LAUREL— A large crowd showed up to the Laurel City Council meeting Tuesday night to voice concerns about the new Montana state forensic mental health facility coming to their town.
Several residents worry the facility will threaten safety, plummet nearby property value and place a strain on infrastructure.
Watch to hear concerns voiced in the meeting:
“Homeowners should not be forced to live with increased security concerns, constant uncertainty, and long-term impacts that come from placing a high-risk facility in a residential area,” said resident Bailey Dempster during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Related: Reactions in Laurel mixed as site is chosen for forensic mental health facility
“Was public safety staffing analyzed? Was police overtime cost estimated? Was the fire and EMS capacity evaluated? Was water demand modeling performed? Was sewer capacity evaluated?” added Jennifer Lorenz.
The crowd numbered more than 50, filling the seats in the council chambers. Others standing spilled into the hallway, which was open to accommodate the large group.
Other concerns from residents included the cost burden of infrastructure upgrades and why city government has not spoken in detail about the facility.
Laurel City Council members did not respond to public comment in the meeting at the advice of City Attorney Michele Braukman.
“I can assure everyone in this room and that is watching this meeting tonight, that it is not because of an intent for city council members to hide information from the public,” said Braukman.
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Montana Board of Investments announced their decision to build the facility in Laurel two months ago. The decision came after plans presented by Miles City and Hardin were rejected by the state.
The state has identified a 114-acre plot of land that borders Old Highway 10 just west of Laurel for the facility.
Several residents have concerns about West Elementary School being a few hundred yards away from the property.
“My concern is about safety for students, and I do not feel that this lends itself to the safety of our children,” said Matthew Torix, Laurel Public Schools superintendent.
On Tuesday, the Laurel School District formally came out against the siting of the facility.
“There's no amount of discovery that could take place that would change my mind that this is an inappropriate location due to safety for the students in our school district,” said school board member Chris Lorash.
The proposed facility will cost an estimated $27.2 million.
