Letters to the editor Dec. 25

Supports recovery home

Regarding the article “Kalispell Planning Board recommends recovery home project” from Dec. 15.

I have read the debates regarding Aaron McPherson opening a recovery home with ABSOLUTE Ministries.

To set the record clear it is a home for those who have already completed an inpatient rehab program. A quote from the website: “ABSOLUTE Ministries was founded to provide faith-based, positive housing to men and women that have completed a drug or alcohol inpatient rehab program…Members make a commitment to lead a substance free life, in an atmosphere that focuses on accountability, integrity, character, transparency, and responsibility. This process makes for a true and successful transition, making people sustainable!”

This type of home is needed. Otherwise these men may be left homeless on the streets tempted to go back to their old habits. Here is a way they can have the tools for long term sobriety and live a life that contributes to society.

I personally know Aaron and he will make sure it is run well.

— Joi Gratny, Kalispell

Back again

In August of this year the City of Columbia Falls put forward a subdivision that was so unrealistic that the Planning Board unanimously denied and would not forward it to the city for approval. Over 300 people showed up to tell the Planning Board the project did not fit our community.

Now (four months later) the city planner and this developer James Barnett, who manages other millionaires money, is back again with another proposal that will ruin the community of Columbia Falls.

Same exact proposal as before, minus a few housing units. “Some people have so much money they have to spend it,” said one Planning Board member in August. This time its 343 units at 2.5 people per unit equals 875 people at corner of River Road and U.S. 2.

River Road traffic is currently at about 12,798 weekly, it is extremely dangerous to access the highway now, what will it be when the intersection is full of construction trucks, cement trucks, building supply trucks and the hundreds of people who live on Columbia Falls Stage Road, Middle Road and Kelly Road.

He says he will move the access to the highway 375 feet to the east, but only mentions of a traffic light if the state requires it, maybe at full build out — unacceptable.

He says affordable housing. Currently he charges $1,850 for a one-bedroom. He is proposing 126 units of ugly three-story apartments exactly like Siverbrook Apartments.

In Kalispell in the first year of construction. They say that this development will produce 200 more students for our school system. Last public hearing a teacher broke down in tears saying the school is overburdened right now.

A local dentist in tears said she can not take care of her patients now, what does 875 more people do to our infrastructure. Our sewer system can barely handle the load now, why would our city planners propose something the community does not want or need.

This developer states the community wants more housing because Applied Materials is expanding. Well, that’s his assumption only, he is not in touch with Columbia Falls nor is our City Planner. With the current subdivisions on the books we have met the goal of the Growth Policy of 2019.

Lastly, there are at least three huge subdivisions east of this that are waiting for this developer to put the sewer under the river so they can build their subdivisions and hook up to the sewer under the river, headwaters of the most pristine river in America.

Please put Jan. 10, 6:30 p.m. Columbia Falls Jr. High cafeteria on your calendar to let our citycounty planning board know how you feel. Your voice is so important. Our future as a community is currently in serious jeopardy.

— Gary Hall, Columbia Falls

Consumer counsel

The Montana Consumer Counsel was created by the state Constitution to protect the interests of Montanans who are customers of monopoly utilities.

Now we have Republicans in the state Legislature pushing to keep the consumer counsel from doing its job.

The Senate Rules Committee – chaired by Republican Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick (son of longtime NorthWestern Energy lobbyist John Fitzpatrick) – is trying to ban the consumer counsel from testifying on behalf of consumers during the 2023 legislature, unless the legislature gives its permission first.

Why the effort to stifle the consumer counsel?

Because in the last two legislative sessions, the consumer counsel testified effectively against Republican plans to prop up NorthWestern Energy’s investment in the aging Colstrip power plant.

Those plans would have shifted the company’s financial risk onto the backs of consumers, which could have cost Montanans $200 million. Both bills failed after the consumer counsel’s office shined a light on what the effect of the bills would be.

That made the consumer counsel very unpopular with legislative Republicans.

Republicans need to remember who they work for. It’s not NorthWestern Energy, it’s the people of Montana.

This should be a no-brainer.

— Lynn Stanley, Kalispell