Letters to the editor"In Search of the Truth"

In search of the truth and to set the record straight the recent diatribe that degenerated into a personal attack on me by Bruce Barrett of Lakeside cannot go unanswered (WSN 4/1509). Reasonable people can and do have differing opinions on certain issues and can debate an issue without resorting to invective and untrue aspersions of character.

The issue is to locate, or not to locate, a new Flathead County Park and swim area on a small patch of land located in a residential neighborhood dominated by residential use. (From 1/2 block to the north to 1/2 block to the south there are some 90 residences). From a safety point of view, the location could hardly be in a worse place. We have already had one fatality at this location and that was when the boat traffic at this location was one-one hundredth of what it is today. I implore everyone to please come down to the lake and see for yourself. You can park next to the Blacktail Ski office parking area and walk to the log home that sits on the lakeshore. That's the lakeshore lot in question.

But back to Mr. Barrett's letter.

Untruth #1 - I do not have a multi-million dollar estate. Having a lakefront lot 90' wide and a modest 1,500 square foot home built in 1955 does not qualify humble home as a mutli-million dollar mansion.

Untruth #2 - Insinuating that I, as a realtor, was priveledged to tell property owners who they could sell their property to and property buyer's what they can do with their purchases. Certainly a strange viewpoint and definitely illegal.

Untruth #3 - Insinuating that for 20 years as a realtor I took from the community without giving anything back. This is particularly galling considering

The Truth:

I served one term as vice president and two terms as president of the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce. Among the things I did was to negotiate with the county Parks and Recreation Department, the county commissioners, the State of Montana and the U.S. Forest Service to create the cross country ski area on Blacktail Mountain, a facility that Lakesiders have enjoyed since the mid-eighties. During that period of time I also served on the board of the Associated Chambers of Commerce of the Flathead Valley.

And Then there was my six years as chairman of Lakeside Sewer District. Up until that time the community had had several attempts to get community support, EPA Grants and State help in constructing a sewer system for the Lakeside Community. We had numerous surface and sub-surface failing septic system with some sewage surfacing in the Lakeside School yard. The University of Montana's Biological Station at Yellow Bay documented the fact that we were contributing some of the sewage reaching Flathead Lake.

Thanks to that dedicated board of directors and many like-minded volunteers we were one of the last communities in America to have the EPA pay for over 75 percent of the cost of the contribution of our sewer system. Board members like Reco Cash (deceased), Dr. Al Swanberg (deceased), Ralph Asbridge, Bob Balding and the tireless efforts of our board secretary, Betty Stevens we were able to accomplish what could not be accomplished in the previous 20 years of trying. I was proud to lead this group of fine people.

Our many public information meetings filled the school gym with standing-room-only crowds. We presented and passed two bond issues to get the local share of the cost of the system. The first bond issue past with 90 percent voter approval. The second bond issue passed 94 percent voter approval. These numbers are a tribute to the people who lived in Lakeside, stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.

Anyone living here during that time period will remember that the sewer district had no real operating funds. So I volunteered my office as the meeting place for board meetings, etc.

When we reached the point where we began the two-year period of construction and we had to hire an operator we had no sewer district building so I volunteered office space for the new operator providing desk, phone, files, copier, etc. During the two year construction period I set up two long tables to hold all the engineer's drawings and invited everyone in the community who had questions about the system and how it might affect them and their property to come in and we would attempt to answer their questions.

I finished up my almost ten years of continuous community service by serving two terms on the Flathead County Planning Board, again representing the people of the Lakeside/Somers area.

At this point Bruce Barrett is probably saying "Yeah, but what have you done for us lately?"

Well Bruce, I do hope you are still enjoying the large wrought iron plant holder fixture that Joan and I and our daughter and her husband, Sue and Dave Thornquist gave you as a wedding present when you married the beautiful Kathy Forman in the late 90's.

Noel Bartlett

Lakeside