Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Opinion & Editorial

by John Robinson, Corvallis

I've noticed in the Ravalli Republic lately there appears to be a great hassle over the definition of the word density. Since I've been doing a lot of writing, I've learned the first thing to do when you have a problem with a definition is to go to the source, the dictionary. Words have shaded meanings. When you are writing you want to get just the right hue, if the reader is going to understand your meaning.

It wasn't very long ago that one of our elected officials, a Rhodes Scholar by the way, became confused over the meaning of the word "is." I am not aware of any Rhodes Scholars among our local elected officials, but at least the word they are confused over, density, has three syllables. That puts them two syllables up on the Rhodes Scholar.

The first sentence of the ordinance, the topic sentence, clearly states "one residence per two acres." These five words are the complete intent of the ordinance. The second sentence was not to modify the topic sentence, it was instructions to the planning board and the commissioners. Its clear meaning is a direction to the officials who can approve subdivisions. They cannot approve a subdivision unless it meets the density requirement of one house per two acres.

One definition of "density": "The average number of inhabitants, dwellings, or the like, per unit of area." I don't think you have to be a Rhodes Scholar to ponder that definition. The definition right before that one is, "Stupidity, obtuseness." Stupidity you would think everyone can handle. Obtuseness may require a little research. Random House Webster's says, "not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; insensitive; dull."

The definition probably doesn't apply to any of our local officials, but it might. The county attorney failed to request an Attorney General's opinion on the meaning of density. The commissioners now want him to request an opinion clarifying the rules in interpreting local ordinances and regulations. If they get an opinion the county could end up in a lawsuit over how density was interpreted. That could delay planning for some time. In the meantime, commissioners, let's just have one house on two acres. It is the will of the people as expressed through the ballot box, the canon of democracy.

Water right request is mind boggling

Dear Editor,

Ravalli County, as are the rest of the counties within the state, is wrestling with issues of water rights and allocations of who gets what and how much. Currently pending before the DNRC (Department of Natural Resources) is an application requesting an approval of a water right of eighty-three plus acre feet of water for a sixty-unit subdivision just immediately southwest of the Hamilton Airport occupying 23 acres of land, the Daly Estates.

The Associated Press reported in an article published April 19, 2007, on Senate approval of a water well bill, that in a 2006 ruling, the Montana Supreme Court had stopped all development in five closed basins. The Bitterroot Basin is one of the five.

This application is by a limited partnership named MOL LLP. We understand that the "M" is for Mr. Brett Mildenberger. This is a limited partnership that effectively limits or perhaps eliminates any responsibility on behalf of the business entity. When the development is completed there is no recourse for any parties who may have been damaged if their well goes dry.

It should be mentioned that the wells have already been drilled and there are four homes in various stages of construction. One of the houses appears to be occupied and there are two additional basements being excavated. Yet the applicant from what we understand now wants to legalize what it or they are doing, but doing it outside of the regulations. This type of legalizing an illegal act needs to be not only curtailed, but also stopped.

Now for some facts and figures to put this request into perspective. The application by MOL PPL is for a water right of 83.09 acre-feet of water per year for 23.82 acres with a total of 60 homes. Incidentally our County Commissioners approved the subdivision with little or no consideration of where the water was going to come from, nor what effect prior water right holders could experience. Four hundred gallons per minute is requested. This calculates out to 24,000 gallons per hour, 576,000 gallons per 24-hour day, 4,032,000 gallons per week, 17,289,000 gallons per month, and 103,680,000 gallons per six-month period for the six-month application that includes water for irrigation. The other six months, using the DNRC table of Consumptive Usage, would calculate to an additional 4,050,000 gallons or a combined total of 107,730,000 gallons per year. We're talking millions of gallons—MILLIONS!!

