Missoula County closes on Wye water system purchase

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) Missoula County on Tuesday signed the closing documents related to its purchase of a newly installed water system at the Wye.

Commissioners entered into an agreement last year where Grass Valley Industrial would construct the system and the county would buy it back for roughly $5.3 million once completed.

The county approved a $5.7 million bond to cover the cost of the purchase earlier this month and Tuesday's signing of the closing documents make the purchase final. The developer signed last week.

“We have a water system,” said Flanna McLarty. “We're done, a million hours later.”

For more than a decade, the county has prepared for the Wye's eventual transition to an urban center complete with housing, retail, industrial use and job growth. The area is developing quickly, but it can't meet its full development potential due to its lack of public water and fire suppression, among other infrastructure needs.

To address those needs, the county established two Targeted Economic Development Districts (TEDD) at the Wye in 2020 to capture the tax increment needed to fund the infrastructure. The water system marks a step in that direction, the county said.

“We established a public-private partnership to build the water system and we're buying it back, “Commissioner Josh Slotnick said earlier this month. “It's a really solid start. Once we have water, sewer and roads, we will see development in this area, which is our ultimate goal.”