Proposed boat facility risky at best

In today's Eagle you'll find a story concerning a proposed boat dock and boat storage facility on the Flathead River. You'll notice two things in that story. One is that there are a lot of people who think it's a bad idea. Two is that there doesn't seem to be anyone who can do a thing about it.

Downstream residents are concerned about increased erosion and the increased boat traffic churning up the water and changing the overall character of the river. And they should be; the facility's estimated 80 launches a day during peak times has to potential to change the face of the river completely and to damage shorelines as boaters speed up and down the channel.

But the facility's very services demand a closer look, as it seems a storage facility and dock as proposed would provide little use to the common boater anyway.

For starters, the facility would be located almost eight river miles upstream from the lake, making for a long cruise just to get to open water - especially if a no wake zone is imposed along all or part of the stretch.

Beyond the location, the facility would be located on a small back road not built for the kind of traffic such a place would generate. The developer says no gasoline will be sold on-site, so boaters will be hauling their craft up and down the road pretty often to get to the nearest gas station and avoid paying on-the-water prices around the lake.

The different agencies taking a look at this project aren't even sure what to classify this project as, since "marina" is more typically reserved for a boat dock that has vessels moored in the water.

But if a boater must hitch up their boat, drive it to the dock, launch the boat to start the day, trailer the boat to end the day and still drive it down the road to refuel it, I have only one question: Why pay for that?

Why not just keep the boat in your garage or under a tarp at your house, drive down to Wayfarer's and launch the boat for a couple of bucks?

The only small convenience such a place could offer is covered boat storage and close proximity to water, but if boats must be pulled to a gas station anyway, why not hit the Exxon on the way home?

Though it appears this project has a big enough head of steam to go through regardless of the rising public outcry, its potential for environmental damage and forever changing the character of the Flathead River makes it almost impossible to support.

—Alex Strickland