Swan Lake plan gets public airing

The Daily Inter Lake

Developers of a proposed subdivision on the historic Kootenai Lodge property at the north end of Swan Lake will hold a public information meeting Tuesday in Bigfork.

The meeting will be in the banquet room at Marina Cay starting at 7 p.m., according to Dave DeGrandpre, a planning consultant involved with the project.

"The idea is to provide the public with information about what's currently being proposed," DeGrandpre said. "There will be a number of project team members and we'll be talking about historical issues and how we're trying to blend future structure design with the design of structures that are already there."

The Milhous Group is proposing to build 65 condominium units on 40 acres surrounding the Kootenai Lodge and its associated outbuildings.

The lodge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was a retreat for Charlie Russell, Charles Lindbergh, John D. Rockefeller and other notables in the early part of the last century.

The subdivision proposal attracted rapid opposition from some Swan Lake area residents.

DeGrandpre said Charlie Siemon, an attorney and project adviser, will provide general information on the project and project designers will show conceptual illustrations for the development.

"One of the major concerns I've heard about is historic preservation, that this is a one-of-a-kind site, and people are concerned that development will take away from that," DeGrandpre said. "The designers are aiming to complement what is there."

Jay Billmayer of Billmayer Engineering will discuss proposed sewage disposal, water supply and storm drainage systems.

DeGrandpre said there will be an opportunity for the public to offer comments.

"We hope to take those comments into consideration," he said.

The following night, on Wednesday, the Lake County Planning Board is holding an introductory meeting on the project at the Lake County Courthouse, starting at 7 p.m.

A formal public hearing is April 13.