Don't forfeit Potoczny
Concerning the use of Potoczny Park in Bigfork, the following letter was sent to the Flathead County Parks and Recreation Board. After listening to the various discussions regarding the uses for the park in the last few weeks, my position has not changed and I would like to share my original thoughts with the community at this time:
Dec. 2, 2006
Bigfork, MT
Flathead County Parks & Recreation Board
Gentlemen:
I am a long-time resident and one-time business owner from Bigfork. I am writing this letter to encourage you to not forfeit Potoczny Park to the group trying to acquire it for a library site. I am not opposed to libraries, but a library can be built almost anywhere, open spaces and suitable locations for a park such as Potoczny are scarce and becoming more so almost daily. Potoczny Park’s location is unique and makes it accessible for use by Bigfork youth via walking or bicycle. It is an ideal location for a community park.
I believe your responsibility as Park Board members is to maintain and preserve our county parks, not to dispose of them. As stated above, replacing a park’s open spaces in the future would be very difficult if not impossible due to the continuing rapid growth of the area. We need more parks, not fewer.
Again I admonish you to conserve Potoczny Park and not relinquish it for other uses.
Sincerely,
Edward D. Hopkins
Bigfork
Thank you
to the Elves
Thank you to all the Elves.
Decorating Bigfork in celebration of Christmas exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism and the special people of our community. It is their effort that ensures the success of various projects each year. Over the years Decorating Day has grown and become a fun, festive, and wonderful social interaction for all ages. Thank you to all who participated.
For some, the effort goes on all year. Thank you to those who untangled lights and replaced bulbs. We really appreciate your assistance since we no longer have Ray Schletz, Retired Chief Bulb Turner to care for our lights. Thank you to Martha Groenke and her squadron of bow makers who prepare for Decorating Day well in advance. Thank you to the dozens of volunteers who spent a day thinning overgrown forests and collecting over 500 evergreens.
The Masons provided a hearty chili lunch and the Lady Lions served the 200 plus volunteer Elves. Thank you to David May for providing the warm atmosphere of the Bigfork Inn, Mister and his staff at the Garden Bar for providing chili and beer for the Un-decorating crew and to Bruce Solberg of the Bigfork Chamber for coordinating and distributing roping and greenery to each of the businesses to be ready for Decorating Day.
Over 30 flight leaders commit to taking responsibility for overseeing each sector of the village and offering Elf assistance. The flight leaders are an essential part of the process. The Elves look forward to seeing all the business owners who missed the decorating or un-decorating to be there in jolly form next season. If you would like to volunteer as a flight leader call Deb at 837-4391.
Un-decorating Day was a cold one but we had an incredible turn out. Thanks to everyone who helped and a special thanks to Mary and Billy Knowle, Tony Sagami and the students who helped pick up trees that will be recycled to help fight erosion on the north shore of Flathead Lake.
It was a pleasure for Deb Navratil and myself and the Flathead Lake Lodge staff to organize the efforts.
Thank you to all the Elves.
Doug Averill
Secretary of Decorating
Bring Jessica’s Law to Montana
Do you want to see Jessica’s Law a reality in our state? Now is the time to act. If you don’t know what Jessica’s Law is, basically it states that if a person is convicted of a sex crime to a child 12 and under, the convicted felon goes to jail for 25 years. This law keeps this felon off the streets for 25 years and prevents them from being able to commit another crime against another child. On Thursday Jan. 25, Mark Lundsford, the father of Jessica, will be in Helena to speak to the legislature telling his very compelling story of how Jessica was abducted from her home by a neighbor, an un-registered sex offender, repeatedly molested, and then after several days buried alive in his backyard. We have cases right here in the Flathead Valley of adults who perpetrate vile sex acts on children. No community is safe. There is no standard sentencing in our state on how much time these convicted felons will serve in jail. It is up to the discretion of the judge in the case. And it’s highly possibible that once these felons are out of jail and on the streets of Montana, another un-suspecting child could be molested. Jessica’s Law takes this criminal off the streets for 25 years, lessoning the chance that another child will be molested.
As a mother and a citizen, I am going to be on the steps of the Capitol Building in Helena on the 25th of January, to show support to Mark Lundsford and Jessica’s Law. If you believe that we should have this law in our state please come to Helena on the 25th and join me. Let’s show our state Congress that we want this law, no, that we demand this law be enacted in this session. Our children need you to help protect them.
25 years on the 25th.
Susan Taylor
Bigfork