Letters to the Editor

The dump's a dump

I found myself at the Bigfork dumpster site on Highway 83 this morning, making my weekly dump run. Once again, I was astonished at the complete disregard for authority, cleanliness, and community that is exhibited by some of the residents of our town. The entire west end of the lot was strewn with all manner of garbage, including tires, large cardboard boxes, a toilet, cabinets, a television, a couch, and just about anything else you could name.

Behind this pile of rubbish, which seems to accumulate weekly, is a large, bright yellow sign. The sign is written in English and says:

"APPLIANCES ONLY HERE. WASHERS, DRYERS, REFRIGERATORS, HOT WATER TANKS, MICROWAVES, DISHWASHERS, STOVES. NO BATTERIES, TIRES, T.V.'S COUCHES, CHAIRS, WOOD PRODUCTS OR ANYTHING NOT LISTED ABOVE."

Perhaps if the schools had enough money to teach us to read, the landfill wouldn't need so much of it to clean up our mess?

In light of recent talk that the county is considering closing the dump site, I would think that now would be a good time to reduce the work load required to maintain it. Certainly, creating this mess for the county to clean up is not going to help us keep the site.

With the closing of the site, it seems that those who are currently unwilling to expend the calories required to throw their garbage into a dumpster will likely allow it to accumulate on their property. I don't see this behavior as indicative of the energy required to haul their trash to the landfill in Whitefish. I, for one, do not wish to see our community go the way of others in the valley that are noted for their untidy appearances.

Jason Morton

Bigfork

Subdivision regulation concerns

As former Flathead County Planning Board members, we want to express our concern that the county appears to be on the "fast track" to adopt significant changes to the county's Subdivision Regulations before years end.

Specifically, we are referring to the county's proposed river, stream and riparian setbacks and many other new regulations that are part of that package. If adopted, this proposal will forever alter the future ability of county property owners, particularly rural property owners, to use their private property.

The experience of two recent elections in Flathead County, the primary election and the general election, have taught us two things. First, county residents have serious concerns over many of the county's past and present land use policies and the effect of those policies on their ability to use their property. Second, we only have to look at the election numbers to recognize the deep respect and trust that county residents place in the judgement and abilities of our newly elected county commissioner, Mr. Jim Dupont.

For these reasons we feel compelled to ask, and highly recommend, that the board of commissioners table any action to amend or adopt the proposed new changes to the Subdivision Regulations prior to Mr. Dupont's taking office in January.

Through the recently demonstrated and overwhelming public support, Jim Dupont has earned the right to be an integral part of the present and ongoing adoption process. Anything less will be unsatisfactory to the public that has expressed that support and will call into question any confidence the public may have in the present process.

Jim Calaway, Jeff Larsen, Russell Crowder, Brian Sipe, Harm Toren, Cal Scott, Don Brown, Charles Lapp, Larry Linne, Greg Stevens

A candidate's thanks

Whatever the outcome of the 2008 election, we have witnessed the United States pass a monumental milestone, and an unprecedented number of Americans have been a part of this historic event. My participation in this election, as a local candidate for a seat in the Montana House of Representatives, makes the event especially meaningful to me.

I am humbled by the fact that 2,290 voters in House District Nine had confidence in my ability to represent them. I consider them to be the truly forward thinkers in the valley, and I can't say enough about their tremendous support and encouragement which I received during this campaign. The constant involvement of my wife and loyal friends provided the incentive for me to forge ahead against overwhelming odds.

I am encouraged by the fact that there are a sufficient number of Americans who realize that we can not continue to do things the same way, and expect different results. Apparently there are still those in the area who feel that gridlock at the state level is the preferable way to operate the multi-million dollar business of State Government. Although that may not be the intent, there is a good chance it will be the result of voting for an administration from one party and a legislature from the other.

I honestly hope that voters voted for the candidate whom they felt would be the most qualified, and not just the candidate from their favorite political party. The challenge for all of us is to stay involved by making sure that our elected representatives take actions to address our needs. Our national, state, and local governments face the most challenging situations that have ever been presented. We must all put aside our partisan proclivities and work together to discover reasonable solutions to the problems we face.

Edd Blackler

Bigfork