They came wanting answers, but left even more angry after ‘listening session’ in Laurel

LAUREL – Dozens of residents came to two meetings hosted by the State of Montana on Wednesday, demanding answers about a planned 32-bed forensic psychiatric facility planned there. While many came angry, they appeared to leave even more frustrated at the end of a “listening session” that lasted for more than three hours.

Dozens of residents spoke – not a single a person in support of the proposed location – and by the time it ended, many had gotten in line to speak again, voicing what they believed was another in a long line of lies they said they’ve been told by state officials, calling out two specifically, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and Board of Investment Director Dan Villa. 

They said they were promised a meeting with public officials, but when they arrived there were two state attorneys who said their roles were just to listen and record comments – literally “no commenting” the crowd that had gathered inside and spilled into the lawn. 

Residents repeatedly expressed frustration no one, especially not Gianforte nor Villa, showed up, ready to talk details. Many expressed sympathy the two attorneys – one representing the Montana Board of Investments and one representing the Department of Public Health and Human Services – had to face an admittedly hostile audience. 

The Daily Montanan reached out to both the governor’s office and the Board of Investments about the residents’ concerns. Officials from Gianforte’s office did not comment. The BOI pointed out that it had released more than 160 pages about the site, the process and the plans on its website.

Expecting to hear answers to a litany of questions ranging from the purchase price of the property to future expansion plans, residents set up tents outside the library for an overflowing audience. They lined the streets around the library with protestors and signs. Some came armed with binders of information they’ve collected since the project was first announced last summer.

That didn’t stop residents from trying to get answers. Still, every time residents asked direct questions about the facility, the attorneys demurred, saying they were only there to listen and couldn’t comment – replies that only seemed to increase the tension.

At one point during the public hearing, a reporter for local television station KTVQ attempted to ask the attorneys about what would happen to the public comments – how they would be used, to whom they’d be sent, and if there’d be a response. 

“Will either one of you take these comments and personally guarantee that you’ll get them to the governor?” asked KTVQ Assistant News Director Shelly Molaschi.

Both of the attorneys replied that they could not comment.

“Why can’t we talk to you,” asked resident Jeremy Lavold. “And where is Dan Villa? Why can’t you answer questions?”

Residents believed the two attorneys sent from the respective state departments would answer questions and explain how Laurel – a city that hadn’t applied to host the facility – wound up as the selection site, even though Miles City and Hardin had both wanted it in their communities.

“The governor, the Board of Investments and the Department of Public Health and Human Services have deceived the city of Laurel and deceived Miles City and Hardin by making them go through this,” said resident Steve Krum. “You need to tell us the truth and tell us why it has spent $4 million when it owns land all over the place.”

‘We want answers’

Citizens raised many questions and accused the state officials of forcing the facility on Laurel for the benefit of nearby Billings, which is approximately 15 miles away. 

“There has been no meaningful community involvement,” said Laurel City Council member Jodi Mackay. “Our community has been disrespected and disregarded.”

Citizens pointed out that Villa has called in briefly to speak during the public comment portion of city council meetings, but has dodged direct questions about the facility. Many wondered if Gianforte really understood what was going on, pointing out that he’s never come to speak. 

As the meeting lasted longer, more people focused on why state leaders couldn’t hold public forums and answering sessions. They said that even city council members were left without information. 

“I don’t know what you did to deserve this,” said resident Bette Brester, talking to the two attorneys. “But next time, you tell them to send someone else. Why can’t you answer questions? You need to tell them: We’re tired of this.”

As the first meeting pushed past the three-hour mark, state Sen. Vince Ricci, who represents the town and land where the facility would be placed, stood to speak again. 

“I don’t think anything new has come out here,” he said. “I wish they’d send someone down to answer questions. Come answer them.” 

Gianforte, Villa, state called out

Not only did residents speak out against the facility, but they called out Gianforte specifically and quoted him as previously saying the state would not build the forensic psychiatric center where it is not wanted.

The Daily Montanan asked the governor’s office if he stood by the statement still, but received no answer.

Laurel residents also said he and Villa should show up, accusing them of being too afraid to confront the citizens. More than a dozen of them said they had voted for and supported Gianforte, a Republican, but regretted that decision now.

But it wasn’t just the residents who spoke up at the meeting. Other leaders spoke out including Yellowstone County Commissioner Mark Morse, and Laurel legislative representatives, Rep. Lee Deming and Ricci – both Republicans.

Previously, both Ricci and Deming had supported the idea of siting the facility in Laurel, but later changed when the specific location was announced, after residents had rallied against it, and because of how the state had treated the city, the lawmakers said.

Deming was the first to speak during the morning meeting and said that the facility was too close to an elementary school. The border of the 114-acres is approximately a half-mile from the school’s property line. Meanwhile, Ricci said the state had “dropped the ball” by not responding to questions.

Many referenced a brief email exchange obtained through a public records request where Villa asked Laurel Chief Administrative Officer Kurt Markegard to send along information about possible site plans during summer last year. In that exchange, Villa thanked Markegard and offered to buy him beer – something residents say only bolsters their claim of inappropriate behind-the-scenes negotiations that took place out of public view. Some residents said that it even suggested bribery.

“Here we are at the 250th anniversary (of America’s founding) and we’re facing another tyrant – the State of Montana,” said resident Cynthia Fletcher-Simons. “Take Villa, take your beer and your closed doors and go somewhere else.”

