BSC hoping for high turnout at workshop

By ALEX STRICKLAND - Bigfork Eagle

Members of the Bigfork Steering Committee expressed concern at their meeting last week over what some see as community apathy and said they hope to draw a large crowd for the Feb. 7 forum on the revised Bigfork Neighborhood Plan.

That meeting, to be held at 7 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church, will provide an opportunity for the community to comment on the work of the committee and also provides one of the last chances for concerns to be brought to the table. The Plan is posted on the committees Web site, http://www.bigforksteering.org, and the accompanying map will be posted online within a week, committee members say. A copy of the plan and map will also be available at the UPS Store on Grand Avenue for those without access to the Internet.

The BSC also talked about the resort tax subcommittee on Thursday and the direction that the subcommittee should take now that some of their research has been completed.

John Lang, a member of the resort tax group, said that it has been determined that Bigfork could, legally, institute a resort tax, but now potential boundaries and a list of potential beneficiaries of the tariff need to be established.

Lang said that the law would prohibit schools or religious groups from being recipients of funds from a resort tax, but that water and sewer districts and other community organizations like the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork are all possibilities.

Bruce Solberg, who chairs the resort tax committee, lamented the lack of community response, saying only three e-mails had been received to date. Solberg set up a dedicated e-mail for Bigfork-area residents to comment on the tax at resorttax@bigfork.org.

The Resort Tax subcommittee meets each Tuesday at noon in the Chamber of Commerce and the BSC will hold it's regular meeting on Thursday at noon in the basement of Bethany Lutheran Church.