Creston gravel pit application pulled
MATT BALDWIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 3 months AGO
A map of a proposed gravel pit off Montana 35 near Creston.
Hagadone Media Montana REGIONAL MANAGING EDITOR Matt Baldwin is the regional editor for Hagadone Media Montana, where he helps guide coverage across eight newspapers throughout Northwest Montana. Under his leadership, the Daily Inter Lake received the Montana Newspaper Association’s Sam Gilluly Best Daily Newspaper in Montana Award and the General Excellence Award in 2024 and 2025. A graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism, Baldwin has called Montana home for nearly 30 years. He and his wife, Sadie, have three daughters. He can be reached at 406‑758‑4447 or [email protected]. IMPACT: Baldwin’s work helps ensure Northwest Montana residents stay connected to their communities and informed about the issues that shape their everyday lives. | April 4, 2025 1:00 PM
A construction company pulled its application Friday for a gravel pit near Creston that had drawn scrutiny from a nearby neighborhood.
In a press release, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality said that Prime Cut Construction, LLC formally withdrew its opencut mining permit application.
The 9.4-acre site off Montana 35 and Old Highway 35 was proposed to be used to mine for gravel and sand. An estimated 500,000 cubic yards of material would be removed from the property over the lifespan of the project. The Montana Department of Transportation previously used about 4.6 acres of the site for open cut mining. The other half is an undisturbed forested area.
In response to the permit withdrawal, the DEQ canceled a public meeting scheduled for next week in Bigfork regarding the project.
"DEQ is working to notify all interested parties of the permit application withdrawal and corresponding meeting cancellation," a press release stated.
"The meeting will not be rescheduled and DEQ is no longer accepting public comment on the permit application or site as there is no active permit application for Opencut mining operations at the site."
Neighbors opposed to the permit said property values would go down if the site is used as a mine again. An online petition to stop the project had 254 signatures as of Friday, April 4.
ARTICLES BY MATT BALDWIN
Road closures, evacuation warnings continue for Skillet Fire
Evacuation warnings and road closures remained in place for areas on the Flathead National Forest west of Olney as a wildfire continued to threaten at least 50 structures.
Fire watch issued as new blaze surges in Northwest Montana
A rapidly expanding wildfire west of Olney prompted numerous road closures Thursday on the Flathead and Kootenai national forests as dangerous fire weather moves into the region this weekend.
Fire watch issued as new blaze surges in Northwest Montana
A rapidly expanding wildfire west of Olney prompted numerous road closures Thursday on the Flathead and Kootenai national forests as dangerous fire weather moves into the region this weekend.