She, like others, referenced Gianforte’s pledge to not build the facility where it’s not wanted. 

“Governor, be a man of your words,” she said. 

Janet Kaufman, 73, who goes by the name of “Grandma Star,” said she volunteers at schools and is worried about the patients who will be housed in the facility and some of the people who will be associated with them. 

“You all have let the devil loose,” Kaufman said. “I voted for Governor Gianforte and I don’t think he knows all of the garbage that’s been going on.”

Few, if any, during the meeting questioned the need for a facility to help the overcrowding at Galen, where pre-conviction assessments are completed currently. They admitted: Montana needs more mental health care, and it needs more capacity when it comes to evaluating whether those accused in the criminal justice system are fit to stand trial. The residents, though, said it’s the site that concerns them. 

“This community is willing to work with you if you work with us,” said Jennifer Lorenz. 

Many residents said that state leaders’ absence as well as their refusal to answer questions directly demonstrate something underhanded about the plan. 

“They don’t want to show their faces. They’re ashamed of what they’ve done. These are working people here have no reason to lie,” said farmer Doug Schreiner who has farmed the land that is being sold. “For more than 120 years, my family has called this home and nobody – not a soul – wants this. Everyone needs to know that Director Villa spent $4.25 million on cattails and swamps.”

He said state officials have treated him so badly he wasn’t even informed of the deal before he began to prep the site for another year of farming. He questioned who would be responsible for the $8,000 he’s already spent.

“It’s pathetic,” he said. “That’s my two cents and I don’t want to drive by that sonofab–h everyday.”

Many concerns

Residents and leaders also lodged a number of different questions they had hoped to find answers to during the meeting. 

Yellowstone County Commissioner Morse, a Republican, asked how the state could build the facility for just $26.5 million and how projected cuts to Medicaid and Medicare would affect the state’s ability to operate the facility safely.

Others said that they were concerned the site was targeted as a spot where the city could grow its residential property tax base. Others fretted about falling property values with at least two residents saying they’d lost between 6% and 15% of their property value since the project was announced.

Real estate broker Monna Rae Adickes said that she lost $15,000 on her townhome – identical to a nearby one – because she had to disclose that the facility was being planned. 

Some residents expressed concerns about the facility, which has been classified as “low-to-medium security.” Elizabeth Shepherd, who lives in Laurel, has three elementary-school children, said she’s worked previously at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility in Billings. 

“There were definitely escapes from our facility, and there have been escapes from these types of facilities,” she said.

Laurel residents said infrastructure is another issue. They told the state representatives the water tank supplying the city is in need of replacement, the city has held fundraisers just to buy an ambulance, and they estimate a facility would require an additional five police officers. 

Resident Gloria Allwin told the crowd she has been haunted by a childhood incident where an escaped prisoner was found in her family’s garage in northern Montana. She worries about what would happen if a similar situation happened in Laurel. 

“My husband and I are vulnerable because we’re right across the street,” she said. 

Some also have accused the state of buying the large plot of land so that it can expand. Currently, the plans call for 32 beds, but that could be expanded to 64, according to state documents. Others said they wondered if the long-range plan would include closing similar facilities in Galen or Warm Springs; others still accused the state of plotting to build a larger prison on site, noting that state Department of Corrections officials are exploring building another or a larger women’s prison somewhere in the state. Currently, the Montana State Women’s Prison is located in Billings.

“The Laurel community and the surrounding area are small business owners, farmers, ranchers, railroaders and refiners,” said Shelley White, a resident. “We are not stupid people nor are we dumb. This will only be expanded because they have said in their own documents that they want the flexibility.

“The money would be better spent on the other side of the spectrum, spending it on patients before they get into the criminal justice system.” 

Amber Zahn worried that the local high school mascot, “The Locos” – short for locomotives, an homage to the city’s railroading roots – will take on a new, pejorative meaning for insane. 

“I don’t want my kids to be ‘locos,’” she said.  

Beyond the project

Beyond the fury the project has created in the Laurel community, the organizers and residents say this has strengthened their already tight bonds. A group, Laurel Community Advocates for Responsible Economic Development (Laurel CARED), has formed to oppose the psychiatric facility. 

“The days of politicians coming into our city and doing what they want is rapidly coming to an end,” said resident Barb Emineth. 

But residents said the group has come together to address other issues. The group is also leading an effort to recall Laurel Mayor Dave Waggoner for his alleged support of the psychiatric facility. The group has also targeted Laurel Chief Administrative Officer Markegard who they claim was working behind the scenes and without city council approval to court the state facility.

“Every single person in this room is worth more than beer. And the (chief administrative officer) and the mayor, we’re handling it by law,” said Laurel resident Ellie Washington, referring to the recall petition and vows by some residents to remove Markegard. “I don’t want to mow my backyard with murderers and rapists looking at me.”

Before the meeting, library director Nancy Schmidt, whose facility had been pressed into service for the event, warned that anyone disrupting the other patrons who came to check out a book would not be tolerated. She said to several members of the press and a few residents as the cameras were being set up, “I’m just hosting this.”

She said she had plenty to do with an upcoming book sale fundraiser, as boxes of books were stacked nearby.

“People in this community have very long memories,” Schmidt said. 

Note: The Daily Montanan has done its best to accurately spell names of citizens who spoke during the public forum, using public sign-in sheets and other records to ascertain the correct spellings.