LAUREL — The Montana Board of Investments has posted a revised draft environmental assessment plan and scheduled a new public hearing as the state works to move forward with a proposed forensic mental health facility in Laurel.
The public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8 at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center. The updated draft environmental assessment is available on the Board of Investment's website.
Liz Forester, the attorney for Laurel C.A.R.E.D., a community-led group fighting the proposed location of the forensic facility, has requested that the Sept. 8 public hearing be held in Laurel rather than Billings and asked that the time for public comment be extended to three hours so all voices can be heard.
The revised plan includes several options for the state to address water access concerns, including purchasing and decommissioning properties to free up water for the facility, challenging the validity of the City of Laurel's moratorium on all annexations that went into effect in July, or using eminent domain to ensure the facility can connect to Laurel's water supply.
The new report also shows the state attempted to conduct a fire flow pressure test in June, but the City of Laurel denied the request. That test may have answered questions about whether adequate water pressure exists to serve the facility. A member of Laurel C.A.R.E.D. tells MTN the requested test is one that is done once annexation has been approved, and that was the reason for the denial.
Five days ago, a Yellowstone County judge issued a temporary injunction, stopping the state from further construction on the 114 acres of land it purchased in June. The judge ruled the environmental assessment originally provided by the state failed to adequately evaluate water availability, pressure, and daily demand.
The forensic mental health facility, planned to be built on that site, would serve people already in the legal system who need psychiatric evaluations or treatment to be found fit for trial.
Related: A court ruling halts construction on Montana's proposed mental health facility in Laurel
Laurel hosts another public hearing on the proposed state forensic mental health facility
Key state official gets earful at Billings meeting over proposed state mental hospital
