Condon Container Site

We have always hauled our garbage/trash to Lake County. We keep it in our bear proof container until we are “going” to town for other appointments and bulk shopping. We never make an extra trip to do a special dump trip..so we do not waste gas..we live at Holland Lake year round and have not had any bear incidents using the precautions and knowledge that is freely given by our bear experts… tourist leave trash here and there and I just pick it up as I see it..most of the trash is thrown out their vehicle windows so I am not sure having a dump site available to them is the answer..(fast food bags, diapers water bottles etc.) and actually in my humble opinion, most dump sites are full of trash debris here and there which becomes an eye sore..I also dislike the fact that there are neighboring houses that will be affected that do not want it.We had originally moved to a nice quiet neighborhood in Condon and had a subdivison approved by Missoula Co. which is what we were trying to get away from when we moved there..It’s awful knowing that you have no control over a life you had dreamed of and then have it taken away by decisions made by others..we were lucky enough to sell and move to Holland Lake surrounded mostly by National Forest but it felt quite humbling to know decisions made by others can take your dreams away. Just something that I am not willing to do to others so I am opposed to having a dump site at Barber Creek or really anywhere in the valley.

We have not heard any talk about people being dissatisfied with their current trash disposal situation. We have our trash picked up by Allied Waste/Republic Services and are very pleased with our situation. Because we are only there part-time, we only pay for the time we are living in Condon which is much less than $300 per year. The cost of the new site will be a hardship for many residents. We are very opposed to the proposed trash disposal plan. We also strongly believe that all Condon residents should be mailed written information about this proposal in order to have a chance to voice their opinions. This issue is very important, and all residents need to be informed.

We are against the site due to cost to the tax payers.

We have been seasonal residents for 57 years, and we have always taken our trash to town except one time that we used the site by Salmon Lake. We cannot afford an additional $300 in taxes, and I imagine this amount will increase every year. Also, I am unhappy that I heard about this from a neighbor. Why wasn't a letter sent to all affected property owners informing them of this proposal? Many of my neighbors probably know nothing of this proposal and would like to comment. Also, if the site is only open two days a week, what do you think tourists will do with their trash? They will probably leave it by the gate where it will create a bear problem. I strongly oppose this proposal.

My husband and I are against the proposed waste container site in Condon. The people who live here already have means with which to dispose of their household garbage; drive to an already established container site, or pay Republic to pick it up at their home. We DO NOT NEED OR WANT this container site here. Here is a quote from Shane Stack at the meeting held on April 19th at the Swan Valley Community meeting: "The projected cost to create a Container Site with four bins to dump garbage is currently estimated at $612,000, Stack said. The annual operating costs are projected at $230,000. This breaks down to an assessment of approximately $300 per property annually."
Our taxes already continue to rise every year, without this additional burden. My taxes went up $125.74 just last year.
I do not think this is a good fit for the people or the lifestyle here in Condon.
As for the folks that are here only part time, with no reasonable accommodations for them from Republic...they usually visit our valley during the summer months, when a lovely drive down Hwy 83 to Swan Lake, Bigfork or Seeley container sites is not really a huge inconvenience. Most folks drive to Kalispell or Missoula for something or other every couple of weeks. Just drop the garbage off at one of the sites on your way.

Republic Services picks up our trash so we do not need a messy container site that will lead to many problems in the community. You should loo k into the problems that other communities have had with these sites.

I am against the transfer site in the pristine Swan Valley. No matter what guarantees are given , there is no way that it will not be an eyesore! Our beautiful valley has had enough stresses on it! If we humans are going to live in such a beautiful place we have a responsibility to keep it beautiful!!

I am a seasonal resident and typically take our trash home. Additionally I believe that most local residents, many of whom I have know for years, are on more of a fixed budget and another $300 a year in taxes for a service they have worked around for years will negatively impact them. For me and my family its another $300 in taxes with no value added. What problem is solved, none. I suspect it will create more problem than solved. If it's not open I can see people leaving trash at the gate. Wild life will get into trash whether it is on the side of the road or at a container transfer site. Personally I think it's a waste of time and money.

