BOZEMAN — Residents of Bridger Peaks gathered in the lobby of their apartment complex, trying to keep warm after their power went out at 9 a.m. on Monday morning.
Resident Susan McClure says that as a 55-year-old and up, lower-income restricted community, the folks at Bridger Peaks feel neglected.
“We have people on oxygen, we have people who use walkers and wheelchairs. When the power goes out, the hallways are dark, the elevator does not work, and we have these news security doors they ultimately want to lock so that you can get out but you can't get back in,” McClure says.
So what happened?
The folks at Bridger Peaks tell me they did their investigating and contacted NorthWestern Energy.
“My daughter got a hold of them and said Devco hasn't paid the bill in over a year. She said she is going to get the electricity back on, and it's nothing to do with them; it's with the negligence of Devco,” one resident says.
Devco, a residential group out of Washington, manages this complex. They purchased it back in 2021.
I reached out to Devco but have not yet heard back.
I also contact NorthWestern Energy, which replied this statement:
NorthWestern Energy customer information is private. Service disconnection is always the last resort for accounts with past-due outstanding balances. Multiple notices are sent to customers using multiple contact methods before any account is disconnected for non-payment.
NorthWestern Energy spokesperson Jo Dee Black added, “I cannot speak about individual customer accounts. Some multi-unit complexes have meters for individual tenant units, and others have a single meter for the complex."
In the meantime, the residents at Bridger Peaks are becoming increasingly frustrated.
“We want people to know who this company is; they should not be able to build in Bozeman until they can take care of the five properties they have,” McClure says.
“I am concerned that my oxygen is not working and my disabilities in my lungs; that is my main concern. And my phone is not charging, so all that stuff makes me nervous,” adds another resident.
At 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon, the residents informed MTN News that the power was back on, more than six hours later.
