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Photo by Jasmine LinabaryOn December 4, 2009, Shelley Gonzales was presented the "Community Planner Award" by Roger Millar, representing the Montana Association of Planners. The award honors outstanding efforts in planning and planning leadership. The award recognizes the four year effort to update the Bigfork Neighborhood Plan (BNP). Gonzales acted as a liasion between the Flathead County Planning Office, Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee, Bigfork SteeringCommittee and the Bigfork Community, and played a large role in organizing and rewriting the BNP. Shelley is quick to acknowledge the efforts of the hundreds of individuals who worked diligently to complete the plan. Gonzales intends to take the plaque to the Bigfork Chamber of Commerce for display.Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee(BLUAC) Flathead County Commissioners established the Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee (BLUAC) in 1993 with the adoption of the Bigfork Neighborhood Zoning District. The Committee consists of six elected members and one appointed Member at Large. Elected members serve for three years, the appointed Member at large serves for one year. BLUAC acts in an advisory capacity for official Flathead County land use decision-making boards and Flathead County Commissioners concerning applications and proposals for growth and development projects within the Bigfork Zoning District of Flathead County, Montana. The Committee serves as a liaison between Bigfork citizens and the County in providing useful and beneficial information utilizing citizen input concerning issues of interest and concern to the community. BLUAC provides leadership and expertise in supporting community efforts to secure orderly growth and development within the defined land use area.
______________________________________________ Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee John Bourquin, Vice Chairman (2011) 837-0669 Shelley Gonzales (2012) 837-5346 Charles Gough (2010) 837-0771 Paul Guerrant, Chairman (2012) guerrant@centurytel.net 837-2124 Gary Ridderhoff (2011) 837-0685 John Righetti (2011) 249-5753 Peter Strelinger (2011) 471-1337 Sue Hanson ______________________________________________ Next regular meeting July 29, 2010 Bethany Lutheran Church 4:00 p.m. Past BLUAC Minutes are available electronically. Please contact: Sue Hanson, Secretary btrfly@montanasky.net BIGFORK LAND USE ADVISORY COMMITTEE BYLAWS Available electronically
__________________________________________________ MINUTES JUNE 24, 2010 Minutes of Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee Bethany Lutheran Church DRAFT
Committee members present: John Bourquin, Gary Ridderhoff, Chuck Gough, Paul Guerrant, Shelley Gonzales, John Righetti, Sue Hanson and 6 members of the public.
Chairman Gonzales called the meeting to order at 4: 05 pm. The Agenda was adopted as presented (m/sc Gough/Guerrant) – unanimous. Minutes of the May 27, 2010 meeting were approved as amended- unanimous. (m/sc Bourquin/Guerrant).
ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT: A. Sign-in Sheet: Reminder to the public of the availability of BLUAC minutes through email and BSC website bigforksteering.org/. Agendas are posted on the Flathead County Planning Office website flathead.mt.gov/
B. Application status: County status on previous pending applications: Caverly/Schraeder-County Commissioners – Commissioners signed a resolution of intent on June 17, 2010. 30-day protest period follows. Secretary Hanson reported a telephone conservation with Kevin Coates relaying he agreed with BLUAC that RA-1 zoning would be inappropriate for his property. He is pursuing certification with DPHHS to build a facility, which would require a Conditional Use Permit. He thanked the members of BLUAC for their input.
ANNUAL MEETING: A. Election of Officers: Gough moved Shelley Gonzales be elected Chairman and Paul Guerrant be elected Vice-Chairman. No second to the motion. Bourquin moved Paul Guerrant be elected Chairman and Gary Ridderhoff be elected Vice-Chairman. No second to the motion. Gonzales moved Paul Guerrant be elected Chairman and Charles Gough be elected Vice-Chairman. After discussion, Gonzales moved the motion be amended to say John Bourquin be elected Vice-Chairman. Gough seconded the amended motion. Motion passed unanimously. Gough moved Sue Hanson be elected Secretary. Bourquin seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Election of Member at Large: Gonzales read from the BLUAC Bylaws the Statement of Purpose: “The Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee (BLUAC) shall act in an advisory capacity for official Flathead County land use decision-making boards and Flathead County Commissioners concerning applications and proposals for growth and development projects within the Bigfork Zoning District of Flathead County, Montana. The Committee shall act as a liaison between Bigfork citizens and the County in providing useful and beneficial information utilizing citizen input concerning issues of interest and concern to the community, and shall provide leadership and expertise in supporting community efforts to secure orderly growth and development within the defined land use area.” Gonzales asked for comments from applicant Jim Losee. Losee noted that the committee had a copy of his resume and offered answers to any questions they may have. Gough asked Losee if he was aware he would be required to resign his position on the Bigfork Steering Committee. Losee was affirmative.
Gonzales asked for comments from applicant Peter Strelinger. Strelinger noted the committee had copies of his application. He stated he has been a developer in Flathead and Lake Counties for several years. He was doing more consulting at this time. He has worked with B J Grieve and Jeff Harris and is familiar with the Flathead County Planning Department. Gonzales asked what developments he had worked on. Strelinger he has worked for Plum Creek and 3 or 4 projects in Flathead County as well as 5 or 6 developments in northern Flathead County. His development work was mostly residential and a couple of mixed-use projects. Bourquin asked if he was aware of absenteeism per the BLUAC Bylaws. Strelinger affirmed.
