Water service appeal hearing to go on

SANDPOINT — In a Dec. 18 hearing, city councilors voted unanimously to continue their review of a development company’s appeal of a water service denial issued by city staff. The hearing will resume Jan. 15, 2025. 

During Wednesday’s meeting, representatives of Bobby McGhee Golf and RV Resort, LLC — a company seeking to create a development in Ponderay containing RV lots, a golf course and about 200 total single-family and apartment housing units — asked councilors to consider overturning the September water service denial that could inhibit the project’s progress. 

According to a Dec. 18 staff report sent to mayor and council by City Engineer Brandon Staglund, water service for the project was denied because a computerized model in the city’s 2022 Water System Master Plan indicated inadequate fire flow pressure in the immediate vicinity of the proposed development. 

During the hearing, Norman Semanko, an attorney representing the developer, argued that since the development included a proposed looping system of pipes designed to promote fire flow, a new model of the system should have been created and evaluated before the decision to deny service was made.

“There is modeling that needs to be done, that should have been done,” Semanko said. 

Richard Villelli, manager for Bobby McGhee Golf and RV Resort, LLC, told councilors the company had offered to pay for modeling while the application for service was being reviewed, and that staff of the development company had been told by Staglund that updated modeling would be performed for the project. 

According to Villelli, he was informed about two months later that the modeling had not been performed. 

“I'm frustrated,” he said. “We've been given the runaround.” 

In the hearing, Staglund said the model included in the 2022 plan indicated the system was not capable of accommodating the proposed project and that he recommended upholding the service denial. 

“Even without this development, we identified several locations directly surrounding the proposed development where fire flow is not sufficient,” Staglund said. 

In response to Villelli’s frustration with the water service application’s timeline, Staglund said that admitting new developments to the city’s water system requires careful consideration. 

“We have to be careful when we provide approval and will-serves for these developments,” he added. “I know it can be frustrating that it takes a long time to go through the process, but it's not something we fast-track.” 

When all parties had spoken, Councilor Joel Aispuro introduced a motion to continue the hearing at the council’s next regular meeting on Jan. 15, 2025, which was approved by all councilors. 

“There's a lot to digest for such a decision that has large implications to our city, to our future,” said Aispuro. 

“It’s a lot to process,” Council President Deb Ruehle said. “When we're making these big types of decisions, sometimes I find myself waking in the morning knowing more than sitting on the dais and making it a quick decision.” 

In other business, Sandpoint’s councilors voted unanimously to confirm the appointment of Holly Ellis as director of the city’s Public Works department. Ellis previously served as the city’s construction manager; the appointment fills the final vacancy in Sandpoint’s department head leadership structure implemented in July.

“For the first couple of years, this is going to be a position that Holly will grow into,” Mayor Jeremy Grimm said during Wednesday’s meeting. 

He told attendees that the city’s leadership will mentor Ellis and support her with outside consultants if necessary to get her up to speed in the position. 

“We've searched for a while, and it became more and more apparent that we had a very capable individual at City Hall in Holly who has integrity, is respected by her peers, is conscientious and has a performance record that is impeccable,” Grimm added.