Make your voice heard at hearing

Editor,

On June 29 the Polson City Council will hear public input regarding the proposed Wal-Mart superstore. Though there are myriad reasons for questioning such a mammoth corporate development in our community, I feel a few are especially worth consideration.

In this conflict there seems to be two fronts — an ethical one and a legal one. It is my hope that the council will see this proposal for what it is, and make a decision that honors both aspects.

There are two aspects of the Wal-Mart superstore proposal that seem most worthy of our community's consideration. First is the very nature of this place. What we love about our home is the unique character of the human and natural landscapes one encounters here, whether walking with friends downtown or taking in the quiet majesty of the lake and the mountains that frame and symbolize the Mission Valley. Every place, every community, has an identity; a feel, a collective effect that its residents and its visitors perceive.

I firmly believe, as do nearly all of the people who I have discussed this issue with, that this unique identity will be forever altered if the superstore proposal is pushed through. Not only because of how Wal-Mart will dominate the economic climate of this area, but also because of the kind of precedent for this particular kind of growth that such a project will most certainly spawn. Growth and development is inevitable in Lake County. But we can either guide it carefully, with attention to the nature of why we love to live here, or we can ignore this in order to centralize our commerce. Many of us feel this latter path is short-sighted and irresponsible, particularly in light of the fact that we have existing services and goods that meet our needs right here now.

Secondly, there is the issue of whether or not this proposal is in keeping with the established guidelines that citizens of the community have put in place to regulate responsible growth. According to both local (PDC, PMP) and state (MCA) mandates, the zoning change Wal-Mart is requesting is clearly prohibited. The obvious intention of these mandates was to monitor large-scale developments and attend to maintaining the visual integrity of the region. I trust the city council will recognize these established rules, consider why they were put in place, and deny the zone change request.

I urge all citizens of Lake County to make their feelings known about this pivotal issue by attending and participating in the public hearing at Polson High School on June 29. In my view, the very essence of the future of our community is at stake. Both matters of the heart and of the law will be considered, and in both instances, the case against the superstore proposal seems very clear.

Doug Ruhman

Polson