I am strongly against this container site for many reasons. It will over double my garbage disposal cost. I currently have a two yard dumpster that I can put just about anything in and Republic Services will take it. The proposed container site only allows house hold waste up to ten yards per year for the $300 annual fee. Over this amount will be an add fee. Anything beside house hold waste is an additional fee. I will not be getting rid of my dumpster so therefore I will have to pay taxes for something I don’t use or need. This site by no means will solve or reduces the bear issue. There will still be garage containers from one end of the valley to the other. Not everyone will use this site. It will only be open a couple days a week and I would image during business hours so for those of us that work this will not work for us to get rid of garbage. On top of the fact Republic comes to my house and I don’t need to load garbage. I’m not interested in paying more taxes for tourist to use. If the site is not open seven days a week I see people dropping their garbage off at the gate for the wildlife. There are other solutions to the bear issue and it’s not a container site. Most people in the valley go to either Kalispell or Missoula there is garbage sites in Swan Lake and Seeley Lake. There are Currently ample means for garbage disposal. People who currently stock pile garage will continue to do so that is just how they are.
Let’s address the poor site location. To start it is in my back yard. I’ve been in the valley for thirty years and at my current residence for twenty five years. This area is peaceful with an abundance of wildlife. Has a environmental impact study been conducted and if so I’d like to see it. That proposed area allows the wildlife to travel from the many acres of private (if familiar with that area it’s a safe heaven for wildlife) ground on the west side of highway 83 to the thousands of acres of either private, state or federal land on the east side. What about the Barber Creek restoration site right there next to the proposed site. Many volunteer hour went into rehab in the old gravel pit for wildlife. How about this site is at the entrance to one of the most pristine wilderness the Bob Marshall.
These container sites do not and will not stop bears from coming in. Even if the site is fenced they will wonder and get in trouble at neighboring houses. The economy is bad enough and with what the housing market just did are taxes will be going up. We already have means of garbage disposal and do not need to be adding to our tax bill. People that have moved here knew ahead of time what the garbage disposal situation was like. Most of us are happy with the current garbage service. Not for raising taxes for an wanted container site.
Chris Barnes

I’m happy with Republic and don’t want a trash disposal site anywhere in the Condon area

I’m very opposed to a trash disposal site in Condon due to the cost, mess and bear attraction. We are happy with Republic.

Thank you for inviting this conversation, which the Swan Valley Regional Plan (2018) requested in its proposed action to “explore the feasibility of a trash transfer station and recycling program.”

I currently support a container site for Condon, primarily as a more equitable, efficient, and effective means of disposing waste and reducing bear conflicts in our community. Electric fencing around a single, concentrated, community-based site offers the highest standard for bear aware waste disposal, and that is something we should strive for. The Barber Creek site provides an excellent option for the location. The ground and surrounding habitat is already disturbed, it is near (but not on) the highway, and it is centrally accessible, not only for year-round users within the service area, but also for the abundance of summer visitors nearby at Holland Lake and Lindbergh Lake.

To cut costs, further increase bear safety, and maximize community effectiveness, I would strongly encourage Missoula County to consider this site as a replacement for the weekly roadside pickup. Given the patchy availability, the stop-and-go routes, and the wide geography covered, the roadside pickup service provides imbalanced community benefit, highway collision risk to Republic employees, and hazardous attractants for bears and other wildlife drawn by scent to dozens of dispersed locations. As a replacement for those weekly pickups, this site would result in less time, gas, and money wasted driving, not only by community members who currently stockpile and haul long distances elsewhere, but also by Republic.

But even if Missoula County chooses to see this container site as a complement to roadside pickup instead of a replacement*, it will fill a crucial need to absorb and account for waste in our community, especially in the summer months. We need a convenient, dedicated place to send recreational/transient visitors, many who currently dispose trash improperly out of ignorance or neglect. To that end, this site would provide opportunities for bear aware education and community-building that do not currently exist. When we dispose of trash in others’ communities or ignore others’ trash in ours, it is easy to forget the true impacts. But if we have a local site, it might help us be more accountable with ourselves and each other about how we can reduce the waste we collectively produce.

