Step It Up! National Day of Recognition was held on November 3 in Hamilton. All over the nation, simultaneously, citizens gathered to listen to concerned scientists and activists speak of what can be done to reduce our carbon footprints. Step It Up! is the movement launched by Bill McKibben and others in an attempt to pressure Congress to pass legislation that will reduce greenhouse gasses 80% by the year 2020. Greenhouse gasses are the primary culprits adding to the increasing warming of our planet. The event was sponsored by Sustainable Living Systems and attended by 50+ valley residents.

Two main speakers were sandwiched between mini feasts featuring local food and beverages. Jill Davies opened the evening with a call to join the Bitterroot Food Co-op. She also explained her latest project, which is to conduct a food assessment for the Bitterroot Valley. (If you would like to dive into this local food study, call Jill at 642-3601.) Both the creation of a co-op and the food assessment are designed to reduce the number of miles that food travels; this in turn reduces greenhouse gasses.

The first main speaker, Dr. Faith Ann Heinsch, works with the Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group at the University of Montana. She reiterated the dire consequences of ignoring climate change as a "normal cyclical event" or as an "acceptable anomaly," the arguments typically made by those who believe global warming is not a threat. Dr. Heinsch showed pictures of the dwindling glaciers in Glacier National Park by way of one example. In 1913, Shepherd Glacier was a large, white, icy mass; today, this glacier is a rocky slope with a few remaining patches of white. But glaciers seem remote in comparison to the other symptoms affecting Bitterrooters such as a fire season that is "on the average 78 days longer, with four times more fires burning over 1000 acres and six times more total acres burned."

The longer dry season not only stimulates hotter, more voracious fires, it creates an optimal environment for pests like the Mountain Pine Beetle, says Dr. Heinsch. Because winter temperatures are less able to kill off the beetles and because the beetles have sped up their reproductive cycles under such favorable conditions, Dr. Heinsch and other scientists fear that increased temperatures will mean increased infestations of Mountain Pine Beetle.

And then there is the issue of dwindling water supplies. "Spring melt is happening three weeks earlier than before. The mean temperature in March has increased by five to eight degrees Fahrenheit. But total snowfall is decreasing," Dr. Heinsch tells her audience. Using scientific calculations and these unsettling current trends, scientists suspect that by 2050, there will be only 50% of the water that is presently available. So even though an increased growing season will allow for "riper tomatoes in the Bitterroot," there may not be enough water to irrigate them, explains Dr. Heinsch.

As dire as this information is, the next speaker offered some proactive ways citizens can take responsibility and slow greenhouse gas emissions on a personal level. Ben Brouwer, from AERO (Alternative Energy Resource Organization), gave an overview of AERO's recently published "Repowering Montana: Blueprint for Montana's Energy Self-Reliance." Brouwer says our goal should be to have a "cleaner, cheaper, more reliable, and more sustainable system" to meet Montana's energy needs. He says that the "business as usual" approach which purports that "growth is inevitable, desirable, and sustainable" can no longer be embraced.

"We need to practice demand side resource management which equals consumer control and active conservation." Does this smack of the seventies? Yes, however, Brouwer takes his audience farther back in time by showing slides of advertisements from the thirties when windmills were standard fare on ranches in Montana. "The James Wind Company sold thousands of windmills" here in this state and the money generated from these sales stayed in the state. Brouwer uses this as an example of the type of self-reliance we must return to. He jumps forward to current available solutions such as hydro-power, wind, solar, geothermal, and the use of biodiesel. He quotes Bob Quinn, who lives near Sandy, Montana: "Five percent of my crop land will provide enough oil to make biodiesel for all of my on-farm needs."

"We don't need to ship biodiesel into Montana from soy fields out-of-state, when we can make it here," claims Brouwer.

My favorite example of energy self-reliance offered by Brouwer comes from a road trip he took to Seattle. He says outside of Ellensburg, Washington, there are numerous solar arrays (groups of panels) set up on some less productive land near the highway. It turns out that citizens there started their own energy co-op. Sixty-six subscribers got together and agreed to help pay for the system in order to use this clean source of power in their houses. This is a feasible solution for families and communities who can work together and who are willing to embrace change before it is thrust upon us.

