Engineers' Report Tops the Agenda
Bigfork to Hear Stormwater Recommendations
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Untreated stormwater runoff into Flathead Lake is one concern prompting Bigfork to study and update its stormwater system. - Katrin Frye for the Beacon |
The Bigfork community has a chance to hear and comment on the stormwater drainage system tonight. At 7 p.m. at the Community United Methodist Church on upper Electric Avenue an engineering firm will present its report.
Morrison-Maierle Inc. will point out the problems it identified in the system, issue recommendations for upgrades, and outline the potential cost.
DNRC Expands Public Comment Period
Proposed Land Sale Draws Fierce Opposition
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BIGFORK – The proposed sale of a parcel of school trust land near Woods Bay drew heated opposition from neighboring landowners and local residents at a public meeting here last week.
The Montana Department of Natural Resources is considering selling the 440 acres as part of the state’s Land Banking program – legislation which is aimed at increasing revenue for state schools and improving public recreation access.
Fireman's Fund Insurance Will Appeal
Jury Awards Bigfork Woman $5.3 Million in Insurance Lawsuit
MISSOULA – A federal jury has ordered an insurance company to pay a Bigfork woman $5.3 million in damages in a bad-faith lawsuit that accused the company of failing to pay her medical expenses after a head-on car crash in January 2003.
"This was a very intelligent jury and they weren't fooled by any of the usual official excuses, and they got mad," said James A. Manley of Polson, attorney for Samantha Chilcote.
Trails Run Through Swan Lake and Spotted Bear Districts
Comments Sought on Motorized Restrictions
A twenty-mile conglomerate of trails may shut to motorized use. The Swan Lake and Spotted Bear Ranger Districts are asking for public comment on the potential limited access to the Bruce Creek to Alpine 7 to Napa Point area.
Spotted Bear District Ranger Debbie Mucklow notes the area already sees a limited amount of motorcycle use, and some of the trails are on steep terrain; difficult to maintain for motorcycle use. “In addition, this proposal improves security for grizzly bears,” Mucklow says.
are plans legally binding?
Supreme Court Ruling Muddies Neighborhood Planning Rules
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Flathead County is seeing a surge in neighborhood planning that hasn’t occurred here in more than a decade. But questions over a recent state Supreme Court ruling have held up one plan already and may leave others in limbo.
In the early 1990s, a move for a county-wide growth policy failed, but there was still an outpouring in demand for neighborhood agreements – for regions ranging from West Valley to Bigfork. In less than five years, 10 new plans covered roughly 120,000 acres of the county.
A decision in January by the Montana Supreme Court – stemming from a disagreement over the meaning and intent of one of those plans – has given legal force to some neighborhood plans.
Resort Tax
A Step Closer to a Bigfork Resort Tax
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If approved, a 3 percent resort tax on lodging, dining and luxury items would pay for infrastructure repairs and other projects - Katrin Frye for the Beacon |
From street cleaning to snow plowing, from emergency services to extra parking – all could be paid for if Bigfork established itself as a resort area and instituted a resort tax.
“There’s a lot of people out there where ‘tax’ is just a naughty word,” said John Lang, part of the committee that’s spent the better part of the last nine months researching the logistics, feasibility and purpose of a resort tax.
“When we started doing this presentation, we wanted to answer ‘why’ we would have a resort tax,” explained committee chair Bruce Solberg. “The question became ‘why not.'”
Related: Raiding Resort Tax Funds
Fuel Spill
Truck Limits Sought for Highway 35 After Tanker Spill
POLSON – The director of the Montana Department of Transportation is exploring whether the state can impose limits on large truck traffic on Highway 35, where a tanker truck overturned and spilled almost 6,400 gallons of gasoline near Flathead Lake last week.
DOT spokeswoman Charity Watt Levis said director Jim Lynch has asked his staff to research the options.
Water Tests Coming Back Clean
Delays and Cleanup Continue on Highway 35
Water tests are coming back clean along the MT Highway 35 fuel spill. Carey Cooley, spokesperson for Lake County says the cleanup crew dug several test pits to make sure no fuel vapors or free product seeped under their efforts, and into water sources. These are based on field tests. Samples of residential, treated and lake water are also being analyzed in a lab for more detailed testing.
“This is a fairly difficult incident because of our rock beds,” Cooley says, “because of the series of cracks in the rocks.” Cooley says experts brought in to oversee the cleanup struggled to anticipate where the fuel would come out.
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