I am willing to pay the costs for this site to reduce the even greater costs of continued bear conflict, but I would suggest Missoula County consider starting smaller and cheaper with a two-bay approach. If use demonstrates the need for increased capacity, a four-bay could be explored as a next step. I would also be eager to learn more about the recycling options, and I would encourage coordination with Seeley Lake and/or Lake County to make the container pickup/exchange process as economically and environmentally efficient as possible.

Thank you again for inviting this conversation. Montana’s Constitution uniquely requires that “each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment,” and this opportunity feels like a good chance to uphold that right with preventative, proactive, local stewardship to inspire the rest of our state.

* If weekly roadside service must continue, I strongly urge Missoula County and Republic to require an approved, functional bear-resistant garbage can for those using the pickup privileges.

I am against putting a disposal site in Condon. The bear problem will not be diminished. Businesses would still have to pay even though they already pay for trash. Not everyone can afford an extra $300 on their tax bill. They can barely feed themselves.

A county owned and operated container disposal site will not solve or lessen the bear interaction problem in Condon. Even advocates who have been pushing for this costly approach, when confronted, concede it will not solve the problem of overflow garbage and attractants in yards. The documented bear problem in Seeley Lake provides unequivocal proof that having a dump site in a town does not solve the problem of bear attractants. In fact, Seeley Lake, even with its well maintained disposal site, still has the worst bear problem in the region.
I remain hopeful that being such a small community we can collectively discuss and adopt far less expensive, more focused directed solutions to protect both humans and wildlife by locally enforcing existing laws, and or enacting enforceable local ordinances.
For in the end, a proposed container dump site, no matter how well it might be operated, can attract more bears from areas within a 20 mile radius, including the National Forests and Bob Marshall. It will be a "super stimulus" for bears. Being right off Hwy 83, just a few hundred feet from a pristine entrance to the Flathead National Forest, this site will also entice bears to the Hwy. Whether some become educated to an electric deterrent, or not, there will always be inexperienced bears, as well as persistent individuals drawn into the area. The site will place both bears and humans at increased risk from high speed traffic collisions on Hwy 83 especially during the evening, early morning fog, and throughout the busy summer and hunting seasons. Bears will become even more habituated to human activity and machinery, as such an "olfactory super stimulus" will attract and keep them nearby. Overall, there are some tangible, predictable and measurable outcomes, (not based on assumptions), that will result; both bear and traffic densities will significantly increase in Condon; the land will be permanently scared, and property values in the area will be negatively impacted.

I am against this proposal because it will add several hundred dollars per year to our property tax bill. It is not fair that my property taxes pay for several services/infrastructure in the city of Missoula yet this dump site cost will not be shared by anyone living in the City of Missoula.

I am strongly opposed to a container site in Condon. First, and foremost, tax paying residents should not be forced to pay for an optional refuse disposal site. Optional clearly indicates one has the right to use or refuse the service. Why should I be forced to pay for a service I won't utilize? Why should I be forced to pay for a service for someone else? I am perfectly content with my service from Republic. They come right to my driveway every week. Why would I want to stockpile my garbage until I can make it to a refuse site that is only open a few times a week? Why would I want to haul my garbage down the highway, risking it blowing out? Needless to say, stockpiling garbage and garbage along the highway, will not reduce bear activity, nor will a site. Let's not use that as an excuse to raise our taxes even higher. Furthermore, the proposed location is in close proximity to many homes. Those who want a refuse site, can have it located on one of their properties and pay the necessary fees to support it. I reiterate, it is optional to use the site, therefore, it should be OPTIONAL to pay for it. You want it, you pay for it, you provide the property for it.

