Letter from the editor

Finally feeling like summer

A funny thing happened as I turned onto Electric Avenue last week to bring a few copies of the paper downtown: I couldn't find a parking place.

Though a perceived lack of parking is one of the least-appreciated stereotypes about the Village by the Bay, seeing Electric Avenue full to bursting with cars — and people — in the early afternoon on a weekday was an encouraging sign.

A few weeks ago the Eagle published a story about how many downtown business owners had invested in their shops during these trying times and how Electric Avenue is looking as nice as anyone can remember. It seems to be paying off, at least in foot traffic.

Though its inception has been rocky, the proposed Bigfork Enhancement Program to raise money for the Village's promotion is a forward-thinking plan, even if some kinks remain. At the least, it's an example of out-of-the-box thinking that these lean times require.

The point of all this — as Doug Averill has pointed out in a few public meetings — is that here is a tiny community in a largely overlooked portion of the country that's not asking for bailouts, handouts, stimuli or what have you, but is grabbing its proverbial bootstraps and giving a heave.

Of course, if the summer is an economic bust for Bigfork, the satisfaction of knowing the community did its best will be of little solace when it comes time to pay the bills. But if murmurings and rumors are any indication (and they sometimes aren't), Bigfork seems poised to weather the storm at the least.

By choosing not to incorporate, Bigfork has chosen its course and it has proven to be one littered with great advantages and potentially crippling drawbacks. Our taxes might be 'relatively) low, but we could end up spending the difference to fix our cars after plunging into a neglected pothole on a county-maintained road.

In a time when so many institutions seem to be rolling over and waiting for the Calvary to come help them (cough, GM, cough), it's incredibly refreshing to see a community take a stake in its own future, go out on a limb and do what needs to be done to improve its lot in life.

Though it's clich, there is great wisdom in the phrase "a rising tide lifts all boats."

Summer is in full swing in Bigfork, and from where I sit, the water seems to be coming up.

—Alex Strickland