No shortage of issues this winter

Winter in Bigfork, I was told, is a slow, slow time in the village. As the clouds seal in Flathead Valley for a long winter's nap, the citizens of this tiny hamlet were supposed to sit on their laurels, saving big decisions for warmer months.

The next few weeks are shaping up to be exactly the opposite as Bigfork prepares for the long-awaited Bigfork Neighborhood Plan to be finalized and the Bigfork School District comes back to voters, hoping they'll reconsider their "no" vote for an $11 million high school bond.

The neighborhood plan has been a work in progress since long before I arrived in town and is within a few meetings of being put to bed. The current plan turns 15 this year and an update is needed to defend Bigfork's position at the planning board and county commissioner level as well as provide a template for the next 15 years of growth here.

Inevitably, talk of planning, designating, or the dreaded "z" word — zoning — sets some folks' hair on fire and maybe not unfairly. But anyone who doesn't come to an all-important public meeting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 at Bethany Lutheran Church to say their peace and argue their point has no further right to complain as far as I'm concerned.

After that, well, it's in the hands of the planning board and the commissioners, so it's anybody's guess.

As for the school bond, the school board trustees are hoping that the second time is the charm and, if people calling in with their opinions are any indication, plenty of voters aren't thrilled about being asked again. Regardless of how you feel, pay attention to the facts and don't be afraid to call the district office to ask a question or request a tour of the facilities. The Eagle will be covering the bond issue as we get closer to election day and there are new letters coming in on the subject all the time.

Whether coming back to the voters is giving everyone a chance to be rightfully born-again or like a three-year-old asking for Cap'n Crunch after mom has already made her position very clear, the ballots will be mailed Feb. 14.

There are stormwater issues to be resolved, a planned development between here and Somers to be considered and a resort tax idea to argue about along with more than a handful of other issues around this community and the Lake.

So if winter's got you down, get out. Go to a meeting or write a letter to the editor. Or the commissioners, or a congressman. Just do something to let people know what you think before there's nothing you can do about it.

—Alex Strickland