Committee Prepares for March 2 Community Meeting

SWAN VALLEY – The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) decided on the ground rules for the March 2 community meeting to which the community will be invited to bring questions and comments regarding the draft Swan Valley-Condon Regional Plan (SVRP) for the Swan Valley.

The meeting will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Swan Valley Community Hall. While there will be copies of the draft plan available at the meeting, the public is invited to review it ahead of time at the Swan Valley Library or online by visiting http://www.tinyurl.com/svplanupdate

The meeting will consist of a brief overview of the plan given by Planner Bob Horne who has written the draft under the direction of the committee. The floor will then be opened up to the public for comments and questions. Each speaker will have five minutes to give comments and direct questions to the committee. Following the first round of comments the committee will meet briefly to see if they have any questions for the public and then will allow a redirect for anyone in attendance to ask questions or make comments of the first speakers.

All comments at the meeting will be recorded and considered during the draft revision in the upcoming months prior to submitting the draft to the Swan Valley Community Council for approval. Those that are unable to make the meeting can also comment via a letter mailed to the Swan Valley Community Council Attention Planning Committee, PO Box 1156, Condon MT 59826 or email swanvalleyplancomments@gmail.com. Comments will be posted on the county website in a folder and available for the public to review.

The only comment received as of the Feb. 10 SVRPC meeting was a comment from Missoula County Public Works asking the committee to correct that the trash that is hauled from Condon is taken all the way to Missoula and not to the Seeley Lake Transfer Site as written in the draft.

The SVRPC will review all comments and start on the revision process at their next meeting, March 9 at 4 p.m. at the Swan Valley Community Hall. Once the draft is approved by the Swan Valley Community Council, it will be presented to Missoula County Community and Planning Services (CAPS) staff that will then make comments, recommendations and work with the SVRPC to finalize the draft. Once CAPS is satisfied with the way the draft reads it will be forwarded to the Missoula County Planning Board and then to the Missoula County Commissioners for adoption.

There will be several more opportunities to get involved in the process once it is turned over to the county including a public hearing. The SVRPC encourages the community to get involved in the process now and stay involved through the entire process.