Brouwer also suggests that we encourage schools to convert to bio-mass boilers (for more information, visit www.fuelsforschools.org) and suggests that we recommend our mayors join 633 other mayors across the nation who have signed onto the US Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement. Missoula, Billings and Bozeman are three Montana cities to do so. This agreement sets up plans for individual communities to follow the standards first agreed upon in Kyoto, Japan. Change will have to begin locally, from the grass-roots up, says Brouwer.

There is also a national bill in the wings that begins to address climate change and what can be done. Diego Rivas, from Montanans for a Healthy Climate, spoke briefly about the "America's Climate Security Act." This act proposes a reduction of 80% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. "A 2% per year reduction" should be attainable, says Rivas. This act has passed out of sub-committee and will face a hearing on November 15. Rivas urged people to call or write to Sen. Max Baucus and urge him to continue his support for this bill and press him to protect the bill from having its teeth extracted.

Lab to be charged for 12-inch water line

By Michael Howell

The Hamilton City Council decided at a meeting on November 6, to begin charging the Rocky Mountain Laboratory for a twelve-inch connection to the city's water main. The lab was initially not billed for the water connection. Then, about three years ago the Council decided to start billing the lab for a 10-inch connection. The actual connection was discovered, however, to be a 12-inch connection.

According to the minutes of the meeting, Councilor Robert Sutherland told the Council that the lab had conceded that it had a 12-inch connection but the rate had not yet been changed. He said that the failure to bill for the actual connection size was in violation of Hamilton Municipal Code.

Sutherland made a motion to bill the lab for the 12-inch connection. It would add about $2,000 per month to the City's revenues. He told the Council that the lab had claimed that the 12-inch connection was only for fire flow in case of an emergency and that a 10-inch connection was all that they needed for their water requirements, but he disagreed. He said that the lab uses approximately 2,700,000 gallons of water per month, which is almost 10 percent of the water that the town provides for the entire city. He said that the lab's usage was 25 percent above average for even a 12-inch connection and is 75 percent above the average use of a 10-inch connection.

"There is no question that this amount of usage warrants billing the lab for a 12-inch connection," said Sutherland.

He also added that it is also a requirement of Hamilton Municipal Code, which must be followed the same as for any other customer.

Councilor Scott agreed with Sutherland.

Councilor Hendrickson noted that in negotiations for past bills it was agreed to charge for a 10-inch connection. She wondered if the Council now wanted to change that.

Sutherland reiterated that the city code required billing for the actual 12-inch connection and that the lab's use was more than the average 12-inch connection, which it actually has.

Sutherland, Scott and LaSalle voted to approve the motion to charge for a 12-inch connection. Councilor Steele voted against the motion. Councilor Hendrickson abstained. The motion passed on a 3 to 1 vote.

In other business the council sent the idea of purchasing 62 acres of land for a recreational park to the Parks and Finance committees for consideration. Councilor LaSalle explained that the land was suited for development of a much needed sports complex. He provided copies of a Sports Complex Assessment prepared by C.H. Johnson Consulting of Ravalli County. He said this is a unique opportunity for the City to move forward quickly and secure property that rarely becomes available. He pointed out that the property is integrated with the valley wide trail system and the Bitterroot River and would make a good place for a boat/tube launch.

Councilor Hendrickson noted that the Park Committee had not yet reviewed the proposition.

Councilor Scott noted that the county would be involved and should be consulted. He said that the City could not be expected to fund the whole thing.

Councilor Steele said that the City was running out of land in close proximity to the City and it would be prudent to take a good hard look at the property.

The issue was unanimously referred to the Parks Committee for consideration.

The council unanimously approved hiring JoAnne Martin as Community Development Secretary. There were thirteen applicants for the job.

The Council also approved a collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local No. 2. Administrative Assistant Steve Green explained to the Council that the agreement pertained mostly to the Police Department. He said the main goal was to stop the loss of officers to other departments and the major bargaining point was the transition to the Montana Police Officers Retirement System (MPORS) from the Public Employees Retiremnent System (PERS).

Administrative Assistant Steve Green bid his farewells to the City after giving his final report. He thanked Mayor Randazzo for providing him with the job and said that he thoroughly enjoyed it. He thanked City Clerk Rose Allen for sharing her knowledge, and providing support and friendship. He thanked the Council and expressed appreciation for their passion and commitment to the City. Lastly he thanked the citizens of Hamilton.

