Congressman Ryan Zinke is requesting federal funding for 15 projects in Western Montana aimed at expanding local infrastructure, economic development and law enforcement capabilities.

The requests were made through the U.S. House of Representatives Community Project Funding policy, which allows House members to propose up to 15 local projects to receive dollars from an eligible grant program.

Two of the requested projects are in Flathead County, three in Glacier County and one in Lake County. Other projects, if approved by Congress, would be in Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Beaverhead, Madison, Mineral, Missoula, Park, Powell, Ravalli, and Lewis and Clark Counties.

“I have a high degree of confidence that our entire delegation is going to fight for these because they are that important,” Zinke said this week.

The first proposed project in Flathead County is the creation of an emergency services radio tower. The project requests $1,315,000 in funding and aims to improve coverage and higher quality transmission for law enforcement officers.

The second is the Two Mile Drainage Improvement Project in Kalispell, which looks to extend stormwater infrastructure, reconstruct the road and add a sidewalk using $3.3 million in federal funds. According to Zinke’s office, with housing developments expanding city limits via annexation, infrastructure in the area needs updating.

“Quite frankly, in almost every case, it was really the growth that set these projects in motion,” Zinke said.

Zinke said that prior to announcing the projects, he toured the state and spoke with city commissioners, mayors and others about their proposals and ideas.

Government liaisons, executive directors and any other interested Montana-based party submitted grant applications to Zinke’s office, where a team sorted through the requests and decided which were the most important. The chosen 15 projects came from these submissions.

The two Glacier County projects look to grant more equipment, vehicles and detainee safety enhancements for law enforcement at the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center, together totalling over $1.4 million.

The Sheriff’s Office works daily with Blackfeet Tribal Law Enforcement Services to provide and assist with law enforcement, but do not get reimbursed. The same is occurring in Lake County, where the Sheriff’s Office operates both on the reservation and off. Zinke is requesting $300,000 to pay for two police cruisers and one security scanning system in that county.

All projects must meet grant requirements and pass a series of legislative hurdles before receiving funding. The funding will be allocated from previously authorized grant accounts.

The projects must first be approved by the House Appropriations Committee, of which Zinke is a member. The funding then must be approved by the full House of Representatives and included in the joint funding package approved by the House and Senate, which will be signed into law by the president.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or at 758-4459.