Anti-sewer rally scheduled in Paradise on Friday

Determined to press forward with their opposition to a proposed sewer system, a group of Paradise residents is planning to take to the streets Friday evening.

With “No Sewer” yard signs sprouting up throughout the unincorporated town six miles southeast of Plains, the group will hold a rally Friday night in the town park along Montana 200.

“We are not going away,” said one of the opposition organizers, Lee Ann Overman, a long-time Paradise resident who was the driving force behind the yard sign displays. “We want to meet and make sure everyone has a chance to show they are against the sewer project.”

Overman and dozens of other residents say they have been excluded from key parts of the planning and discussion about installing the system, which would include a large underground sewage collection tank on land just west of town.

The project, most of which would be funded by government money, would add approximately $170 a year to local residents’ tax bills, along with an estimated $35 a month in operating and maintenance costs.

The battle against the proposed sewer system has been ongoing for several years and has come to a heated head in recent months as the Paradise Sewer District, created by a 2010 vote, has moved forward with planning and development phases of the project.

Overman said those who don’t want the sewer system are urged to gather at the park at 6:30 p.m. Friday, where their views will be heard from area residents and others. At 7 p.m., the group plans to create a caravan of cars and trucks that will parade through the town and along Montana 200.

Banners and signs opposing the project, along with blaring horns are expected during the automotive part of the rally.

“We want to bring people together and show that we are still strong in our opposition to the sewer project,” she said.