Our Viewpoint

When I describe Sanders County to people who have never been here or are just visiting, I often relay the fact that the county is 100 miles long and has no stop lights. Some might argue the flashing light at the corner of Highways 77 and 28 counts, but not in my world. Take the conversation further with locals and some will say, “if Sanders County ever gets a stop light, I’m moving.”

While it doesn’t appear we are close to getting a stop light in the county, we are growing and changing. Our population is increasing and our communities and services must grow with that. Just as we have to adapt to more traffic and more demand for services, the companies providing those services must also adapt.

Thompson Falls is in the process of updating water systems and expanding the sewer system. Plains is working to build new sewage treatment lagoons. Trout Creek is using ARPA funds to upgrade its water system. Blackfoot is working to bring faster internet to Thompson Falls and Plains. NorthWestern Energy has been installing new meters that can be read remotely. These are all necessary improvements for our changing communities.

One service that hasn’t kept up with the changes is cellular coverage. The grumblings started just after Memorial Day, as it has the past couple of years, of disruptions in service, being unable to make calls and a general slowdown in service. While one of the things we love about this area is the ability to escape to areas with no cell service, being able to conduct business and communicate with people in general is very vital to our strength as communities.

We’ve spoken with several Verizon customers who have been experiencing lapses in service throughout the summer as tourists and visitors and even the general increase in population bogs down the local service. When our staff called to ask, we were each provided some assistance with phone updates and then told there was nothing that could be done. As we’ve learned living most of our lives in rural areas, there is always something that can be done.

Change is inevitable, and as residents of Sanders County we are adapting to changes in population, changes in prices and changes in services. We are thankful to those companies who are investing in our area and adapting to the changes as well.

­— Annie Wooden