The water consumption table put out by the DNRC estimates an average water usage of 75 gallons per day per occupant. Using an average household occupancy of four persons per household, or 300 gallons per day per household, calculates out to 109,500 gallons per year. Using this figure of 109,500 gallons per year per household times 60 households, is 6,570,000 gallons per year for the subdivision if totally occupied. The request by the applicant is 16.4 times the estimated annual usage.

This amount of water requested is from what is referred to as the deep aquifer. There are two aquifers involved according to an engineering report, one referred to as the deep aquifer and the other as the shallow aquifer. There are 4,470 acre-feet of prior water rights from the shallow aquifer and 298 acre-feet from the deep aquifer. There is absolutely no data to support the existence of two aquifers or if the two are not interrelated in some way. There is a zone of influence that the foregoing numbers are taken from. The zone of influence covers about seven square miles in a circular area.

In conclusion, shouldn't this quantity of water requested from about seven square miles be projected forward to the total number of units being requesting permission to be built in Ravalli County? The request from MOL PPL for this amount of water from a small seven mile area is mind-boggling. But when these types of figures are projected county wide, we go from mind-boggling to astronomical figures. Neither my mind nor my calculator can figure out the total demands upon our aquifers.

Dave Hardy
Hamilton

Library trustee wants your vote

Dear Editor,

I am among four candidates on the ballot on May 8th for North Valley Public Library Trustee. I would appreciate your vote. You won't see any yard signs with my name on them, as this is the sum total of my politicking!

I have served on the library board since 2004. In that time, we have become the state’s first independent library district, managed the transition through the retirement of our long-time director, hired a fabulous new director, established an improved accounting system, began numerous building improvements, developed a five-year plan with the aid of a group of community representatives, committed to joining the Montana Shared Catalog by this summer, added and improved several library programs, successfully garnered the community’s support for increased library funding, and we are currently executing a needed addition of two ADA bathrooms.

I have enjoyed my work as a Trustee, and there is plenty more to be done. If you haven’t been in the library lately, stop by (208 Main St. in Stevensville) and see all the changes our capable staff have accomplished, and the positive, exciting feeling of the place. Thanks to all of you who regularly visit, read and support us. The NVPL has the most enthusiastic, fiercely dedicated set of patrons and volunteers, for whom we are grateful.

Be sure to vote on May 8th, and thank you for your consideration.

David Andersons
Stevensville

Thanks from VFW Auxiliary

Dear Editor,

VFW Post 1430 Auxiliary thanks the many individuals and businesses who have donated cash to our "Support the Troops" program.

We have received thank you letters from Mark D. Lykins, SEABEE Combat Warfare, Camp Beuhring, Kuwait; Captain M.J. Walters, Commanding Officer, A Company, 1st Tank Battalion, Iraq; and Saundra Amsden, LCDR, Iraq.

Sharon Klakken and Betty Lykins (For)
Post 1430 VFW Auxiliary
Hamilton

Slow down on Bourne Lane!

Dear Editor,

On April 2 our beloved 10-year-old dog, Jessica, was hit and killed on Bourne Lane. The thoughtless person who did this left her in the middle of the road. I want to thank the kind gentleman who was riding his bike and stopped to move her off the road and tried to notify us. Many thanks for your kindness.

What can we do about this road? I know it is hard to avoid a pet that runs out on the road, but Bourne Lane has become so dangerous, they have lowered the speed limit. It is 45 mph. A sign in front of my home says 15 mph. Cars are flying down Bourne Lane at 50, 60 and more miles per hour.

One of these days it won't be an animal, it will be a person walking or a child playing or riding his bike. Please slow down on our road and give us all a chance.

We miss you and love you, little Jessica, our little friend.

Joan Van Velzer
Victor

Education is the key

Dear Editor,

Webster defines community as: the people who reside in one locality and are subject to the same laws, have the same interests, etc; common sharing, participation, or ownership.

The Bitterroot Valley community is composed of many diverse folks who share at least one common thread, despite our differences. That commonality is the decision to make our home here, whether following in our ancestors' footsteps, OR as newcomers choosing to move here and begin a new legacy.

