Wilson off base on North Fork Landowners' fees

To the editor,

Larry Wilson's discussion of the rental of Sondreson Hall in his last two columns seems to be yet another attempt by him to stir up a controversy where there is none, by ignoring or distorting the facts.

First, fees charged for rental of the hall and who is subject to paying them are matters that were settled two North Fork Landowners' Association meetings ago. At its meeting in February, the NFLA board of directors increased the Sondreson Hall rental fee from $50 to $75 for NFLA members and from $100 to $150 for non-members, to be applied uniformly to non-NFLA-sponsored events, regardless of the activity. At the NFLA business meeting in August, this policy was supported by members. (See the "Minutes" page at www.NFLandowners.org.)

Second, Wilson's statement "As a result, the North Fork Compact will meet in private dwellings and there will be no more aerobics classes, bible [sic] study or first aid courses unless they are sponsored by the NFLA" (Sept. 11 HHN) is simply untrue. Any person or group may conduct almost any activity at the hall — including aerobics classes, Bible study, an organization meeting or a New Year's Eve party — by paying the appropriate rental fee. The 2008 activity schedule (see the NFLA Web site) includes many such events.

Third, in his Sept. 18 column Wilson writes, "With nearly $10,000 in the treasury and no major expenses in sight, perhaps the two-hour rental free for the hall should be lowered." There is, in fact, no "two-hour rental fee." The hall is rented by the day to NFLA members and to non-members, regardless of the amount of time it is actually used.

Finally, at the August NFLA meeting, secretary-treasurer Pat Cole reported that rental fees offset only a small fraction of the cost of operating the hall. (See "What it costs to run Sondreson Hall" on the NFLA Web site Home page.)

I think Wilson would drop the sentence "What do you think?" at the end of his columns. He runs the risk of someone responding with the facts — not just more half-baked opinion.

Richard E. Wackrow

Polebridge

Series benefits Flathead

To the editor,

Climate change is one of the most significant issues facing the Flathead Valley. Expected changes include melting glaciers, reduced snowpack and availability of water and more wildfire. These trends translate into a much more uncertain future for the Flathead. From agriculture to wildlife, tourism to recreation, the effects of climate change have broad implications. As a former park ranger in Glacier and Flathead resident, I am concerned about the changes these special places face.

Unfortunately, action at the federal, state, and local levels has been slow even though the majority of Montanans join me in expressing concern about this issue. Fortunately, there is something we can do — empower ourselves to learn more.

The upcoming Flathead Valley Climate Lecture Series, held at Flathead Valley Community College, provides an opportunity for community members to hear compelling and diverse perspectives from some of Montana's most respected climate experts. The National Parks Conservation Association is a sponsor of the lecture series, which is fitting because our local treasure, Glacier National Park, has been dubbed a climate change "poster child."

I only hope that this event, and others like it, will ensure each of us is inspired to make a difference to help preserve Glacier, and the Flathead, for our children and grandchildren.

For more information, go to Web site www.npca.org/northernrockies/lectures/.

Michelle Tafoya

Clean Air and Climate coordinator for the Glacier Field Office of the National Parks Conservation Association

Don't turn reins to McCain

To the editor,

I can't believe that in these troubled financial times that anyone would actually vote for a Republican on the national ticket. Does anyone remember the Keating 5? They almost collapsed the savings and loan industry back in the late 1980's. All that scandal cost the taxpayers was about $40-50 billion.

One of the Keating 5 members was John McCain — and we are about to turn the reins of government over to him when the banking industry is on the verge of disaster and has already cost the American taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars. Unbelievable!

Corporate welfare gone amok — makes me miss the $600-a-month welfare queens from the 70s and 80s.

Don Zerr

Columbia Falls

Objection to charge for use of Sondreson Hall

To the editor,

Change can be a good thing, but not always. Change invites unintended consequences that can produce surprisingly bad results. Such is the case with a new NFLA (North Fork Landowners Association) rental policy. All members and community groups are charged $75 to rent Sondreson Community Hall no matter it they wish to use it for a day or an hour, if 100 people are to attend or 10. No flexibility is allowed.

As Larry Wilson reports (HHN 9/11/08), because of this new policy, the North Fork Compact (after meeting in the Hall for 30 years) will be forced to meet elsewhere; there will be no more aerobics classes, Bible study or first aid courses. So, as the North Fork community grows larger, the North Fork community hall will increasingly stand empty. The unanticipated consequences of the new hall rental policy is that Sondreson Community Hall, built for the purpose of bringing the North Fork community together, will henceforth bring fewer North Forkers together.

Ironically, the Hall is in the best condition ever and the NFLA has over $11,000 in the bank. Still, despite requests for a more flexible policy on use of the Hall, the decision to charge $75 without exception was just reaffirmed.

One can only ponder for whose benefit this new North Fork Landowners Association policy is intended. It can't be for the benefit of North Fork landowners.

Donald Sullivan

Polebridge

Youth soccer takes a community effort

To the editor:

As we become involved in our special interest groups, it is hard to imagine how they could have survived without us. Before we become involved, the activity is "not our concern." I would venture to say that youth activities, whether we have children or not, are our concern.

Without activities that extend beyond the school year, children sometimes become involved in less than wholesome activities which impact all of us regardless of whether we are parents or not. Our sphere of influence is important to protect our children and our community from negative influences which threaten our ability to parent successfully and yes, even the safety of the community. Team sports are an excellent way to develop individuality while fostering the concept of community (awareness and concern for others) through teamwork.

One of the fastest growing team sports in America is soccer or futball, (literally football), as it is called in other parts of the world. In Montana, we face special challenges in developing effective clubs and soccer players. We have a large state with a small population and we have, "lets face it… a short season," owing to weather. We are challenged with the need to acquire a strong coaching staff and sponsors to foster stronger players, without the resources that larger clubs have outside of our state. Competitive soccer clubs focus on expanding the players' fundamental skills and progressing to individual and team tactical skills through excellent coaching, while giving youth members a greater field experience through travel by playing outside the local talent pool. High school varsity and junior varsity teams benefit greatly by players who have had the experience of a higher level of training and competitive field play throughout the state and region, which they gain by their affiliation with competitive club soccer. Soccer players are not developed overnight. It takes years to perfect the game. Professional players do not even reach their peak until their mid-20s.

Glacier United (GU) is one such organization that strives to raise the talent pool by focusing on developing the highest player potential skills and talents. The Columbia Falls Blast and Whitefish Stings clubs merged in 2003 to give greater opportunity for our North Valley resident members to support that goal by expanding our player pool. As we are coming into Glacier United's seventh year for the 2009 season, GU is now seeking licensed coaches or persons, (valley wide), willing to become licensed to fulfill U11-U18 boys and girls teams, pure or mixed age brackets. GU encourages licensing for its coaches, it pays for licensing clinics and offers stipends for travel during the soccer season. GU also provides for all the facilities (indoor and out) and equipment for coaches during the season. Moreover, to extend beyond the parenting pool, GU pushes for young individuals (player coaches) who have had experience on the field as players and wish to contribute back to the advancement of youth soccer development to become coaches.

Since GU players are being selected during season tryouts Oct. 5 and 12, from noon on, at the Smith Athletic Fields off of Highway 40, anyone interested in coaching should contact Natalie Valov at 892-1323 (home) or 471-3953 (cell), or Aaron Delventhal at 261-9824 (cell) as soon as possible. It is your community, too.

Donna Johnson

Glacier United Soccer Club board member