Letters to the editorPlan has been public

The Lakeside Neighborhood Plan draft, that is still undergoing changes from public input, is being developed in a process that has, from the very beginning been entirely open to the public. The volunteer committee, lead by Debbie Spaulding and Barb Miller should be very proud of their work fairly measuring public opinion, researching the issues, and balancing differing viewpoints.

Although I happen to live just outside the neighborhood planning boundaries, I volunteered to help with the plan and was welcomed at every meeting. The committee listened to my ideas and suggestions. They made me feel my contributions were appreciated even though I was not a member of the committee. At every meeting I attended there were several other non-members that also were welcome to contribute their thoughts and ideas. As I participated I was able to get some idea of the range of feelings each committee member and non-member had toward land use planning. The range was wide. Some favored strict planning and zoning and others felt minimal guidelines would serve the community better. But everyone wanted, and agreed, that a large majority of the residents and land owners also wanted some level of planning. We all worked constructively to move the planning document forward. I observed the committee discuss, compromise and fairly decide important issues in those open public meetings.

Of all the many public Lakeside Neighborhood Plan Committee working meetings I attended, Dennis and Donna Thornton only came to one. They were welcomed and asked if they wanted to comment on the plan. Donna asked something to the effect of wanting copies of all documents including every email passed between members sent to them or their attorney. Then they got up and left. I think they were uncomfortable. They were the only ones against any planning in a room of about a dozen volunteers working constructively to plan a better future for the Lakeside community. The Thorntons could have come to every meeting and offered constructive ideas for the plan but instead their only objective seemed to be stopping any land use planning at all.

Is that the dream of American Dream Montana to stop all land use planning and create a place with high taxes to support services for a valley with scattered population densities and inefficient mixes of residential and industrial uses? Do they want traffic problems and high costs for each of us that result from unplanned residential, shopping and employment locations? Do they want to stop the development of guidelines and regulations that will protect the environment for ours and our children's future? Do they want a place where the quality of life is low for residents and a place that visitors don't want to visit? Do they really want a valley with a declining economy, low demand for real estate and falling home prices?

That's not my dream and if it's not your dream you need to support honest, reasonable land use planning like the Lakeside Neighborhood Plan and other local planning efforts. Support good planning by coming to meetings and sharing your ideas constructively, write letters of support to the county commissioners, and most importantly, vote for commissioners that will support the reasonable planning and zoning program that Flathead County taxpayers already have so much invested in. Don't sit back and let a small minority of loud, rude, selfish obstructionists turn our dream of a friendly, safe and healthy place to live, work and visit into a nightmare.

Robert S. Rosso

Lakeside

Commissioners speak out on Somers meeting

The Flathead County Board of Commissioners supports civil public discourse as integral to our cherished and unparalleled tradition of a representative form of government.

The deplorable behavior of a few at the meeting held at the Somers Middle School on June 16, 2009, will not be tolerated. The Flathead County Planning & Zoning Office staff was invited to present information regarding Neighborhood Plans and attempted to do so with complete support of the Flathead County commissioners. State law is very clear that communities have a right to form Neighborhood Plans and more importantly, the right of communities to meet peaceably to gather information so that informed decisions can be made and must not be subverted.

Flathead County Board of Commissioners

Dale W. Lauman, Chairman

Joseph D. Brenneman,

Member

James R. Dupont, Member