Dig deeper into Heart and Soul’s agenda
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Editor,
As a relative newcomer to the Polson area, I have been following with curious interest the enthusiastic Heart and Soul activities and projects.
Of course there is unanimous agreement about Polson’s calendar picture beauty of the lake, and the friendliness of the people, which is what attracted us to this area. The aquatic pool, bike paths, and bridge under the bridge are amenities that may be viewed as welcome improvements to some.
However, the streets and infrastructure in need of repairs, and the visible struggle to keep businesses open are in such sharp contrast to the expensive improvements that I began to ask questions, to which a friend simply replied, “follow the money.”
Further investigation revealed the presence of outside interests and influence, namely the Orton Foundation, which is endowing large sums of grant money to Polson and providing trained leadership to dispense it according to Orton’s agenda.
On Orton’s website, both the mission and vision statements sound good, but in digging deeper from their IRS Form 990 (for non-profits), it states: “At a higher level the Foundation seeks to influence the field of land use planning.”
So down the road, just how will their agenda affect our personal property use and values? It’s well and good to ask, “What do we like about Polson and what do we need to make it a better place to live?” But it’s also prudent to ask, “What does Polson not need to make it a better place to live?”
For example:
• More codes, code changes, restrictions, regulations, and ordinances that infringe on our personal property rights
• Lower property values because of the above
• More monitoring
• Increased taxation
I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that we need to wake up, continue to ask questions, and make sure we understand what we are getting into as property owners and a community.
Do your own due diligence.
Carolyn Palmquist
Polson
