Evergreen’s sidewalk project recently got a big boost from Flathead Electric Cooperative with a $25,000 grant.

The co-op’s Board of Trustees awarded the money, from unclaimed capital credit dollars, to help pay for sidewalks along U.S. 2. The gift follows the news that the $50,000 community match requirement to fund the first phase of the project has been raised.

The Montana Department of Transportation recently approved a $984,881 grant for the construction of paved paths along U.S. 2 between Montana 35 and Sunset Drive, and along portions of Montana 35 and West Evergreen Drive.

The Flathead County commissioners recently set up two special taxing districts covering 61 properties along the stretch of highway where the sidewalks will be installed. Those taxes will pay for maintenance of the sidewalks in perpetuity.

The county also required the Evergreen group raise $50,000 by December, as the taxing districts won't begin generating revenue until November 2022.

Daren Engellant, a local businessman who has helped spearhead the sidewalk project as vice president of the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce, said the outpouring of support from Evergreen residents, businesses and the entire Flathead Valley helped raise the Phase 1 match and illustrates the importance of safe sidewalks for Evergreen’s school children.

Phase 1 includes building a sidewalk from U.S. 2 East between Montana 35 and Evergreen Drive on both sides of the highway and north to Meadowlark Drive on the west side of the highway.

Flathead Electric’s gift will serve as seed money for the fundraising for Phase II of the project, which will extend the sidewalk from the west side of U.S. 2 onto West Evergreen Drive. Engellant said the co-op’s funding will help pay for preliminary engineering costs for the second phase of the project.

Evergreen Community Partners Board President Darla Harmon said in addition to U.S. 2, “West Evergreen is also an extremely dangerous road for the kids who must navigate the very narrow road on their way to and from school, sharing the road with fast-moving vehicles.

“West Evergreen also has some significant challenges due to ditches, the railroad tracks, a bridge and power poles. … We are so grateful that Flathead Electric Co-op stepped up to the plate to get the ball rolling on this piece of the project.”

FLATHEAD ELECTRIC General Manager Mark Johnson said the co-op has been considering how best to support the sidewalk effort for some time.

“We were thrilled to hear that Phase 1 had been funded, and we want to see the full project get completed,” he said.

The co-op’s Community Education Grants are funded by unclaimed capital credit dollars. As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, excess margins are allocated to members in the form of capital credits. The co-op retains those capital credits for a number of years. This practice keeps electric rates lower by reducing the amount the co-op needs to borrow to fund critical infrastructure projects. As financial conditions allow, they are retired (paid) back to members. Because this can be several years later, some of those capital credit checks go unclaimed because the co-op doesn’t have a current address for their former members, according to a press release. Once capital credits remain unclaimed for five or more years, Montana law requires Flathead Electric to either use that money for educational purposes in its service territory or allocate it to the state’s general fund.

Unclaimed capital credit dollars have provided education-related opportunities for thousands of members over the years.

Johnson said the Evergreen sidewalk project was a natural fit for these funds because they will help students get to and from school safely. Evergreen School District does not qualify for bus funding, so all students rely on walking, biking or private transportation to get to and from school.

News editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 406-758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.