Ronan council members Larry Hall and Lindsay Myers, along with Public Works director Dan Miller, presented an end-of-year recap at the Ronan Chamber of Commerce luncheon, held Thursday, Dec. 4 at Ninepipes Lodge.

Over this year, the council has made decisions or is currently working on infrastructure, real estate developments, land annexations and property purchases to help Ronan grow.   

MREC moves forward 

After 20 years, the Pioneer Days Committee secured a lease of the Mission Range Event Complex (MREC) property off Mink Road from the City of Ronan. The city purchased this property after the committee donated the funds to them.  

Committee president Mike Bartel explained in a later interview that this was a faster and easier route to obtain the property, which the committee will now lease at low cost from the city.  

Bartel said they plan to break ground in the spring to add power, water and sewer to the property. The Pioneer Days Committee will need materials to build an arena and will be hosting a fundraising campaign soon.  

Bartel explained that they put up the initial amount for the city to purchase part of this property in 2005, but Lake County owned a portion of it as well. He said there were some agricultural restrictions due to the county owning a portion. However, with the city purchasing the property and annexing it into city limits, those restrictions have been lifted.  

“We are using only our money, or money we fundraise to put in the infrastructure and expand it,” Bartel said. “There will never be a tax burden on the taxpayers of the city of Ronan.”  

Bartel is planning for Pioneer Days 2026 to be hosted at the new property.  

Housing projects 

Council members also discussed the Mission Valley Homesites, a 221-lot subdivision off Timberlane Road. This development has been discussed by the council a number of times over the last few years.  

Developer Mark Drinkwater asked the city to open a $3 million Special Improvement District to fund water, sewer and roads for the property and create a special tax district to pay back the SID. However, Myers said $3 million is the entire Ronan city budget, so the council decided not to move forward with the SID.  

Myers said housing is a need for Ronan, but the lot price increased as this development was discussed, which caused affordability to become an issue. Lot prices changed because Drinkwater included the cost of roads and sidewalks in the lot price. 

“That triggers a whole series of things that, how do we as a city look at supporting housing development? It's going to be critical,” Hall said. “You've got to have the tax base to be able to support the bond. And if the development doesn't get going, or if it fails, which we've seen, the developers should be on the ticket for paying all those taxes.”  

Mission Valley Homesites is currently on hold until the developer can find funds for the infrastructure.  

“We know we need housing to keep our town growing, but we have to be very careful and responsible as we do that,” Hall said. And as we talk more in chamber meetings, or just people coming to city council meetings to express their concerns or views or ideas, that's where we can generate some forward-looking plans to create affordable housing.”  

Hall explained they have supported other small developments within their capability, which are six- or eight-unit developments. Miller added that a four-unit multifamily development is on the council agenda for its next meeting.  

Miller said PAL Memory Care is planning to build 10 duplexes on the east side of their property. He explained this development may be done in two phases, and the company is currently finishing a group home on Eighth Avenue.  

According to Myers another need for Ronan is roads, but she said the city is strapped and has to rely on grants for these types of improvements. Miller said the piece of asphalt they did from the Ronan Library District to Fourth Avenue cost $250,000.  

This was a collaboration with Lake County, and Miller explained the city did a lot of work themselves on this project.  

New Businesses  

Myers and Hall also offered an update on some of the new businesses coming to the community in the New Year:  

• Tractor Supply will be built where the White Elephant currently stands.  

• The leaky fuel tanks have been removed at the former George’s Conoco gas station, property now owned by Lake County. Although Tractor Supply has expressed interest in purchasing some of this property, it has to be sold to the highest bidder and cannot be divided.  

Miller said the County Commissioners have proposed putting a committee together with Ronan residents in early 2026 to determine what to do with the existing building and land it occupies. 

• Polson Lube Center is adding a location in Ronan at the corner of Fifth and Round Butte. Myers said they will start construction in the next few weeks.  

• The Ronan Fire Department just officially purchased a piece of land next to Glacier Bank and will build a new fire station here. Myers said once Highway 93 is expanded, the department will have access to both north and southbound lanes.