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9/04/2025
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected].
Tenants request property management address maintenance, communication issues
Residents of Eagle Watch Estates and Bruce Blattner Apartments are raising concerns about ongoing maintenance and communication problems to spur a response from the buildings’ out-of-state property management company.
During a press conference Aug. 29, several residents of the accessible affordable housing complexes located off West Broadway said that many of their maintenance requests have gone unaddressed and that it’s difficult to communicate with the Minnesota-based Accessible Space, Inc.
“Our frustration is that they don’t deal with the stuff that needs to be done,” said Barb Winslow, an Eagle Watch resident. “They do just absolutely what they have to.”
ASI did not respond to requests for comment from Montana Free Press.
Households in the 24-unit Eagle Watch Estates and eight-unit Bruce Blattner Apartments pay 30% of their monthly income for rent, which is subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The tenants association late last month sent a report detailing maintenance issues in the buildings and individual apartments — including poor caulking, water damage and ventilation problems — to ASI and HUD’s Montana field office and regional office. Residents also raised safety concerns about the buildings’ front doors being broken and unsecured, allowing non-residents to enter at any time, the report said. While the Eagle Watch door is now fixed, some are concerned it will malfunction again, the group wrote.
“The individuals living at Eagle Watch and Blattner deserve to live lives of dignity, safety, and physical well-being, which is currently out of reach until there is a communication system in place that will rapidly receive feedback directly from the residents and then be acted upon promptly to ensure decent standards of living are achieved and maintained over time,” the report said. “We very much have an interest in a collaborative effort to develop such a system.”
ASI has not responded to the report, said Alessandro Mitchell, an organizer with Missoula Neighbors United. The group has been in contact with regional HUD representatives to discuss concerns, he said.
Last year, Eagle Watch residents formed a tenants association and held a press conference in May to bring attention to unaddressed maintenance and safety concerns. Tenants requested that management improve communication, hire a cleaning crew and a reliable contractor or maintenance technician, remedy building-wide and unit-specific maintenance concerns, secure building entrances and update the emergency response plan with residents’ disabilities in mind.
Winslow said after waiting a year, a drip in her bathroom ceiling was fixed following the previous press conference, but other apartments have unaddressed problems.
Some residents submitted reasonable accommodation requests to improve access and conditions for those with disabilities, according to the report. Paul Hughes, who uses a wheelchair, said the support bars on either side of his toilet are loose. Troy Van Horn has repeatedly requested adjustments to his shower that have gone unaddressed.
“There’s times when I’m done calling them,” he said. “They say, ‘Oh, wait, no, if you have a problem, you have to call. No. … I don’t feel there is any [responsiveness].”
Verbatim
“When we’re all at the table, we’re able to provide support and have other partners to pick up those professionalized services. It’s really beautiful and creates possibility. Recognizing that a lot of people experiencing homelessness in the community can access and maintain and pay for and live in permanent housing, when we can help people who just need someone to walk alongside them, we reduce the number of homeless people and reduce resources so we can help those really struggling.”
—Zeke Campfield, director of the Missoula Interfaith Collaborative’s Housing Advocate Network, told Montana Free Press about the “housing sprint” effort to house residents of the Johnson Street homeless shelter ahead of its closure Sept. 2.
The city closed the 165-bed shelter, located on city property and operated by the Poverello Center, after a five-month phased closure and the housing sprint. More than 50 people secured housing or other “permanent positive solutions” as part of the effort, according to the city. That number will increase as the sprint wraps up.
During the sprint, the city, housing and other service providers, including the Housing Advocate Network, held “office hours” at the Johnson Street shelter for residents and others in need of housing.
Now that the sprint has ended, the Housing Advocate Network plans to hold regular drop-in hours to help those in need of housing at the Watershed Navigation Center from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, starting Sept. 15, Campfield said. The organization also holds drop-in hours at the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Current and prospective volunteers are invited to tour the space and get more information Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Watershed Navigation Center, 2200 Mullan Rd.
Campfield said he hopes other organizations will join HAN volunteers in continuing the work of the housing sprint. Read more about the sprint and the shelter closure here.
Ballots due next Tuesday
Ballots are due by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, for the municipal primary election. For all city voters, the ballot includes the race for mayor, and voters in Wards 2, 3 and 6 will also see a city council race.
