What's important to you?
Editor,
The Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association is writing this letter in an effort to address a question we are often confronted with when responding to calls. "Why does it take so long to get a deputy when we need them?"
This is a legitimate question about a serious problem and you deserve a response. Often times it takes longer to respond than we would like, and we truly do understand how frustrating this is when you're the one waiting for us.
This is also frustrating for the deputies who respond to violent crimes by themselves, because their partner is already on a call over 60 miles away. If it wasn't for the 6,000+ hours put in by reserve officers the situation would be even more dire.
The problem is threefold:
1) We have a large patrol area. The State of Rhode Island is 1,545 square miles compared to over 1,650 square miles in Lake County.
2) We have a large call volume. In a 10-year period, calls for service in Lake County almost doubled, jumping from 17,767 in 1998 to nearly 33,000 in 2007.
3) Rarely are there more than two Patrol Deputies on duty at any given time.
These factors aside, you, the people we serve, have expressed the need for better service than we are providing. We understand that in order to provide the level of service you want, we need your help.
In this effort, we want to know what is important to you. We will be making survey cards available to the community over the next few months, and we would really value your input. To that end, we'd like to hear from you. Please call or write The Lake County Deputy's Association with your questions, concerns, ideas and comments. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 861 Polson, MT 59860. You can also email us at: lakecountydeputies@gmail.com
We feel very fortunate to serve in such a great community. We strive to deliver quality law enforcement and protection for all the citizens of Lake County, and will continue to do our best. With your input, we can try to meet those needs as best we can.
Sgt. Dan Duryee
Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association
Swim pool would provide many opportunities
Editor,
Having grown up in Polson, I am thrilled to hear there is a possibility a swimming pool will be built. How I wish I would have had the opportunity to swim competitively while growing up.
Like most residents, my siblings and I swam during the summer months when Flathead Lake was warm enough. I took swim lessons from the Red Cross and also completed the lifeguard and WSI certification classes. Without a local pool, there was no opportunity for me to swim competitively.
I can only imagine how my life would be different had I been swimming my entire life because I immediately took to the sport.
I have parlayed that experience into a career, both athletically and professionally. I compete on a world level in triathlons, duathlons and aquathlons and I coach swimming and triathlon.
I can say first hand what a great sport swimming is, from my experience as well as the transformation I see in the youth I coach. I train at a local YMCA and see both ends of the spectrum in terms of participants in the aquatics program. There are members who have been partaking in water aerobics for the past 25-35 years, and then six-month old infants learning to be comfortable in the water — as well as every age in between. It's a good community drawing point, providing the opportunities for interaction across generations and gender.
As a youth growing up in Polson, it's pivotal to provide as many positive outlets as possible, with the chance to develop relationships with positive adults. Building a pool in Polson will help accomplish this.
I can also speak as a past head lifeguard at Boettcher Park and swim instructor to the value of having a year-round facility to learn to swim. Many kids don't have the basic fundamentals to know how to swim and in a lake the size of Flathead, with the varying degrees of temperature and erratic weather changes, it is essential to their safety.
Erika Binger
Minneapolis and Big Arm
Motorist appreciates help
Editor,
I just wanted to say thank you to the nice lady who stopped at about 8:15 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008, near the 70-mile marker on Highway 93 to help me when my tire went flat like a pancake on my way to Polson.
You were an answer to a prayer before I even had a chance to ask God for help.
Thank you for taking the time to stop, offer me a ride, and allow me to use your cell phone to request further help. I'm proud to live in an area where people still help each other out.
Thank you and God bless you.
Kristin Pallant
Big Arm
Student urges Yes vote on pool issue
Editor,
Imagine if we had an indoor swimming pool, water slides, swimming lessons and much more. You can vote to make this happen. Mission Valley Aquatics is trying hard to make this wonderful place a reality, and they need the Polson residents to help them.
I'm nine years old and I had to learn to swim in Flathead Lake. If we had a big pool, all kids would learn to be good swimmers and we could swim all the time. Kids will have a blast!
Even our small town can have a pool if everyone votes yes on the mail-in ballot. Please help make this happen.
Hannah Hobbs
Polson