By the
Trout Lake Newswriters
Pat Arnold, 395-2233
Bonnie Reynolds, 395-2527
Maxine Bulick, 395-2101
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I am sure that Trout Lake folks are giving thanks for community, friends, and family, particularly this year, when the on-going financial turmoil is reminding us of the uncertainties of the material aspects of our lives. The forces of Wall Street and international finance surely affect us, but they do not take away the daily reality of our community, and for that we can truly be grateful.
So now we are careening into December, with the school winter program, the Christmas Cantata, and many other seasonal events. I always think of this time of year like a comet hurtling toward the point where its orbit curves around. We're hurtling toward the shortest day of the year, picking up speed, and soon we'll be around the curve in January, waiting out that endless first month of winter and heading toward spring.
The Trout Lake holiday market is coming up on Dec. 6, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the school and at the Grange. Proceeds benefit local vendors and students, so come see if anything pleases you.
If you haven't yet listened to the episode of This American Life (Chicago Public Radio) titled "The Giant Pool of Money" don't waste any more time. You can listen for free on the website, and then you will understand just what has happened and how. This is truly an amazing piece of journalism, full of interviews with people all along the chain of mortgages and investments that led to the present situation. Thanks to Trout Laker Mike Daly for pointing this out to me.
It's getting to be your turn on the Trout Lake Plan. We need comments and input. You can get the document on the Trout Lake website (thanks, Dave), and I can send you abbreviated versions (one section, all the goals, all the objectives -- you name it, I'll send it). Hopefully the following hypothetical example will get you thinking. When you get finished laughing at the simple-minded example, get to work.
Introduction: This element discusses our mineral resource land. Because of cost savings for community residents, we want to produce enough local rock and gravel for local building and development.
Existing Conditions: We have one working quarry which produces 85 tons of pea gravel every year.
Assessment/conclusions about existing conditions: We need base rock as well as pea gravel, and we needed 800 tons this year. The existing mine can only produce small quantities of base rock.
Future Needs and Alternatives: We foresee that by 2020 we will need 1500 tons per year. We can a) try to produce that all here, by expanding the existing pit and/or opening more pits; or b) we can buy the gravel from outside the valley; or c) we could change our driveway standards so that we would need fewer tons.
Goals: We have identified three goals. One is to reduce the amount of gravel we need by changing the driveway standard, so we will only need 1000 tons annually. The second goal is to open another pit by 2018. The third goal is to be able to locally produce 1000 tons of gravel by 2020.
Objectives: By 2010, we need to identify three potential mine sites and start the process of evaluating and permitting them. Also by 2010 the county public works department will begin a study of driveway requirements to determine if the amount of gravel can be reduced.
Policies: All new mines will have 1000 foot buffers from property lines. All new mines will operate with a maximum decibel level of 90 at the property line. No new mine will be located where run-off will contaminate a waterway.
So have it. Pick a section of interest, or the whole plan, and send your thoughts. You'll have time over Thanksgiving, since thinking about the plan is lots more fun than watching football, right? Pat Arnold, newswriter.
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