by John Dowd
Stevensville Town Hall has been closed on and off for the last two weeks, post the new mayor, Bob Michalson, being elected by the council. According to Michalson, the sporadic availability has been due to several reasons, one of these being that several of the employees were sick and one has been out for surgery. Another employee, the utility clerk, stepped down, and another was out for maternity leave. Despite the closures, the town has been trying to operate as normal, and tackle several projects in the coming new year.
The first of these projects will be the start of a search for a new utility clerk after some things are remedied, according to Michalson. The next will be a search for another council member. Since Michalson took office, councilmember Nancy Lowell stepped down from her seat. After that, a local named Wallace Smith stepped up to take her place. He was given the seat due to attrition, as there were no other applicants. With Michalson taking the position of mayor, another councilmember will need to be elected to fill the seat he left empty, as well. The town plans to put out information for both these positions in the next couple months.
Discussed at the last council meeting, on Dec. 14, there were several bids entered for the repaving of Spring Street. One was submitted by Knife River Construction and the other by Mr. Asphalt, in Corvallis. Mr. Asphalt was selected, as their bid was lower, according to Michalson. Mr. Asphalt also submitted the only bid for Railroad Street and so they were selected to do that one as well. According to Michalson, the repaving will begin this coming June. Funding for part of the repaving project will come from House Bill 355, which Michalson is optimistic that they qualify for.
Another upcoming project is the burying of a new waterline on Mission Street. Michalson says the project is out for bids and they hope putting in the new line will help remedy the 15,000 gallons the town is losing to leaks every month. A previous article in the Star incorrectly stated that the town was losing much more water. However, the official number is 15,000 gallons. Once the line is put in, Mission Street will also be paved.