Havre receives grant for water, stormwater engineering report

Press release

HELENA — The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that 17 Montana towns, cities and counties will share more than $750,000 of grant funding to help develop and plan infrastructure projects to increase the health and safety for those communities and their residents.

The City of Havre will receive $23,040, in addition to the previously awarded $16,960, for a total of $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a water preliminary engineering report and $40,000 to complete a stormwater preliminary engineering report.

The funding is through Commerce’s Montana Coal Endowment Program.

“At Commerce, we are proud of programs like MCEP, which helps eligible towns, cities and counties prepare for growth with grant funding for crucial community development projects,” said Paul Green, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce. “These projects will improve local health and safety through infrastructure systems so community residents can count on good quality water and reliable wastewater services.”

The MCEP program is designed to help address the affordability of local infrastructure projects by providing grants to lower the cost of constructing public facilities. This biennium of allocated MCEP Planning grants is financially supported by reverted federal funding through the unprecedented infrastructure opportunity created by the American Rescue Plan Act. These are reverted ARPA infrastructure dollars that have been passed to the Department of Commerce to increase the amount of planning grants funded through MCEP to help cities, towns and counties respond to their infrastructure needs.

The other following communities and districts also will receive MCEP Planning grants:

• Carbon County will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a wastewater preliminary engineering report.

• The Cooke City Water District will receive $36,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a water preliminary engineering report.

• The County Water District of Billings Heights will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a water preliminary engineering report.

• The City of Deer Lodge will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a wastewater preliminary engineering report.

• The Town of Ekalaka will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a wastewater preliminary engineering report.

• Flathead County Water District No.1 – Evergreen will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a water preliminary engineering report.

• The Harrison Water and Sewer District will receive $25,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a wastewater preliminary engineering report.

• The La Casa Grande Estates Water and Sewer District will receive $34,900 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a wastewater preliminary engineering report.

• The City of Livingston will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a water preliminary engineering report for Green Acres Subdivision.

• The City of Missoula will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a wastewater preliminary engineering report and $40,000 to complete a stormwater preliminary engineering report for Missoula High Park.

• The North Valley County Water and Sewer District will receive $11,114.28, in addition to the previously awarded $18,885.72, for a total of $30,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a water preliminary engineering report and $30,000 to complete a wastewater preliminary engineering report.

• The City of Red Lodge will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a wastewater preliminary engineering report.

• The Somers Water and Sewer District will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a water preliminary engineering report.

• The Sun Prairie Village Water and Sewer District will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a water preliminary engineering report.

• The City of Thompson Falls will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a stormwater preliminary engineering report.

• The City of Three Forks will receive $40,000 of MCEP planning grant funding to complete a wastewater preliminary engineering report.

Eligible applicants for MCEP planning grants include incorporated cities or towns, counties, consolidated governments, tribal governments and county or multi-county water, sewer or solid waste districts. The funding for the program comes from revenues earned on interest from Coal Severance Taxes.

For more information about MCEP planning grants, people can visit comdev.mt.gov.