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Covering the Bitterroot Valley – “Where Montana Begins!” – Established 1985 – Locally Owned & Independent
’ ! l a c o L t a t s e B ‘The
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
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Volume XXXVI, Number 35
Council opts for more information on Burnt Fork Estates
Unique vision results in Florence community asset
by Victoria Howell The bulk of last Thursday’s Stevensville Town Council meeting was taken up with a slide presentation by a consultant for the developers of the proposed Burnt Fork Estates subdivision. The presentation, by Andy Mefford with PCI, was the developers’ response to many of the concerns raised at the public hearings that have been held so far. Although the agenda item was listed as “Discussion/Decision: approval, approval with conditions, or denial of preliminary plat for the major subdivision known as Burnt Fork Estates,” citizens who attended the council meeting expecting to comment on the subdivision went home disappointed, as they were not allowed to speak on that topic. Before the presentation, council member Jaime Devlin said she would like to see the developers host an open meeting where members of the public could ask questions and receive answers to their concerns. She said the process hasn’t been working in a way that provides answers. She said there are too many questions that remain unanswered. “This is too big of a project,” said Devlin. “In my opinion at this time it’s not a viable proposal that you have proposed to us. I would like to see the developers do their due diligence. At the end of the day, we have to be able to look at our community members and say this project is going to be okay. I don’t feel like I can do that at this time. So, leading into trying to make a decision in the real near future is not something I’m willing to do.” “I think we heard a week ago tonight pretty much 30 to 1 that people don’t wish to see a C2 [commercial] section out there…” said council member Dempsey Vick. “People who bought in Creekside were told that any development going in would be very similar to what they have now. They’re getting something completely different.” Vick also wondered who would pay the bill for all the necessary upgrades. He also said before making a decision he would like to hear directly from DNRC and DEQ regarding the Town’s water rights situation, something Mayor Brandon Dewey said probably wouldn’t happen. Council member Patrick Shourd also said he thought more meetings were needed to help the public get the answers they need. He also mentioned traffic and stormwater as particular concerns of his. Council member Paul Ludington appeared to favor moving forward with the project, saying that “there are still a lot of hoops that have to be jumped through before the developers can turn a shovel or sell a lot.” He said the process has been going on for over a year already. “We’re not really trying to put the cart before the horse here. We’re just trying to get the process started… We can decide who’s going to pay for what as those issues are resolved…” Mefford offered a comparison between Creekside Meadows Phases 3-5 (which were never built) and the proposed Burnt Fork Estates. Creekside was slated for 127 single-family lots and 28 multi-family units on two lots for a total of 155 units on 129 lots on 57.68 acres with overall density of 2.7 units per acre. Burnt Fork Estates proposes 78 single-family lots, 131 multifamily units on 43 lots, and 16 commercial lots for a total of 225 units on 137 lots on 57.68 acres with overall density of 3.9 units per acre. Mefford said that the maximum possible units will not necessarily be built out that way; density could turn out to be less. See BFE, page 6
Silas Torrey, upstairs in the viewing gallery of the huge gym he built himself, talks about his philosophy and vision for its future use as a community wellness center. Victoria Howell photo.
State-of-the-art features in Florence by Victoria Howell If you want to play pickleball, you can do it right now, on state-of-the-art courts in Florence. And you can do it for free. All because Silas Torrey had a vision. With a background in chemistry and physics, Torrey says nutrition is one of his greatest passions, along with sports and family. For many years Torrey, now 76, operated a restaurant in Missoula called Torrey’s Home Cooking, specializing in cheap, healthy meals. He charged just $6 for a full meal, but in the final two years he dropped that by half to see if he could get more people in. “I was trying to get unhealthy people to come in, but that just didn’t work. I wasn’t reaching the people I wanted to reach,” said Torrey. After that he bought a sailboat and went sailing for 20 years. When he was in Oregon waiting for his boat to be repaired, he ended up playing pickleball with some friendly folks. That experience made him realize that pickleball is a conduit for promoting social interaction while simultaneously providing health benefits. “I
saw the joy that people had playing pickleball.” Torrey bought a piece of property on Highway 93 in Florence about 20 years ago because he liked the location and the setting, adjacent to One Horse Creek with interesting natural features. Years later, he thought he might be able to do something there that incorporated two of his interests: sports and nutrition. He published a letter in local media asking the community what they might like to see there and how they might want to be involved. He held a public meeting, and although he got numerous responses, he ended up pushing forward on his own. “I had about $100,000 to start,” he says. “I just kept putting some extra in every year.” Three and a half years later, he has a beautiful gym with four pickleball courts inside and three outside. He’s added restrooms, changing rooms, and is now renovating the restaurant that was on the place when he bought it. On one side, the gym is decorated with mounts of elk that he shot with bow and arrow, and on the other side is sailing memorabilia related to his boat
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”Bread and Roses,” for which the place is named. He has opened the gym for pickleball play three nights a week, free of charge for now. He says it’s limited to 26 people per night, 12 years and up, with no spectators at this time. Torrey says he tries to match skill levels among players. “Everyone will have equal opportunity here.” “I envision this as a community wellness center,” says Torrey. “I want to encourage families – young people and their parents – that’s who I’m trying to get out here. There’s almost zero opportunity for these people to get out and do this. It’s not something that has been presented as much as it should be.” He says he’s contacting all the local schools to invite them to bring students here. “It can be a fun thing for younger people if they just had the opportunity.” Torrey has construction skills, having built and maintained a number of rental properties for years. He said that by doing all the work himself, with help from his children and grandchildren, he has saved hundreds of thousands of dollars. He said he works on it about six hours every day. He estimates that he will be fully open sometime around September, with a restaurant serving simple, nutritious meals like hearty
soups and wraps for around $4.00 to cover the cost of the food. He also plans to rent the facility out for weddings, anniversaries and birthday parties. “I’d really like not to have to charge,” says Torrey. “I want this to be available to everyone.” He acknowledges, however, that there will be fixed costs, like utilities and staffing that will have to be paid for somehow. “Making a profit just doesn’t mean much to me,” says Torrey. “I have faith that people are going to start chipping in. I’m trying to get the place finished up first. Then maybe people will be willing to invest in this. I have faith that it will come through.” Torrey says his children think he’s crazy for doing business the way he does. But, “All my kids and grandkids seem to want to stay around. When I’m gone, this will be around for them.” He says his philosophy of life is “really very simple. I listen to what everyone has to say. I try to figure out what’s right and wrong. And I treat people fairly.” For more information on the pickleball sessions, contact Silas at 369-2710. Victoria Howell can be contacted at: victoriahowell53@gmail.com
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