Tony's Letter

I just read the recent letter from Rich Kelley.  Thank you Rich for communicating with us.  Your contribution of volunteering your time is much appreciated by me and, I'm sure, my fellow land owners as was the contributions made by your predecessors.  I usually try very hard to avoid criticizing the efforts of those who volunteer their time for the betterment of their community for I myself have been in that thankless position as Secretary/Treasurer of a Montana Fire Service Area, Secretary/Treasurer of a Volunteer Fire Department, and Captain on that fire department for almost ten years.  My experience during these years taught me yo respect the efforts of others who are striving to achieve the same goals as I.  I noticed at the last meeting I attended, when new officers were voted onto the board, there was never a "thank you" to the leaving officers for their service. To the contrary, Rich Kelley exhibited an angry, finger pointing display of emotion.  As a newly elected officer, representing friends and neighbors, you should carry yourself a little more professionally.

It's true the previous officers made mistakes, as we all tend to do.  I had issues several times over lack of communication and other issues but to verbally assault them with accusations of deliberate negligence and profiteering is counter productive, to say the least, in our efforts to build the community we all dream of here.  I have noticed that since the new board has taken office, attendance by property owners has drastically diminished. Has Rich or Dave wondered why?  After talking to my neighbors, I can tell you why.  It is because of the emotional outbreaks and displays of anger Rich and Dave have expressed at previous meetings.  This attitude is hurting us all.

Finally, we come to the road "improvements" recently attempted.  Rich, please do not insult us by insinuating this work is comparable to that performed last year.  Last year, a professional road construction crew was here for weeks with a variety of equipment.  Dump trucks hauled in good road mix for days on end, covering the rocky areas and filling in the low spots.  Skid Steers moved more fill to strategic locations to optimize every precious cubic yard hauled in.  A grader was in my area alone for many days planing the road surface and building a base for even more improvements in the future.  You hired a man to come through the roads as quickly as possible in order to show the property owners that you were not a liar when you quoted outlandishly low prices for future road work.  As a result, most of the material hauled in last year was simply scraped to the shoulder, in many cases filling in the drain gutters.  That grader must have been flying because it wasn't here long enough for me to even notice.  I'm not saying the contractor did a poor job... he did  what he was paid to do...but I am saying that the cheapest work is not necessarily the best choice in the long run.  Roads demand a yearly scheduling of quality improvements in order to avoid being washed away.  There is a lot more to it than running a grader over the surface and scraping off the fines.

In conclusion, let me reiterate one important thought.  Rules and laws are an important ingredient when building a successful community but they need to be interpreted and abided by in such a way  as to not create disruption within the society.  Criticism can be a beneficial tool in tweaking mistakes but it should never be used to purposely hurt others... especially to the point the quality of life is lowered for everyone within the community.  

Whoever is elected in the upcoming election, I hope they lighten up and respect those they represent with a little more dignity.  I hope they communicate their intentions as well as their actions.  I hope accurate records are kept of all transactions and that these records are made public to all property owners.  And I hope they receive the support, understanding and gratitude they so rightly deserve for donating so much of their valuable time.  Thank you all, both past and present, for your contributions to our community.  Right or wrong, you are all trying and that is more than most of us can claim. 

Note:  Tony requested his letter be posted.