Comments re: Frank Thomas Interlake ArticleIt was a very interesting article written by Mr. Frank Thomas about the Kalispell City Airport. I
believe he has some valid points that should be applied to all property owned by the City, not just
the City Airport. Why single out the City Airport, the City has a lot of assets they should evaluate
to decide if the City should keep them or sell them. Start with the Buffalo Hills Golf Course. I
don't play golf, so why should we have a golf course. That land is some of the most valuable land
in the Cities coffers and could be sold to a developer for big dollars and it isn't next to the sewer
plant. This would be some of the best home sites in the City and would bring big dollars. I would
say 10 to 20 times what the sewer plant lands would bring. Woodlawn park is another big dollar
item we spend money on needlessly, since I don't have any kids and don't use the park at all, it
could bring top dollars for a development with its own lake. All we do is pour money into our
parks and recreation facilities. I am an older retired person that doesn't need all these fringe
benefits and can't afford the costs of their upkeep. So I say, why pick on the airport, at least the
airport doesn't cost anything to run, I understand it stands on its own. Also, we don't need the
Depot Park on the books of the City either, all we see generated from there is noise a couple
times a week in the summer. And if we could sell it off we wouldn't have to worry about the
bums and homeless hanging around there all summer urinating on the trees and shrubs. I think
Mr. Frank Thomas has hit on something big here. Lawrence Park is just a drain on the City
coffers also. It is only used by a few people who can't afford to take a vacation any more to
enjoy our outdoors. I see these green and white busses all over the city, who owns those? I
suppose we as taxpayers are subsidizing them also. What about free enterprise, why don't we
shut those busses down so someone can start a bus line and a new taxi service. I understand that
we paid millions of dollars for that Kids Sports complex and we got nothing, not one dollar back
into the City coffers. What a waste of taxpayers money. We moved those kids off a perfectly
good ball field on the airport, what idiots made that decision. It cost us taxpayers at least a
couple million for that blunder. There was nothing wrong with kids playing around airplanes
coming and going, maybe they could have gotten interested in a flying career while they were
chasing balls across the runway. I think Mr. Frank Thomas put a lot of thought into making sure
that assets of the City pay for themselves or make money for the City. As far as the airport is
concerned, Whitefish doesn't have an airport, Columbia Falls doesn't have an airport, Bigfork
doesn't have and airport, Somers and Lakeside don't have airports, so why should Kalispell have
an airport, what makes us special. I won't even guess what Mr. Thomas thinks about Kalispell
owning Central School, Hockaday Museum, or Conrad Mansion. What a waste, they all should
be closed down, and, by the way Mr. Thomas, shut off the lights as you leave town.
year. What time do we
reach zero pollution? ANY
GUESS? —Ray Allen,
Stryker
'Unintended
This isn't a pro -or -con
"health care" opinion. It
urges �de,ntifyipg unintend-
ed cons`bsquences for any
decision. Health-care legis-
lation,providing full cover-
age for pre-existing condi-
tions without evaluating
unintended consequences is
one example.
Americans consume
about two-thirds of the
world's narcotics. Obesity
affects one in four Ameri-
cans, even present in ele-
mentary schools. Obesity,
drug, tobacco addiction
some seniors and may require
health care that is prevent-
able in some cases.
These pre-existing conditions
are facts. Yet we don't know
the total costs of covering pre-
existing conditions. What if
the estimates relied upon by
lawmakers prove to be wrong?
What do we do in five years if
these costs were under estimat-
ed by billions of dollars?
Maybe medical coverage
that mitigates pre-existing
conditions needs a separate
health-care plan with require-
ments and incentives to cor-
rect these conditions before
they become disabilities.
Rushing to provide coverage
for all pre-existing conditions
without incentives to take bet-
ter care of ourselves will not
help save costs.
Ambiguitr'� s in any law
are interpreted, then writ-
ten into the Code of Federal
4 ul 1.1 vi l�@ F.L0.y9 vILax
role in Kalispell
This letter is a "thank you"
to Mr. Jones for his well -writ-
ten letter of Jan. 17, regarding
the Kalispell City Airport.
He expressed very well the
feelings of all of the local and
non -local pilots who use the
airport regularly.
I had the privilege of grow-
ing up around the Kalispell
City Airport as a young girl
when my father, Orion Stris-
sel, leased the city airport
during the late 1930s until
1948. I should mention that
during those years, it was
actually located at the site of
the old Stockhill Aviation on
Airport Road. It has always
been a fine airport and a
credit to the city of Kalispell.
It has been a boon for out -of
towners flying to Kalispell for
business or medical reasons
tu�o, i ueaaCVe you county count
on one hand the number of
airplane accidents at or near
the city airport in the past 70
years; one surely cannot say
the same for automobile acci-
dents in the same area.