Bitterroot 'Unchained'

By Michael Howell

The Bitterroot Good Neighbors Coalition is urging Bitterroot Valley residents to unchain themselves on Saturday, November 17—to do any business they plan to do on that day only at locally-owned independent businesses. Bitterroot Unchained is part of AmericaUnchained, a national campaign of the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA).

“The Bitterroot Good Neighbors urge valley citizens to support the communities of the Bitterroot Valley by acknowledging that their personal spending decisions affect the whole community, both now and for the future,” said Good Neighbors spokesperson Kierstin Lange.

“If every citizen does their planned business, shopping and dining out on that day with only locally-owned businesses, we can return 70% more of what we spend into our local economy—that’s the kind of difference that shopping locally makes, and that makes our communities stronger. Of course, we hope Bitterrooters will think about this not only on November 17, but every day—and particularly through the holiday shopping season,” said Lange.

“We also want to encourage folks, while they’re taking part in Bitterroot Unchained, to make a point of thanking our local business owners for their contributions to the community, both in goods and services, but also to local charities and organizations. Small businesses give a greater percentage of their business income back to the community than their larger competitors. So much of what our communities enjoy is sponsored by locally-owned businesses, from youth soccer leagues to community theater to the programs at the PAC that are enjoyed by so many of us. Every community-based organization, from Trout Unlimited to local dance companies, rely on donations from local businesses to survive. We rely on our local businesses for so much more than just providing products or services,” stated Lange.

“Studies from small towns in Maine to sizeable cities like Austin, Texas have consistently found that locally-owned independent businesses create about three and a half times the local economic activity that chains do. A 2004 study comparing the local economic impact of 10 independent businesses and 10 chains in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago found that the independents generate 70 percent more local economic impact per square foot than chain stores,” said AMIBA director Jennifer Rockne. “Why? Because home town businesses pay local employees, use the goods and services of other local independent businesses, and give back to community institutions far more than chains.”

“The Bitterroot Valley stands to gain in every way by supporting our community-based businesses. They provide us with essential goods and services, well-paying jobs, and continued opportunities for citizens to own their own business here. They are critical parts of the valley’s social, cultural and economic health. Supporting them is good for us personally and our community,” stated Lange.

Stevensville food bank looks to the future

By Michael Howell

Arnie Polanchek representing Pantry Partners, a local food bank located in Stevensville, is looking to renew its lease of a building owned by the Stevensville School District. The food bank has leased the building on the school grounds from the school district for the last five years. The current lease expires at the end of November.

Polanchek told the board that the organization had been contemplating a relocation. A new site had been selected and some new plans drawn up, but the project hit a dead end when the Town of Stevensville denied the special use permit that was necessary to operate the food bank in an area zoned residential.

He told the school board that the organization had considered its options and was now looking to renew the lease with the school. The initial impulse to move was motivated by the fact that the operation was outgrowing the space at the current building. He said that the Pantry Partners board had considered the matter and decided that, given the good working relationship with the school, they would propose a longer lease and a joint building expansion project. The expanded facility could then possibly include the local Clothes Closet as well as the annual Christmas gift program sponsored by the Acts of Kindness organization.

The food bank has been a growing service, according to Polanchek, and now serves about 475 people per month with 149 food boxes.

"We're here to stay and we could work together," said Polanchek.

School Trustee Ed Cummings quoted the law to Polanchek (Montana Code Annotated 20-6-602), to the effect that the school trustees held the property in trust "for the benefit of the schools and children of the district."

Trustee Kirk Thompson said that he believed that the school district could lease the property but it would require a public ballot and approval of the voters.

Chairperson Jim Cloud noted that renewal of the lease was not on the agenda and that a long term lease or sale of land had been a problem in the recent past with the Stevensville Community Foundation.

Trustee Wayne Stanford commented that, unlike the Lone Rock School District, the Stevensville District could not work with the community.

"It's too bad," said Stanford. "But, if I were you, I wouldn't even consider a long term lease with the school district. We can't count on it."

Cloud remarked that the board had been down this road recently and that the majority was not in favor of it.

