Survey requests presented at Swan Valley Community Council meeting

A snowy night, a log building and a handful of hearty citizens are the recipe for democracy in the woods. There were pickup trucks in the parking lot rather than horses, but it seemed like a meeting that could have occurred a hundred years ago.

Swan Valley Community Council Chairperson Grace Siloti called the meeting to order, which wasn’t tough given this was an orderly group. John Simon, member of the Swan Valley planning subcommittee, asked the group to encourage participation in a survey by the Swan Valley Elementary School regarding potential renovations to the school library. Surveys are available at the school, on the Swan Valley Facebook page, or the school Facebook page.

Swan Valley Community Council member Marcia Tapp spoke about “Lighting Up the Swan,” which involves decorating trees along Highway 83 with solar powered Christmas lights. “It will be fun and let people driving down the highway know we are here,” Tapp said.

Siloti presented information regarding the Montana Homeowners Assistance Fund, a program administered by the Montana Department of Commerce, which provides financial assistance for those facing hardships with mortgage delinquency, utilities, home repairs, or other threatening problems that could lead to homelessness. She also mentioned that the community meals program, with help from the Swan Valley Foundation, was proceeding smoothly.

Helene Michael and Simon from the planning committee are asking residents to respond to the county survey regarding needs and concerns about the future of the area. They noted that residents are older and getting older, raising questions about future services. There are other issues such as land use, building regulations and housing. Planning committee members are in the exhaustive process of creating a comprehensive report and would like as much input as possible. Surveys will be mailed to area residents or can be picked up at the Mission Mountain Mercantile or the Condon library.

Generally positive comments were made regarding the recent meeting with county officials at the Swan Valley Elementary School, but members of the audience reiterated the need for ongoing communication with the county government to alleviate concerns about the marginalization of remote areas.