Since there are fewer than seven days until the election, it’s too late to return ballots by mail, according to the Missoula County Elections Office. Ahead of Election Day, voters can turn in their ballots at the elections office on Russell Street between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The outdoor ballot drop box at the office is not available during this election. From 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., drive-thru ballot drop locations will be available at the Hellgate Elementary baseball fields at 2385 Flynn Lane and just off Russell Street between the Missoula County Fairgrounds and the YMCA.
Residents can register to vote at the elections office until noon on Monday and again on Tuesday. To register, residents must provide either their Montana driver’s license, Montana ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. A valid school or tribal photo ID is also acceptable. More information on ID requirements is available online.
5 Things to Know in Missoula
The city of Missoula has temporarily paused review of development applications, new construction permits and business licenses through Sept. 15 to work on the new unified development code. The zoning desk will also be unavailable until Sept. 15. Reviews will gradually resume in mid-September, with expected timelines through the end of the year of 12 weeks for new residential permits and 15 weeks for new construction permits and business licenses, according to the city. Staff will continue to process applications that don’t require planning or engineering review and development applications with state statutory deadlines. The city plans to release the zoning framework and begin public engagement in early October and release the unified development code and development manual in early November. Following review by the Missoula Consolidated Planning Board, the City Council will consider the UDC before the end of the year. The code reform follows the adoption of the Our Missoula 2045 Land Use Plan last December.
On Thursday, Missoula’s regional opioid abatement board approved about $1.7 million in grants to five programs for the next two years, the first distribution of settlement money allocated to the city and county. The Missoula region received 29 applications requesting $9 million just for the first year when $750,000 was available, said Chris Lounsbury, the county’s chief administrative officer. A subcommittee reviewed and ranked the requests. Based on those recommendations, the board approved $214,524 for Missoula Public Health’s substance abuse prevention program, $374,758 for Partnership Health Center’s community care team, $856,124 for the city’s Pathways to Housing Stability program and $51,373 for Missoula Public Health’s foster child health care program. A one-time $250,000, half of the region’s available total, was awarded to the city of Missoula to continue the “housing sprint” effort begun in April to house residents of the Johnson Street homeless shelter before it closed Sept. 2. The allocations will go to the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust for approval Oct. 9, and the state trust will contract with the agencies, Lounsbury said.
A developer is seeking public feedback on a proposal to build mini warehouse storage and other facilities on a vacant property near the Bitterroot River. The 83-acre property, located at 4285 Highway 93 S. just south of Missoula, is in the floodplain, which limits major residential or commercial development, according to information shared on Missoula County Voice. Engineering firm IMEG is in the early stages of the development proposal, which would require a growth policy amendment and rezoning. The property owner may explore developing other parts of the property into a river access site and parking, which would require coordination with public agencies. IMEG would submit a formal application to the county’s planning office for review if the project moves forward. Residents can fill out an online survey on the proposal through Oct. 1.
The city and Missoula County are holding an open house Wednesday, Sept. 10, on the South Avenue Safe Streets for All project. The project will reconstruct South Avenue from Reserve Street to Clements Road and Clements Road from South Avenue to North Avenue. That includes installing curbs, turn lanes, paths and lighting to improve safety and access to the neighborhood. A federal grant will pay for 80% of the $12.6 million project. The project’s next steps are right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation, with construction set to begin in late 2027. The open house runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Big Sky High School cafeteria.
Missoula Public Health and the Missoula Public Library are providing free gun safety locks through September in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month. Those interested can pick up a gun lock at the safety desk on the first floor of the library, no questions asked, and no library card needed. The initiative aims to support suicide prevention, as firearms account for 63% of suicides in Montana, according to the health department.
Happenings
Sunday Streets Missoula, a free event with activities for all ages, will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 7 on the Northside. The event, held by Missoula in Motion, closes a one-mile loop to cars to make room for activities hosted by local organizations and businesses, food vendors and live music. Sunday Streets aims to encourage people to be active, support local businesses and enjoy part of the neighborhood normally only used by vehicles, according to the event’s webpage.
Soft Landing Missoula is holding its fifth annual Stories of Home event Friday, Sept. 12, at the Zootown Arts Community Center. The free event includes a showing of short documentary films created in collaboration with local filmmaker Ken Grinde that share stories of Missoulians from refugee and immigrant backgrounds. A panel discussion will follow. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the event begins at 6:30 p.m. Soft Landing and partner organizations are holding several events throughout September to foster connection and celebrate diversity.