I hope that our new mayor
and council take a good,long
look at this city airport. As
Dave Heine pointed out in
The Daily Inter Lake article
recently, there really are not
that many places to relocate
this airport and give the same
services.
My sincere thanks, go out
to Mr. Jim Pierce and his
wife, Serena, for providing at
Red. Eagle Aviation a great
airport for the private.. pilots!
The Kalispell City Airport
has always been a "home -
away -from -home" for pilots
and one of the finest smaller
airports in the state of Mon-
tana. —Nancy Zimmerman,
Kalispell
Determine ., of city arport on fact not emotion
During all the meetings and
press coverage concerning
- the Kalispell
GUeSt City Airport
there has been
991Ii1 an abundance
of heresy and
emotion and
very little fact!
The Kalispell City Council
needs to determine if the air-
port is an asset or a liability
to the citizens of Kalispell
based on FACTS!
The first step is to hire a
certified public accountant to
present a financial statement
on the City Airport account
for the past several years.
This statement must show
the source of all income and
expense in detail. It is vitally
important to determine how
much income is derived from
airport activities, rental prop-
erties unrelated to airport
activities, government subsi-
dies and Kalispell taxpayers. It
must be determined whether
or not the City Airport is self-
sustaining or funded by other
sources.
Step two: Determine the
pluses and minuses the
City Airport provides to the
residents and taxpayers of
Kalispell. This can be accom-
plished by mailing a detailed
survey to all Kalispell resi-
dents and taxpayers request-
ing their use of the City
Airport. This should not be
difficult; the survey could be
sent with the water bill that
goes out each month. The sur-
vey needs to include questions
"how" or "if' the recipient
uses the City Airport. The sur-
vey should include a section
that lists the options for the
respondent to state whether
they want to close the airport,
leave it as is or expand the
facility. Do the respondents
feel the city of Kalispell should
be in the airport business?
Step three: Determine the use
of the airport. Who are the users
of the airport, where do they
live, and can they be served
just as well or better by Glacier
International Airport. This is
an important step to determine
if the Kalispell taxpayers are
subsidizing the City Airport as
a duplication of services for the
convenience of a few. This is the
step where the safety and noise
issue should also be addressed.
Just what is the liability for the
city in this issue?
Step four: Have the land
appraised by a certified
appraiser to determine the
value if the land is sold and
how much additional revenue
the land would generate in
taxes for the city if sold and
put on the tax rolls.
The fifth step is to present
this information to the public
and then place the issue on
the ballot for the qualified vot-
ers to decide.
Not only is the fiscal respon-
sibility of the Kalispell City
Council at stake on this issue,
public safety is also very
much a concern. Government
at all levels must base their
decisions on facts not heresy.
In the case of the city airport,
the facts are available. It may
take a little research; how-
ever, we have knowledgeable
people within the community
who can provide this data.
It seems to me that this
would be the best way to
approach a final solution
to the City Airport without
polarizing the community.
Thbmas is a resident of
Kalispell.
�.
Catastrophic fire was averted,
men and women were put to work
in a beneficial program and the
wildlife's habitat forage area was
improved.
What does it take to make a
plan based on prior practices with .
improved technology? Social engi'
neering has replaced renewable
resource practices with animal hus-
bandry for the predators and tour-
ism for the affluent. Trout Unlim-
ited, Wilderness Societies, Land
Trusts and others are locking up
the resources which provided this
nation with a prosperity, freedom
and liberty unknown by the average
citizen of the planet.
Sen. Tester's Missoula aide said
that the national forests belong to
all the people of America. I agree.
But the resources of the national
forests are to be used to benefit the
nation and be for use by the majori-
ty of America. The state of Montana
is a good steward of our forests, but
we know the track record of our
costly federal analysis/paralysis
regulations.
How many people have ever been
in the wilderness? Less than one -
tenth of 1 percent. More people
would benefit with products made
from resources, which came out of
our national forests.
The 2007 Montana Legislature
passed HJR 31, which stated that
the majority of Montanans did not
want any more wilderness 'desig
nations. The Helena Independent -
Record (Feb. 22, 2008) said that
Sen. Tester received an 80 per-
cent pro -environment rating from
national environment groups for
2007. Eighty percent of the people
attending Rep. Rehberg's listen-
ing sessions are against the Tester,
wilderness bill. Who is Sen. Tester
really representing? Special inter-
ests or the majority of the multiple -
use common-sense citizens, in local
communities, who have worked,
lived, played and recreated in our'
national forests.
Everett is a resident of Kalispell.
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