All communities experience growing pains, and the Bitterroot Valley seems to be in hard labor at this point in time, coping with the struggle that change can bring. We, the voters, are being asked to make some very hard decisions that will affect the life cycle of the Bitterroot for generations to come. All of us need to be doing everything in our power to ensure that we are informing ourselves on the issues at hand, which means attending meetings, calling neighbors for further information, or talking with candidates and others working for the "causes." Only by taking the time to educate ourselves fully can we truly make a notable difference and begin ushering in a new era for the Bitterroot Valley.

There are two important elections coming up, step up and get out there: May 8, education issues, and June 5, county commissioners.

On May 8, cast your votes in your local school district for the following issues: Creating a Community College District for Ravalli County; 7-member Board of Trustees for the Bitterroot Valley Community College; Local School Board Trustee races; Mill levy for your local school district.

On June 5, cast your vote at local polling places for three County Commissioner seats.

Please remember - education is cheaper than incarceration, and thoughtful, informed, citizens working together can indeed change the course of the county!

Deborah Rogala
Conner

All about money, power and control?

Dear Editor,

As a resident of Ravalli County I am not inclined to acquiesce to the recent headline grabbing, disingenuous token offerings of "higher education" opportunities as proffered by the University of Montana. Nor am I inclined to succumb to the ongoing efforts of some of our elected representatives who continue to tout that a College of Technology (COT) is in the best interest of Ravalli County and that the taxpayers will not support the nominal costs of a 2-year accredited community college education for our citizens.

While we may very well have become a "bedroom community" of Missoula County, we should not forsake our own identity and be ever vigilant to guard and maintain our quality of life here in the Bitterroot. In my opinion, this issue is more about money, power and control. Are we to be surprised that suddenly, the UM has realized that we have grown up and our community is now demanding the benefits of higher education opportunities for our youth and citizens at large? Based upon their projections of 175 full-time initial student enrollments -- that means potential dollars to them, extension of their powers and control of what curriculum is in our best interests. I say not!

Folks, this truly is a historic and momentous time for Ravalli County. For the very first time in our history, you and I have been provided the opportunity to bring permanent, quality higher education into the Bitterroot. We no longer are a purely agrarian or an extractive resource economy; we have matured into a diverse, multi-faceted community that demands broad-based educational opportunity. I ask that you study the merits of both offerings and make your decision at the polls (May 8th) based on the best value and opportunity for the services to be provided -- both now and into the future.

Richard (Rick) O'Brien
Hamilton

Something smells fishy

Dear Editor,

For some of you, the recent promises by the University of Montana to establish a College of Technology (COT) in Ravalli County sound like a much better alternative than forming our own community college. After all, COT advocates claim that it wouldn't cost you anything compared to a community college, which would require a slight increase in property taxes. In addition, the COT is already offering some classes here in the valley, and there have been promises of establishing a COT campus here in the valley. However, as your parent or grandparent probably told you: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Letters from Sen. Laible and others, appearing in local papers claimed that the state legislature would budget $5 million for a Ravalli County COT in the current session. The amount finally approved was reduced to $2 million. In addition, the legislation made no mention and no assurance that those funds would be earmarked for a Ravalli County COT. Instead, this new money is to be added to the general fund of the State Board of Regents who can spend it anywhere in Montana, for whatever purpose the Board of Regents deems necessary. So much for the promise of a COT campus in the Bitterroot Valley.

As for the classes offered by the COT in Ravalli County, there are only three of them and there is no requirement, and nothing in writing, that those or any classes will continue to be offered. They can be withdrawn at any time. For over 30 years, the COT did not offer any classes in Bitterroot Valley, until about 2006, coinciding with the petitioning effort to start the BVCC. Then, suddenly, the COT offered some classes in Hamilton and made promises of more to follow. As a member of the audience said recently when this was pointed out to the speaker, Barry Good, Dean of the COT: "That sure smells fishy to me!" It does to me, too.