Trustee Bill Goslin suggested that this situation might be different, but that the board needed some time to consider it.

Cloud told Polanchek that the ball was back with the Pantry Partners and the group would have to decide if they wanted to present the request at the next school board meeting.

Polanchek told the Bitterroot Star on Monday that Pantry Partners would be on the school board's agenda for the November 13 meeting and ask for a renewal of their short term lease, but they also decided to ask the board to consider the possibility of a longer term lease and a joint building expansion project that would include the local Clothes Closet and the Acts of Kindness Christmas gift program.

Municipal Election Results

By Michael Howell

(unofficial count)

Darby

Mayor

Rick Scheele 91

Councilor-at-large

Lonnie Muller 11

Gerald Edward Stacy 5

Evelyn K. Savochka 39

Ward 1

No candidate

Ward 2

Lisa Poe 39

Ward 2 (unexpired term)

Ned Trowbridge 38

Hamilton

City Judge

Michael J. Reardon 931

Ward 1

Joseph David Petrusaitis 269

Robert Sutherland 154

Ward 2

Al Mitchell 241

Bob Scott 102

Ward 3

Bob Frost 64

DeAnne Harbaugh 57

Jenny West 302

Stevensville

Ward 1

Susan Evans 111

Ward 2

Clayton D. Floyd Jr. 76

Economic impact analysis of Bitterroot Resort released

By Michael Howell

The final draft of an economic impact analysis of Tom Maclay's proposed Bitterroot Resort development on land that straddles the Missoula and Ravalli County lines was released for public review on November 8 in Missoula. The study, co-sponsored by the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce and Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation (MAEDC), is an analysis of the potential economic impacts of two different scenarios of development. One in which development is confined to the 2,900-acre Maclay Ranch and a second in which the "destination resort" includes entitlements to recreational use of adjoining Forest Service lands, including potential installation of ski lifts to the top of Lolo Peak. Even if the permit for alpine skiing on the public lands is not awarded, it states in the analysis, "development of a smaller resort project solely within the roughly 2,980 acres of private property is very likely."

In the "small-scale" scenario, the resort would be private or semi-private and modeled after the Yellowstone Club near Bozeman, and the Stock Farm in Hamilton. It would be a four-season resort with snowcat skiing, up to five chair lifts, two golf courses, equestrian facilities and hiking and fishing opportunities located entirely on private land. The private land includes roughly 2,000 acres of developable land. There would be roughly 500 home sites, with lots varying greatly in size; some housing would be comprised of high density clustered condominiums and mixed residential and retail uses, other sites would range from one-eighth and one-quarter acre up to 17 acres each. There would be no public accommodations (e.g., hotels or convention space). It is possible a small "boutique" hotel would exist for guests. This resort would have a "village" area – a place with retail uses where visitors can congregate – that would be smaller than that of the destination resort. The village would range in size from 200,000 to 250,000 square feet of gross floor area (GFA), with nearly 40,000 square feet of retail and commercial services. The development would also include a clubhouse facility.

The larger "destination resort" project is described as being "on scale with Park City in Utah." It would be a four-season public resort with lift-accessible ski terrain reaching Carlton Ridge and Lolo Peak on land now controlled by the Forest Service.

At build-out, this resort would offer hotel and private condos and home rentals, whole ownership units, two golf courses, a clubhouse, a conference facility, a fitness center, an equestrian center, retail and commercial services, restaurants and bars and a grocery store, in addition to the ski facilities. The hotel, retail uses, conference center and food establishments would be concentrated within the village area. Once completed, this village area is expected to contain 1.5 million square feet GFA, with roughly 200,000 square feet for commercial services. Plans call for a conference center that is 90,000 square feet; the rest of the village is made up of residential (hotel or condo) uses.

The village, golf courses, and whole-ownership residential unit development will remain on private land. The total GFA of the destination resort would be between 4 and 5 million square feet. Of the roughly 2,950 dwelling units included in the first 20 years of development, roughly 1,903 (65%) will be set aside for primary or secondary homes. The remaining would be designated as transient accommodations. However, many of the secondary homes will be placed on the rental market and will accommodate many transient visitors.

