Flathead County is growing fast and experiencing the benefits and issues that come with it, such as congested roadways, demand for more goods and services, increased environmental impacts, and of course, a major economic engine, increased tourism. It would be disingenuous to encourage visitors to come here and not feel like we’re all contributing to the rush to discover “The Last Best Place.” If you’re reading this, you’ve found it. So have many others, including out-of-state developers who have found a way to build an amusement park in Lakeside, a project previously rejected by wise Lake County residents, in a residential neighborhood directly alongside U.S. Highway 93, one of the state’s busiest travel corridors year-round.
It’s no wonder then that Lakeside residents felt blindsided by the new construction of the amusement park, first identified as “cabins and a gift shop” by the developers. An application process full of potential loopholes and a convenient “look the other way” attitude from Flathead County commissioners meant few obstacles in the way of public deception and project approval, despite the lack of any environmental, traffic, or quality of life considerations for Lakeside residents. Adding to the confusion and dismay of locals, the adjacent Montana Department of Transportation lot used for summertime highway construction may be up for sale, an opportunity seemingly hand-picked for a tourism business needing nearby parking, highway access, and room to grow.
Certainly, being properly represented is an expectation that voters should have of their elected officials. In the case of this amusement park stuffed into a pocket of vacant land in a residential neighborhood along a major highway on the west side of Flathead Lake, without proper planning, without traffic and public safety considerations, without a comprehensive study of noise and light impacts, impact to property values, and quality of life, none of us are amused and our voices and concerns were not heard.
Derek Young
Lakeside