the interior, and explained traffic-control needs during construction. He described a two-foot concrete buffer intended to protect asphalt edges (estimated at about $73,000) and explained that a geotechnical report led to recommending subgrade stabilization using geogrid fabric and 3-inch-minus rock under the pavement; council heard staff’s conservative contingency estimate for subgrade stabilization.
Council members raised opposition and timing concerns, noting other streets in town with greater immediate need; some members stressed that cemetery funds are in the city’s accounts and that applications to external funders depend on an approved project in the budget. Mayor emphasized the city had appropriated the funds in its budget and that staff would continue to pursue grant reimbursements.
After discussion the council voted to award the contract; the mayor thanked cemetery board members for their work and noted plans to identify veterans in the cemetery as part of the project’s improvements.
