Bigfork couple scrap effort to hold weddings

The owners of a rural Bigfork ranch have halted their pursuit to hold weddings on their property after the Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee on Thursday weighed in on a three-year-long neighborhood conflict.

The committee met to hear public comments as to whether Alana and Bill Myers should receive a conditional-use permit to hold weddings on their Ten Arrows Ranch, which is not zoned for such activity.

After roughly four hours of testimony and discussion, the committee unanimously voted not to recommend approval of a permit to establish a high-impact recreational facility and caretaker’s facility at the couple’s Ten Arrows Ranch off McCaffery Road. Committee members cited an incomplete application and distrust in the couple’s ability to mitigate harm to the rural neighborhood for their decision.

The committee’s recommendation was scheduled to be forwarded to the Flathead County Board of Adjustment for a final decision on May 3. However, the Myerses said in a later interview they intend to pull their application.

Roughly 60 people gathered in the basement of the Bethany Lutheran Church for the meeting.

Committee member James Bonser said out of 62 public comments submitted before the meeting, 55 were against the Myerses’ residence being a part-time wedding site. Many of the comments describe the weddings as a nuisance to the neighborhood.

“I realize you’re making money, but at the expense of the rest of the neighborhood,” Bonser said.

Bonser put his hand on the Bigfork Neighborhood Plan, saying “that’s kind of our Bible. This goes against everything the Bigfork Neighborhood Plan stands for.”

Though public comments were supposed to be limited to five minutes each, many exceeded the limit, including a roughly 20-minute presentation from Ken Kalvig, a lawyer representing one of the Myerses’ neighbors.

Neighbors described garbage left behind from events, noise pollution, a constant stream of traffic and cases of drunk strangers wandering the neighborhood after a wedding. One person spoke in favor of the couple, stating they try to be good neighbors.

Alana Myers said many of the complaints have been exaggerated. She and her husband said they didn’t realize how much animosity was directed toward them until the meeting. “We’ve tried to reach out to our neighbors, but we’ve gotten doors slammed in our face, have been hung up on and shut out,” Alana Myers said. “We really do want to find a compromise.”

The couple tried twice to apply for a conditional-use permit for their ranch to act as a high-impact recreational facility, but Thursday was the first time the application was considered by the advisory committee.

The Myerses said they began hosting weddings for family members and news spread of their ideal location in the shadow of the Swan Range. They held their first full schedule of for-profit summer weddings in 2013, which is when complaints from neighbors began.

After an investigation, the county Planning Office shut down the business because the property wasn’t zoned to hold weddings. The ranch continued to act as a wedding site through a county-issued 30-day notice to desist. By the end of the 30 days, the summer wedding season was over.

The couple said during Thursday’s meeting that they began to apply for a permit to legally hold weddings after 2013, but the process was delayed and they withdrew the application.

In October 2014 a second investigation revealed Alana Myers had accepted a discounted payment from a bride-to-be. She pleaded guilty in Flathead County Justice Court to a criminal misdemeanor for violating county zoning laws. The couple then began a second application for permits, but withdrew it after the misdemeanor.

Most recently, the Planning Office sent the Myerses notifications in January of two more zoning violations tied to using their property as a resort for short-term rentals.

Bill Myers said that after hearing feedback from neighbors for four hours, he and his wife decided to withdraw their application.

“We apologize to our neighbors for their discomfort due to our weddings,” the couple read from a prepared statement on Friday. “However, we were deeply disturbed by the character assassination of the Myers in many statements. Because we want to be good neighbors, we are withdrawing our application today and hope that healing can begin.”

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.