A permanent, locally managed, affordable community college offering a full range of programs for the residents of Ravalli County makes a lot of sense. Join me on May 8 and vote for our own Bitterroot Valley Community College.

John Meakin
Stevensville

Re: Corvallis school levy

Dear Editor,

Lately I have been visiting with friends, neighbors and community groups about the Corvallis school levy which will be decided at the upcoming school election. As the longest serving member on the Corvallis School Board, I would like to provide some context for this request which might be helpful to voters as they cast ballots on May 8. There are few decisions any of us make as citizens quite as important as those related to the education of the children of our community, so it is essential that we all understand what is at stake.

The details of how schools are funded can be mind-numbing and complex, but the general picture is not hard to understand. There is a state funding formula established by the Legislature that determines school budgets. That formula crunches enrollment figures and sets both a minimum and maximum figure for each school district’s general fund budget. The minimum level is funded partly by the state from a variety of tax revenue and partly by mandatory local property taxes. Any amount that a school district budgets above the minimum level set by the state must be funded through voter approved general fund operating levies. Corvallis voters are being asked to approve such a levy in the amount of $300,000.

It is important to understand that the state funding system assumes that the minimum budget level set by the formula will be supplemented by voted levies. And, in fact, voters in almost all school districts in the state regularly approve such levies – most on an annual basis. As a result, the general fund budgets of almost all school districts in Montana are well above the minimum and many are at the maximum level. It is also important to understand that, while there have been occasional upward adjustments in state appropriations and in the formula itself, these increases have not kept pace with inflation for more than a decade.

What about Corvallis? In the past 18 years the Corvallis School District has only once asked for a general fund operating levy. This was in 2003, when voters approved a levy in the amount $100,000. As a result, since then Corvallis has been allowed to budget $100,000 more than the minimum level set by the state.

How does Corvallis compare to similarly-sized districts in Montana? With the exception of Ronan, which qualifies for supplemental federal impact aid money, Corvallis has the lowest amount of voted levy support for its general fund among all 24 Class A schools. The average 2006-07 Class A district general fund budget was supplemented by voted levies in the amount of $1,397,510. The Hamilton School District, which is also below average by statewide standards, is, nevertheless, able to budget $728,460 above the mandatory minimum budget level, compared to Corvallis’ $100,000.

A comparison of Class A general fund expenditures per student reveals a similar discrepancy and ranking. Corvallis spends $4,817 per student. This is above Ronan by $74. It is $319 less than Hamilton and $479 less than Stevensville, both of which are also low among Class A districts.

This, of course, is not about keeping up with the Joneses. It is about having the resources to educate children well. School district general funds pay for the lion’s share of the costs of operating schools, including salaries, supplies, textbooks, utilities, insurance. Therefore, districts with approved voted levies have more of the basic resources needed to educate the children of their communities than do those without such support. Some of the consequences of fewer resources are: lower salaries, making it more difficult to recruit and retain high quality staff; difficulty in maintaining the low class sizes and programs that increase student achievement; lack of funds to purchase essentials like textbooks; and lack of funds for maintenance.

This year the Corvallis School Board has determined that without assistance from a voted levy the school district will not have adequate funds for the essential ingredients necessary to maintain quality schools. The Corvallis School District is proud of its record of operating in a fiscally responsible manner. It is proud of its history of being careful about taking the serious step of requesting higher taxes. However, the district is also proud of the achievements of Corvallis students and of the excellent staff and programs that make those successes possible. It is these things that are placed in jeopardy without additional funding.

The American system of local school districts governed by elected trustees and ultimately controlled by the citizens of their local communities is unique in many ways. After serious deliberation the Corvallis elected trustees have placed a levy before the voters. On May 8, the Corvallis community must equally seriously consider the issue and decide what is in the best interests of the students for whom we are all responsible.

Tonia Bloom
Hamilton

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