Community needs explored during public meeting

More than a dozen community members joined the county commissioners at the public hearing last Thursday to discuss community needs.

Ray Brown, executive director of Sanders County Community Development, said the purpose of the public hearing was to find out what the needs are of each community and then to help look at different funding options. “Hearing the needs from you is really helpful for us,” Brown told the community members. “We want to identify community needs, projects and priorities.”

Lisa Fried de Reyes with Sanders County Community Housing Organization (SCCHO) outlined projects for their group, including building housing on land that was donated in Noxon. She said they are still working on funding for the project and are looking at a variety of sources. SCCHO also has been approached by a group in Plains to build affordable rentals.

Commissioner Tony Cox listed several projects in the county that are a priority, including new office space for the sheriff’s office, a new dispatch center, rehabilitation of the Noxon bridge, and better pedestrian access to the bridge to the fairgrounds in Plains. Cox also mentioned timber health and suggested that instead of wildfire fighting, work should be done on harvesting timber and taking care of forests. “We need to support TRL because it’s one of the last local timber mills,” he added.

Other community needs discussed at the meeting included assistance for parking and portable toilets in Hot Springs. Concerned Citizens of Hot Springs would like to figure out how to support the library, and also conduct market research to determine needs and develop a plan for the community. Karen Thorson with the Paradise Center said they submitted a letter outlining the organization’s needs, including updating parking at the center, which is located at the former Paradise School. Kelly Dausett with the Sanders County Council on Aging and Sanders County Transportation said they would like to make the public transportation service fare-free. The service goes from Thompson Falls to Missoula five days a week, and that costs $15 per person. An extra $20,000 a year in funding would allow the service to be offered for free to residents.

Zach Whipple-Kilmer with the Eastern Sanders County Collaborative said that group continues to work with state and federal agencies on natural resource management projects, including helping landowners do fire prevention work on their properties. Rusti Leivestad of Thompson Falls said a group of community members has been brainstorming ways to help the county’s solid waste department. For instance, they are looking at options to help connect people who compost or to recycle wood products that would normally be hauled away with trash.

A handful of community members expressed concerns with the county or local groups taking federal money. Peggy Bates and Loreli Cuvillier both spoke out against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Cuvillier said having affordable housing brings in low-income people and then the community has to support those people. “It’s up to the local taxpayers to support that structure. I’m fearful of anything the federal government comes down with because there’s always strings attached,” Cuvillier stated. Brown responded that with any projects in which SCCD is involved, they are transparent about where the funding is coming from.

With community needs identified, Mission West and Sanders County Community Development will work to help local organizations look into funding sources for projects.