The Bitterroot Conceptual Master Plan outlines the construction of nine ski lifts, in addition to a couple of beginner tow lifts, in the first phase of the ski facility development. It is possible that these facilities would be expanded in the future, depending upon demand and land access rights.

Local impacts of the two scenarios are measured in the study by comparing "snapshot"‰ of each scenario at two points in time, 10 and 20 years after operation begins. Local impacts are defined in the study as economic factors such as job creation, tourism, government revenue and infrastructure impacts. The analysis considers direct impacts of the construction and operation of the resort as well as secondary impacts, or the "ripple effect" through the local economy such as the effects on local suppliers of goods and services to the resort. The company that authored the report, ECONorthwest, out of Portland, Oregon, worked with the developer's Bitterroot Conceptual Master Plan and other data from the resort itself, including revenue and visitor projections, and employment payroll figures, to compute the economic impacts.

Authors of the report note that it is limited to a study of the economic impacts alone and not all the impacts of the development.

"Many of the potential impacts of a resort development are difficult, if not impossible, to quantify. For instance, one cannot measure the gain or loss in local citizens' happiness, or even the precise transportation impacts," states the report.

The analysis projects that the "small-scale" development would generate an estimated 169,200 visitor days by year 10 and 338,400 visitor days by year 20. The "destination" resort is projected to generate 682,128 visitor days in year 10 and 1.1 million by year 20.

Spending at the "small-scale" resort is estimated to be $18.6 million at the resort plus another $3 million in the two-county area for a total of $21.6 million at the 10-year mark. This is predicted to reach $33.7 million at the resort and $5.9 million elsewhere for a total of $39.6 million at the 20-year mark. Estimates for spending at the "destination" resort are $99.1 million at the resort plus $11.2 million elsewhere for a total of $110.2 million at the 10-year mark. This is predicted to jump to $165.9 million at the resort plus an additional $18.9 million elsewhere for a total of $184.8 million at the 20-year mark.

The "small-scale" development is projected to produce 266 jobs at the resort and 28 jobs elsewhere for a total of 294 at year 10 and 520 at the resort plus 56 elsewhere for a total of 577 jobs at year 20. The "destination" resort is projected to produce 1,923 jobs at the resort and 132 jobs elsewhere for a total of 2,055 jobs by year 10. This is projected to increase to 3,334 jobs at the resort plus 226 jobs elsewhere for a total of 3,560 jobs at year 20.

Expansion of the resort to include development along Carlton Ridge and to Lolo Peak has been controversial. But controversy also swirls around other issues that would be involved to some degree in either scenario, such as the use of the ranch‚s irrigation water rights to make snow. The report does not address these issues directly but only assesses the economic factors such as job creation, increased tourism, and increased tax receipts potentially generated by the developments.

"The question that we have not addressed or opined on is whether these estimated economic benefits are worth their costs. Those costs include whatever environmental and natural resource amenity might be sacrificed by converting the higher elevations of Carlton Ridge/Lolo Peak from a natural area to a ski slope. They include the other fiscal costs and disamenities that occur as any area grows. Identifying and estimating all those costs, and weighing them against the benefits of the development, is beyond the scope of our research and, for that matter, most evaluations of the type we have described.

"Thus, we cannot make a recommendation about whether the large-scale Resort should be approved or not. What we can say, however, is that to the extent that economic growth is important in the two counties and to the decision about the Resort, the amount of additional economic activity that the large-scale Resort would contribute to the study area is large both relatively and absolutely," states the report.

Rick O'Brien, director of the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce, said that he and Chamber President Al Hill attended a private presentation of the analysis at the invitation of MAEDC a day before it was publicly unveiled. He said that it was a very good presentation, but that it had "tunnel vision" in the fact that the study is based only on an estimation of the economic impacts, without considering environmental or other amenity impacts. He said that whatever happens there will have to face mitigation measures at the corridor.

"Ravalli County needs to have a voice in this," said O'Brien. "We want to stay in the loop, but we (the Chamber of Commerce) have no public position on this yet."

MAEDC will be accepting public input regarding the analysis at its office at 1121 East Broadway, Suite 100, Missoula, until the end of business on November 19, 2007. Hard copies are available at the Missoula Public Library, or you may view the document and comment on the website at www.maedc.org.

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