West Valley neighbors are protesting a former state legislator's plan to open a gravel pit on Farm to Market Road.  

"To me, it's ludicrous what they're proposing," said West Valley resident Lauren Terret. 

Bruce Tutvedt, a former Republican state senator, wants to open a gravel mine on his 160-acre property at 3740 Farm to Market Road. He applied for a conditional-use permit on Aug. 10 to operate mobile asphalt and concrete batch plants, stockpile material and transport mined gravel via Farm to Market Road. 

Tutvedt said he owns LHC, Inc., a Kalispell-based asphalt and mixed concrete company, and has long believed his land is a prime spot to mine and process gravel. Two other mining sites already operate within a mile of his property, with one less than a quarter mile away on Farm to Market Road and the other on West Valley Drive. 

"Gravel is an important commodity for the construction and maintenance of the infrastructure in Flathead County," Tutvedt stated in his application. "As existing material sources are depleted, new sources will need to be brought online." 

But a growing cohort of West Valley residents plan to protest Tutvedt's gravel pit proposal over concerns of water contamination, air pollution, traffic congestion, diminished property values, and noise and light disturbance.  A community meeting to address the neighbors' concerns will be held at Stillwater Lutheran Church between 3 and 6 p.m. Sunday.  

"This is one that absolutely impacts us," said West Valley Pines Homeowners Association President Ehren Hart, whose son attends school less than 5 miles away from the property. "The community has a right to know what's happening." 

News of the gravel pit spread after the West Valley Land Use Advisory Committee canceled its public hearing on Sept. 22, due to lack of quorum. Frustrated by the missed opportunity to speak on the record, neighbors began circulating a petition to reject the permit, which has received more than 70 signatures since Monday.  

West Valley residents plan to testify against the permit at the Flathead County Board of Adjustment's 6 p.m., Oct. 6 meeting in the South Campus Building at 40 11th St. W. in Kalispell.  The board decides whether to approve or deny conditional-use permits.  

TUTVEDT SAYS that the public's concerns are "over hyped."  

Mining operations are regulated under the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, he said, where he has a pending opencut mining permit application for the gravel pit.  

But West Valley residents say that a 2021 law passed by the Montana Legislature weakened environmental checks once required by the state agency.  

Mitigation efforts in Tutvedt's application with the county include rehabilitating mined land and constructing berms to shield opencut mining operations from residents within 300 feet. Findings in the application also determined that groundwater is well below the 60-feet mining depth, and there's no surface water present.  

It's not the first time Tutvedt has sought to open a gravel mine on his property.  

The Board of Adjustments approved a similar permit in July 2005 that allowed him to extract gravel on 320 acres of the property at the corner of Farm to Market Road and Church Drive. But his request for concrete batch and asphalt plants was denied. 

A series of legal battles ensued in Flathead County District Court, with some landing in Montana Supreme Court. Tutvedt sued to remove the barrier around concrete and asphalt plants, while several West Valley residents argued the permit violated the West Valley Neighborhood Plan and county zoning regulations, according to past reporting from the Daily Inter Lake.  

Flathead County later defined "gravel extraction" in 2010 to include mining, processing mined materials, stockpiling, land restoration, and asphalt, wash and concrete batch plants.  

Report for America Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 406-758-4439 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.