RAMSAY — The sound of a rooster is more common than the sound of a passing car in this quiet community just west of Butte, but if a large truck stop ends up being built right next door, many in this community believe they’re going to hear a lot of terrible sounds.
“We don’t even like to think about what would happen. No, it would be bad. You’d be noisy, it would change everything about the village,” said 94-year-old Ramsay resident Jean Seymour.
Love’s Travel Stop recently received approval from the Butte-Silver Bow Zoning Board to build the truck stop just east of the isolated village of about 40 homes off Interstate 90. Residents have been objecting to the project since it was first proposed five years ago.
“It’s the traffic, it’s the smell of the diesel, the diesel engines running all night in the wintertime, it’s the bar/casino traffic that you’re going to have, the light, we’ll now be looking out at neon lights all night long. Everything about it says this should not happen here,” said Ramsay resident James Ayres.
Residents fear the truck stop will be a danger to the community by increasing truck traffic and people passing through.
“And there’s going to be transients and prostitution, fumes, pollution, light pollution and it will be terrible,” said Michelle O’Bill.
Coincidentally, this historic town was built for isolation. In 1916, the Dupont Company built it to manufacture dynamite. Well, today, this little village is dealing with another explosive situation.
“Rule number one: you never give up. Rule number two: you don’t give up. You keep fighting it,” said Roland Rees.
When reached for comment about the concerns, Love’s communications manager replied in a written statement:
"Our stores are managed and employed by local community members who are dedicated to serving their neighbors. Love’s looks forward to serving Ramsay and Silver Bow County residents along with drivers traveling on Interstate 90."
The Ramsay residents say they plan to appeal the zoning decision in District Court. The town will host a fundraiser on Aug. 19 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the park near the Ramsay School to raise money and awareness about their fight.
