Swan Valley Economic Development Addressed

SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) discussed and edited seven paragraphs in the Regional Draft Plan at their monthly meeting Jan. 11. The paragraphs were part of the Economic Development Element under the section entitled Future Potential of Past and Current Economic Activity.

The SVRPC addressed five of the paragraphs: Residential Construction, Guiding/outfitting, Resource-based recreation, Eco-tourism and Accommodations. This portion of the draft plan deals with promoting the recreation possibilities the valley has to offer tourists and how to accommodate their housing or lodging needs. The committee approved to accept minor edits and additions to them.

The paragraphs entitled Education/Meeting/Conference Facility and Transfer Payments were discussed at more length.

The Education/Meeting/Conference Facility paragraph read that Swan Valley Connections is participating in the community’s education but that a larger facility has been proposed for the property across Highway 83 from the community hall/library known as Section 31.

SVRPC member Pat Sinz read from comments by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) which included more information about Section 31. TNC has held this property for the community to come up with a plan on how to use it. If no plan is devised to address any use, then it is likely the land will be sold to the United States Forest Service when funds become available. According to SVRPC chair Ken Donovan, there is now one quarter section available to the community.

Community members agreed that the property has been looked at in the past by investors for a variety of purposes: building a learning and conference center; to create fuel in a biomass plant; to manufacture oils and fragrances from forest materials or to be used as a community forest.

According to Donovan, TNC had so many restrictions that investors lost interest. “It is disappointing.” said Donovan. “The people had the money to do it.”

Committee member Dwayne Forder said he was for eliminating the paragraph “because there is not much hope [for the community’s use] about Section 31. Land has value only if you can use it.”

Substitute committee member Sara Halm agreed and said there is so much unknown and not much to say about it now.

Three of the five committee members agreed with Forder and voted to eliminate the Education/meeting/conference facility paragraph. Diann Ericson voted against the other three because she said that she thought the community needed the background information about Section 31. Pat Sinz abstained from voting because she didn’t feel she could make an educated decision.

Even though committee member Dave Johnson voted to eliminate the information in the plan about Section 31, he said, “Section 31 is in the heart of the community and is owned by an entity [TNC] that saw the value to this community. [The community] needs to do something about that property. It is an important piece of property.”

Donovan answered that there still should be community discussion about it.

The committee voted unanimously to accept the edits to the Transfer Payments section. As it read before the edits, because the retirement center and retirement housing did not exist, retirees did not add to the economic base of the valley.

The committee agreed that there is opportunity to provide a retirement center and housing to accommodate their needs. They also accepted the edits that said, “Retirees spend money in the local economy via transfer payments that do not rely on the local job market.”

Johnson called the money brought to the valley by retirees “a significant part of the [valley’s] economy” even though retirees are not in the labor force.

To receive a copy of the edited draft plan so far email Ken Donovan at: info@nordiqueloghomes.com.

The next SVRPC meeting will be Tues. Jan. 24, at the Swan Valley Community Hall at 7 p.m.