Emergency levy for rockslide approved by commissioners

A 2-mill emergency levy to raise money to study the Stillwater River Road rockslide was unanimously approved by the Stillwater County Commissioners on Oct. 6.
The levy will raise about $80,000, which doesn’t have to be spent right away and can be used for any other future emergency in the county.
As an emergency levy, it does not have to go to the voters for approval.
The impact of the countywide levy on a property with a market value of $100,000 would be $2.70. The levy will apply to the 2015 tax year and appear on November tax bills.
Based on earlier estimates on how to address the rockslide that has closed the Stillwater River Road near Midnight Canyon Road since June 3, two mills won’t raise enough money to prevent future slides at that site and repair the road.
“It will help us with applying for other types of funding,” Commissioner Maureen Davey said.
The county has approved two other emergency levies in the past five years, Commissioner Gerald Dell said.
An estimate for scaling, bolting and rockfall netting that the county received in July came to about $1.5 million. That didn’t include the cost of removing the fallen rock and repairing the road.
The commissioners have begun advertising for proposals from professional consultants to evaluate the stability of the existing rock face above the road, provide recommendations on how to stabilize the face or safely remove the slope area, and provide cost estimates for construction work that will mitigate public safety concerns.
The commissioners also sent letters to four out-of-state companies that specialize in rockslide work. County Road & Bridge Superintendent Mark Schreiner said bids will be opened at the end of October.
“Will the road be fixed before winter?” Linda Halstead-Acharya asked during the commissioners’ Oct. 6 meeting.
“That depends on how these firms respond,” Schreiner said.