Opposition out in force at marina meeting

By ALEX STRICKLAND / Bigfork Eagle

A fair chunk of the lower Flathead Valley — more than 100 people — packed a confernce room at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell last Thursday to express concern, outrage, and practically unanimous opposition to a proposed marina facility on the Flathead River.

When Eugene Lee, a landowner near the proposed project, asked the crowd for a show of hands of those opposed to the project during his public comment, the room was awash in raised arms.

The meeting was called by the Flathead Conservation District to both inform the public on the processes surrounding the proposal and to collect public comment. Such meetings may be called at the district's discretion when a topic is thought to be controversial.

The applicant, Pete Rice, spoke for a few minutes at the outset of the meeting to give the assembled crowd a quick rundown of what they could expect from the facility: Up to 270 boats stored on trailers across five buildings, 80 boat launches per day during peak times and a $225 per month or $2,700 per year fee for the storage and access. The project also includes two 40-foot docks and three ramps. Rice said the facility would service "18-22 foot" boats at the meeting, though his application to the conservation district indicated boats up to 44 feet would be allowed and the docks would be constructed to 40 feet long and eight feet wide to accomodate that length of vessel.

Rice cited high costs of moorage on Flathead Lake and a lack of public access sites that become prohibitively crowded on bust summer days as reasons for his facility.

Rice is working with Oasis Environmental consultant Ken Miller from that company's Bigfork office. Miller said that Rice did not come to a development firm or an engineering firm, but rather an environmental firm and that action was an indication of his intentions.

"We want a design that has the least possible impact," Miller said.

But after agency representatives from the conservation district, Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks gave a rundown of their various responsibilities in the permitting process, the public took a different stance from that of Miller and Rice.

Bigfork resident Edd Blacker said that if access to the lake was the issue at hand, then a marina eight miles up the Flathead River was hardly the answer.

"If access to the lake is the issue," he said. "Then property on the lake should be sought."

Lee acknowledged that Rice had no effect on the massive erosion his propoerty has sustained up until this point, but contended that it would quadruple if the facility and accompanyng boat traffic was approved.

Erosion, water quality and wildlife concerns were all echoed by one public comment after another, with speakers frequently given a round of applause after saying their peace.

"Frankly," said Fran Ruby, "I can't believe that after what I've heard tonight that you agencies would even consider approving this."

Julie Spencer, manager of the Bigfork Water and Sewer District, said the resulting silt load from such a project could affect her permits and have any number of effects on the district's ability to process wastewater.

The directors of the Flathead Lakers, the Flathead Basin Commission and Citizens for a Better Flathead all spoke out against the project and urged more information to be obtained by the agencies before coming to a decision.

The conservation district is reponsible for issuing a 310 permit to Rice, which covers installation of boat ramps, docks and rip rap. Because the proporty is in an unzoned area of the county no agency has jurisdiction over roads and buildings constructed outside of the floodplain.

The concervation district and FWP work together to create a report that will then be presented to the Consrvation district board, which must vote to approve the permit.

In addition, permits must be obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. The project must also pass the county planning office's floodplain review, which is conducted with input from the Montana Department of Natural Resources.

The Flathead Conservation District voted on Monday to accept public comment through March 21 and rescheduled the proposal's 310 hearing for April 14.

Public comment can be submitted to the district via e-mail at info@flatheadcd.org, by mail to 133 Interstate Lane, Kalispell, MT 59901 or by calling 752-4220.