Back in the day, “everybody had a gas station,” and much of western Montana was fueled by commercial industries like railroads, lumber and mining. Now, those properties, industrial buildings or even plain old residential houses can often contain heavy-metal contamination, various chemicals or asbestos.  

These types of properties are called Brownfields, which represent environmental risk and a loss of economic opportunity for the communities. The properties often have redevelopment potential, said Karl Sutton of Mission West Community Development Partners.  

Sutton presented the Mission West Brownfields Assessment Program to the Polson City Commission during their meeting on Monday, June 15. He explained that their Brownfields program was funded in late 2025, along with opportunities for land development.  

“These could be real contaminants, or it could be perceived that it might have real contaminants,” he said. “These are properties that are often stuck for some reason from redevelopment.”  

The program aims to help landowners address real or perceived contaminants with the goal of redevelopment for tourism or housing. Mission West has three phases in this process, including uncovering the property’s history, conducting an environmental assessment, and planning cleanup and reuse.  

Sutton said they currently don’t have a cleanup loan or program, but their next step is to create a revolving loan fund they can offer.  

“We want to help get those properties unstuck,” he said.  

Old mill sites can be used for multifamily housing or incorporating city parks, and he said to facilitate this process, Mission West would need to get stakeholders to the table. As one example, the Montana Rail Link Park in Missoula was an old mill site, and through the Brownfields process and a public-private partnership, it was redeveloped into a park.  

“Brownfields offers an opportunity, especially in our region, to kind of explore these past industries and put them back into use,” Sutton said. “It's recycling properties and putting them into use for future generations rather than having them sit idle because of their real or perceived contaminants.”  

Commissioner Tracie McDonald asked Sutton whether he had experience working with piers that have toxic coatings on their structures. Sutton said across the country, efforts to clean up waterways often include removing old railroad trestles that crossed waterways.  

Sutton said they are currently working on petroleum sites, which include long-term well monitoring for contaminants, because removed underground storage tanks can contaminate the ground.  

He said that if the ground beneath the tank is contaminated, they will partner with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s Brownfield Program.  

Sutton added that the Montana DEQ Brownfield Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have secured some cleanup funds. He said that if Mission West secures enough potential cleanup projects, it will seek future funding. 

Commissioner Jake Holley asked Sutton about the process for abandoned residential homes in the area, and Sutton explained that they don’t work on residential properties, but the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Brownfields Program does.  

Sutton said he is aware that housing is a topic of conversation across the valley, and the former U.S. Plywood manufacturing plant, which sits on Montana Rail Link property along Seventh Avenue in Polson, is a great example of a mill site that sits dormant. He said this could be a case where the city or private developers decide it is in their interest to help address the housing shortage.  

He explained that private, public or nonprofit entities might be able to leverage financing.  

Commissioner Carolyn Pardini brought up the Morehead Orchards property, which was donated to the city for designation as a park, and said the commission has had conversations about obtaining the Montana Rail Link property. She asked Sutton whether the city's working with Mission West to evaluate those properties would spark investors' interest.  

He said Community Development Block Grants would help fund phase one at the Morehead Orchards property, which has possible contaminants from agricultural use. With the Rail Link property, he said, phase two could be completed to determine potential contaminants and cleanup costs. This could open conversations with existing owners or potential developers to develop a redevelopment strategy and identify funding sources.  

Commission decides on search committee for city manager  

Interim city manager George Simpson told the commission that he had spoken to Susan Nicosia, who is facilitating the process of hiring a new city manager, and she provided him with the steps they will take.  

Simpson said Nicosia explained to him that they will take a first look at applications on June 22 and, at that point, select the top eight candidates. Those candidates will go through the first interview via video call.  

He said after those first interviews, they will narrow it down to three candidates and then complete finalist interviews in person with city staff and department heads. The final step will be contract negotiations and agreeing on a start date.  

His only question to the commission was who should make up the committee that would conduct the first review of applications. Simpson’s recommendation to make up the committee was himself, city attorney Dave Michie, Nicosia and two members from the commission.  

Pardini quickly said she believes it is highly unusual for the person currently serving as city manager to be involved in hiring the future manager. In her experience working with hiring committees seeking a school superintendent, she added that the superintendent is never involved in the search.  

Simpson said this recommendation came from Nicosia, and Mayor Laura Dever said she believes it is a little different situation because Simpson has no desire to become the full-time city manager.  

Both Dever and Commissioner Lisa Rehard volunteered to serve on the committee. Pardini supported Dever and Rehard on the committee but said she believes the entire commission should have the opportunity to view applications. 

Simpson said that when they reach the in-person interviews with staff, the entire commission would be involved. However, Pardini continued to advocate that the commissioners should be able to view the applications, even if they aren’t on the committee.  

She added that after viewing them, she may have something to say to a member of the committee and during previous city manager hirings, she has viewed the applications. Rehard said it makes sense to allow all commissioners to view applications, but she believes that, due to Montana law's privacy protections, they should have the city attorney verify that they can legally do so.  

“The seven of us are very different than department heads or George [Simpson] or each other, but we're elected, and it is our responsibility to do this hire, and I want to see the applications,” Pardini said.  

Pardini nominated Dever and Rehard to serve on the committee, and the commission unanimously passed the motion.  

Commission moves forward with golf course lease legal work  

Also, on the agenda this week was an update from Simpson on the legal work for a potential lease of Polson Bay Golf Course. Two organizations had previously expressed interest in leasing the golf course, leading to multiple discussions with the Polson City Commission.  

The commission decided last month during a workshop on the potential lease to move forward with legal work to determine whether they could lease it and what the proper procedure would be.  

Simpson spoke with Jordan Crosby, who has worked with the city before, about some of the commissioner's questions and whether Crosby would be interested in working on this. Simpson said Crosby was able to answer questions, but not all are definitive and depend on how the contract is written.  

One question that had come up during previous lease discussions was whether the commission had to do a public vote to lease it. According to Simpson, Crosby said it is probable because the land is in public trust and that it would be best to hold a public vote.  

Simpson added that he explained the Old Nine to Crosby, which is a portion of the course that was gifted to the city. She told Simpson it would require more research and title work to determine if it is leasable.  

He also explained that Crosby recommended that the city wait until it has a new city manager before moving forward.  

Rehard said she believes they should hire Crosby and have her provide a written legal opinion. While the commission did not have her hourly rate, Rehard supported hiring her as the best candidate.  

“To me, there's a preliminary step where we just find out what even is involved, and then we have more decisions that we need to make,” Rehard said.  

Questions were raised about how much this would cost, and Pardini suggested capping the amount at $20,000 for now and returning it to the commission for further authorization of funds.  

Rehard motioned to hire Crosby to advise the commission on the procedures that must be followed to lease the golf course. However, during the commission discussion, Commissioner Jen Ruggless said she believes they should conduct a public hearing to determine the public interest before spending that money.  

Holley said he still believes they should wait to move forward until they hire a new city manager. However, McDonald said they have kicked the can down the road on this topic enough, and she believes they should just find out whether leasing it is an option.  

The commission also noted that the cost of this legal work would be paid from the golf course enterprise fund.  

During the public comment period before the commission's vote on this motion, golf course superintendent Pat Nowlen said he supported the commission seeking legal counsel to determine whether it is possible, because he believes it is important now and in the future. Especially because the Polson Port Players already lease a city-owned building on the property.  

The motion to hire Crosby passed with one vote against from Holley.