This week, locals in Butte will have another chance to help design what the major creek corridors in town will look like after the Superfund cleanup is over.
The Upper Silver Bow and Blacktail Creek corridors, which run through the center of Butte, will probably look a lot different about five years from now.
That’s because a major component of the Superfund cleanup deal being negotiated in Butte involves the removal of massive piles of toxic mine waste from near the creeks and the redesign of those corridors.
This week, the parties in charge of the Superfund cleanup are hosting the second in a series of community design workshops to involve locals in shaping what those areas will look like and be used for in the future.
Julia Crain is the Special Projects Planner for Butte-Silver Bow County’s Superfund Division.
“One of the important steps within this is understanding that design is at the forefront so we can make sure that the remedy can accommodate that design and we have everything we need from the ground up," said Crain.
She says at this event, they’ll be summarizing the ideas they heard at the first meeting, sharing draft land use plans with residents, and looking for more feedback on them.
Crain says she hopes that community members will make the effort to attend and continue the conversation.
“Anytime you have a big project happening your community, you really want to be able to know that you helped shape what it looks like in the end. And so that is an immediate way for you to make an impact,” said Crain.
The family-friendly community design workshops are at noon and 6 p.m. this Thursday, August 30, at the Butte Brewing Company.