Chairman Gonzales moved the election be done by written ballot. Motion seconded by Bourquin. Motion passed unanimously. Members voted by ballot with Peter Strelinger receiving a majority vote. Secretary Hanson will notify the Commissioners of the election. New rosters will be issued.
APPLICATIONS: None
OLD BUSINESS: A. Status on new Sub-Committees per Neighborhood Plan: Jim Losee reported no progress at this time.
B. Sign Violation: Gonzales reported she had been advised by the Planning Department to forward a sign violation form for Echo Lake Marina violation directly without notifying the owner. Guerrant stated he had a problem with that. In the past we have favorable results by contacting the owners prior to filing a complaint. Most don’t know they are in violation and 80% of those contacted corrected the problem. Gough moved BLUAC send a letter to both Echo Lake Marina and the property owner where the sign is placed in violation prior to sending the violation to the County, giving the owners 30 days to respond. Guerrant seconded motion. Passing of motion was unanimous.
NEW BUSINESS: Webpage: Gonzales noted the webpage had not been updated. Hanson reported there had been some problems with updating the website but was working with Bigfork Web to fix the problem. It was noted that the BSC was having funding problems and may not be able to pay for the costs of maintaining the webpage. Hanson reported the Bigfork Stormwater Advisory Committee (BSAC) had requested the County pay for half the costs through BSAC funds, which was accomplished earlier this year. Hanson will check with Wagner and Zabaro to make sure there was not duplicate billing. Gonzales asked for information on how many “hits” there were on the BSC webpage and numbers for each link. Hanson will follow up. Committee members noted the importance of the website for public access to BLUAC activities. After discussion, BLUAC members offered to personally donate $10 each to help maintain the website.
PUBLIC COMMENT: Julie Spencer: Stated that the ballots for the bond for the Bigfork Sewer project upgrade would be mailed on July 6, 2010. The district needs a 30% return of ballots or the bond would fail. Bourquin: Thanked Shelley Gonzales for serving as Chairman and complimented her job as Chairman.
Meeting was adjourned at 4:45 p.m. Sue Hanson BLUAC Secretary May 27, 2010 Minutes of Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee Bethany Lutheran Church
Committee members present: John Bourquin, Gary Ridderhoff, Darrel Coverdell, Chuck Gough, Shelley Gonzales, Al Johnson, Sue Hanson and 7 members of the public.
Chairman Gonzales called the meeting to order at 4: 05 pm. The Agenda was adopted as presented (m/sc Gough/Bourquin) – unanimous. Minutes of the April 29, 2010 meeting were approved as emailed- unanimous. (m/sc Johnson/Gough).
ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT: A. Sign-in Sheet: Reminder to the public of the availability of BLUAC minutes through email and BSC website bigforksteering.org/. Agendas are posted on the Flathead County Planning Office website flathead.mt.gov/ B. Application status: County status on previous pending applications: Caverly/Schraeder-County Commissioners (no report), Jo Eslick, Board of Adjustment (approved. Eslick was granted a short form from DEQ because he had two previous permits. The Board heard public comment on the Bigfork Water and Sewer District variance).
APPLICATIONS: None
OLD BUSINESS: A. Status on new Sub-Committees per Neighborhood Plan: Jim Losee reported no progress at this time. B. BLUAC Appointment: Gonzales reported three letters of interest for the 1-year appointment to fill the vacancy of Darrel Coverdell. In 2011, an election will be held to fill the two remaining years of the term. Gonzales made a motion that the Committee votes by secret ballot. Gough seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. The applicants are John Righetti, James W. Losee, and Peter Strelinger. Chairman Gonzales asked those applicants present for any comments they might have. Righetti: Stated he has been president of the Swan Hill Association for 7 years. The Association has dealt with a number of land use issues during this time. He would like to be of service to the Bigfork Zoning District as a whole. Losee: Stated he has lived in the community for 4 years. Worked for a utility company in Michigan for 37 years where energy conservation was his specialty. He also served as a Township trustee for two 4-year terms. Served as HOA secretary for 4 years. He served on Saginaw County’s Local Issues Committee which served to resolve issues of several adjacent communities. He served on the Michigan Prison Commission for 1 year. Locally he is Chairman of the Bigfork Gun Club, which works together as a team. He has been married 52 years and is anxious to help out in the community. Strelinger: Not present
Result of the secret ballot was the appointment of John Righetti. Secretary Hanson will notify the Planning Office and Flathead County Commissioners of the appointment.
The Member At Large position has been with a deadline of June 10, 2010. Appointment will be made at the June 2010 meeting.
NEW BUSINESS: None PUBLIC COMMENT: Gonzales: Asked Julie Spencer for the status of the garage built at Sunset Point. Julie Spencer: In December you recommended approval of a variance for MB Trust c/o Mountain High Construction to build garage. The property owner has built a bathroom in the garage and was hooked up water and sewer service. Gonzales: Will contact the owner of the sign on Echo Lake Road and Foothill Road to let them know of the violation. She also expressed her thanks to Darrel Coverdell for 3 years of service to BLUAC. She acknowledged his professional approach as well as his perspective as a long time property owner in the Bigfork Zoning District.
Meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m. Following the meeting, members and public were invited to join in treating both Coverdell and Johnson to dinner at La Provence.
Sue Hanson BLUAC Secretary
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