County should get serious on dust problem

To the editor:

Re: County sets aside $100,000 for dusty roads, Dec. 4 Hungry Horse News.

The sub-headline on this story is either erroneous or false. At best it is misleading. “North Fork solution could be in the mix” is certainly not in this mixed up reportage.

This is a months old story hyped by the county to satisfy a fugitive dust abatement plan agreed to with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in order to avoid a steep fine levied for failing to comply with the Clean Air Act of Montana and the Administrative Rules of Montana. The $100,000 set aside is an application most suitable as an option for homeowners in residential areas. The plan has no practical applicability to the North Fork Road dust problem. Very few North Fork residents live adjacent to the road. The county knows this. And they know there is not a single mile, or even half-mile, along nearly 45 miles of unpaved surface with more than one home within 100 yards of the road. No sensible North Fork property owner would spend $1,750 to abate dust created primarily by tourist and recreational traffic.

According to the article, Dave Prunty, Flathead County Public Works Director, uses deceptive and unorthodox methods to calculate North Fork Road maintenance costs. For Mr. Prunty to imply that the few residents who live in the North Fork area should be financially accountable for traffic primarily generated by non-residents is disingenuous. The North Fork Road is minimally impacted by property owners and is heavily impacted by the general public.

Suggesting property owners should expend personal funds to reduce the dust problem on the North Fork Road is ludicrous. Using Prunty's logic, North Fork property owners should be exempt from paying taxes for the public school system since there are virtually no school-age children living in the North Fork, or at least a low enough number to put lots of zeros in front of the .5 percent example cited by Prunty. Such an exemption would never be allowed, nor should it be expected, because that is not the model society uses for the public good. It should also not be a method or policy adopted by Flathead County when discussing taxes and populations relative to road maintenance costs.

The county needs to quit the posturing and get busy on serious initiatives designed to obtain public funding to address and resolve a publicly created dust problem.

Robert Grimaldi

Polebridge

Brunch with Santa support overwhelming

To the editor:

It's difficult to express how incredibly proud I am of our friendly little town, but I'm going to try.

On the morning after Night of Lights, the Rotary Club of Columbia Falls held its inaugural Brunch with Santa event in support of our local Rotary projects for 2009, especially a new evening teen program at the Boys and Girls Club of Columbia Falls.

More than 300 kids and their families came out to eat, meet and get a photo with Santa, and bid on auction items.

Quite simply, we couldn't have done it without the support of businesses and individuals from Columbia Falls and across the North Valley.

Despite being challenged by a difficult economy, Columbia Falls showed what it is made of. Businesses big and small, individuals and families opened their hearts (and wallets) to our Club members as they asked for auction items, food and other assistance.

Businesses and individuals in Whitefish and Kalispell also stepped up to help in critical areas, blurring the artificial boundaries between our homes.

Thanks go out to A Able Fishing Charters, Alex Negron, Andrew Burgess, Ann Matika, Austin DuMay, Barb Jenkins and The Barber Shop, Big Sky Waterpark, Bill Dakin, Bob Ramsey, Cardinal Hardware, Carol Pike and the Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce, Columbia Falls Volunteer Fire Association, Chris Peterson - Glacier Geographic, Cimarron Catering, Come Clean Organics, Cowboy BBQ, Curves, Dave Wick, Mike Nicosia and the School District 6 trustees (for allowing us to use the Junior High), Dean Calderwood D.D.S., Dennis Barrow, Embroidery Plus, Eric Kaplan, First Best Place Task Force, Flathead Electric Co-op, Freedom Bank, Funtastic Finds, GCR Tire, Glacier Bank, Glacier Boat Company, Glacier Raft Company, Grover + Company Architects, Hanson Trucking, Herberger's, Home Town Video, InstyPrints of Kalispell, Irene Burgi and family, Iron Fitness, Jody's Barber Shop, Joe Sova - Hungry Horse News, Kaplan Law Firm, Karen Ulmer and her Wind Ensemble combo, Karla West and John Goodrich, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Laff It Up Rentals, Laurie's Deli, Los Caporales, Meadow Lake Resort, Montana Coffee Traders, MontanaMerc.com, Never Stop Looking Good, North Valley Hospital, O'Brien's Liquor and Wine, Park Side Federal Credit Union, Paul Dube, Pepsi of Kalispell, Phyggs Deli, Pizza Hut, Plum Creek, Quinten Sago, Rescue Marketing, Rocky Mountain Images, Role Photography, Special K Productions/Karl Skindingsrude, Smith's Food and Drug, Sportsman & Ski Haus, Stageline Pizza, TJ Wendt State Farm Insurance of Evergreen, The Bean Hive, Mike's Conoco, The Nite Owl/Back Room, Tien's Place, Western Building Center, Whitefish Lake Lodge, Whitefish Mountain Resort, Wildflower Florist and the Mac Bledsoe family.

These generous folks and businesses provided funds, labor, music, food and/or silent auction items for our event. For those gifts, and their confidence in our desire to make this event a success, we thank you.

Whenever possible, please spend your money here in town at these businesses. Support them as they repeatedly support our community.

Finally, I'd like to thank a couple of folks personally and publicly for not only providing food, but for taking the time to provide the advice needed to help us make dreams real: Ray Negron of Cimarron Catering and Steve Marquesen of the Nite Owl/Back Room.

Santa looks forward to seeing you at the 2009 Brunch!

Mark Riffey, president 2008-09

Ron Nash, president-elect 2009-2010

Rotary Club of Columbia Falls