I don’t use Missoula facilities. I think this is a clear example of county overreach. If I don’t use it I shouldn’t be taxed for it. If the facility is going to be manned the person using it should be charged for it. If you aren’t confident in the revenue it will generate, than it shouldn’t be built.

I do not agree with where the disposal site will be located due to the close proximity to local residences. I have two parcels on 10 acres of land. It appears I would be assessed $300 per parcel? I pay Republic Services every two weeks to dump a 2 yard dumpster. How would this site benefit me or my business? We have allowed the public to pay us to dump in our dumpster for decades at a fraction of the cost you are proposing. Republic Services does not restrict me from dumping non house hold trash, excluding tires etc.. Why would I want to pay an extra fee for a lot of items I can already dispose of at my current rate?

We are periodic and seasonal residents of the Condon area. We support the research for further potential development of a refuse container site in Condon area for us to use when we spend time at our home. Republic does not offer a private company solution for seasonal residents. Republic has not been willing to entertain a common collection site for a loosely knit homeowners association setup and we have asked. Our other residence is 1000 miles away. Hauling our trash to avoid the costs is not really an option, like some folks (very nice for you). Our other residence is south in direction and the Seeley Lake transfer station is never open when we need it while driving 1000 miles south back home. Winter garbage storage is easier in our garage for a myriad of reasons. Spring Summer Fall garbage storage in our garage is NOT easy for a myriad of reasons. Like many others we wish to minimize and avoid wildlife/garbage conflicts. We feel we are part of a supportive community and laud Missoula Public Works for exploring this option to understand the breadth of needs from the residents its attempting to serve. We do not feel exploration and investigation for those of us who have asked about his to be government overreach. We appreciate being part of a community where our neighbors are willing to have a reasonable conversation and listen to all sides around an issue while our elected leaders attempt to lead in a responsible way. In consideration of how/when/who(we) would use the site we support further research into developing a Condon refuse transfer site to be funded through our county tax payments. We would support it more strongly if the site were to start with only (2) containers and consider expansion to grow as the need is identified to keep initial and future costs down and commensurate with the growth in the valley. Alternatively we still support private industry developing a solution to address our needs of being seasonal/part time residents who have a refuse disposal challenge with the current options available. Lastly, ya'll are very welcome for the taxes we pay as part time residents to fund all your other full time "community" needs such as fire protection, schools for your children, road maintenance/repairs, health services, law enforcement, public library, search and rescue, weed control, aging services, community planning, and don't forget the county fair......where we all have the opportunity to be reminded of what it's like to be a community again. The Higher Power created a planet where change is constant. Let's explore it in a reasonable way.

I would be willing to pay to have a container site based in Condon. It would be more convenient for me to dump my garbage and I would do it more frequently, helping reduce the potential for bear conflicts near my home. I don't like the idea of raising taxes any more than anyone else, but I also realize that I'm already paying a comparable permit fee for the service in Lake County (when gas is accounted for). The estimated cost is comparable to the Lake County site (when gas prices are accounted for) and is cheaper than having curbside pickup once/week from Republic. The proposed Barber Creek Road site seems like a good centralized location and is already a disturbed site (gravel pit) and would have an electric fence around it to eliminate any risk of bears getting into the garbage. I do think the County should explore ways to minimize costs such as a 2 bay system like the Porcupine Site in Lake Co instead of the proposed 4 bay system. I feel that some folks might be more amenable to the cost if it was ~$200-250/month. I also like the idea of having local recycling as an option at the site. As a person who deals with helping private landowners with their bear conflicts, I can attest to the fact that the most common conflict I deal with in the Condon area is garbage (the 2nd leading cause small livestock like chickens), and a common theme is people leaving garbage in the back of their trucks, in their garage, or even in a bear-resistant can for a month or so in between visits to Seeley or Lake Co. This leads to bears being drawn into the smell and into people's backyards where they find other uncontained attractants, or break into garage's or even occasionally a bear-resistant can. I feel that having a local container site would lead folks to dump their trash more often and help reduce bear conflicts, even though there might be a few slobs that will still wait a month or so to go dump their garbage.