TOF 10-2-2017 Council Meeting posted at 9:50 a.m. on 9-29-2017?

13 Comments

1. Checkout this link.. thought this sounded pretty good.

   • Our Website does not allow Facebook Reposts.
     The two are, and shall remain, for our purposes, separate entities.
     Persons however are allowed to place text from such sources, as long as they note the general provenance of the data within their post as Kathleen Thomspon did below. No specific provenance will be allowed in order to keep the playing field level.

2. I saw this post from Mark Leza Vargas‎ on Bromberg Montana Happenings and thought this idea is terrific !

   Well we have officially put in our bid for the Barley Field. We thought it important to share with the community what our plans are for the acreage. We plan on making a home for Mark’s father so the kids can spend as much time as possible with him, but we are also very interested in doing something that benefits the community. The Clark’s Fork Valley has a rich history of gardens and huge orchards going back many generations. We want to help bring back that tradition! We have written our offer with the provision that we will be providing up to an acre for a community garden. We will till the soil and prepare it for planting and will utilize the water shares from the Barley field and our own adjacent property to keep it watered. We have already spoken with the FFA advisor and they are on board for helping out with volunteers and utilizing some of the harvest for the program they have for needy families. We are incredibly excited about this opportunity and hope that others will come out to the meeting on Monday at 7pm to show their support for the idea. A beautiful and useful garden will add value to the community and the surrounding properties on the east side. Mark’s father is an avid gardener and looks forward to aiding in the growing and maintenance of the garden, as well as the opportunity to meet others from the community and to provide food to Fromberg. We would love to hear from anyone interested in being involved in this project. We have already started researching grant monies and donation prospects from surrounding businesses. We would love nothing more than to see this program grow and expand in size and community involvement. Expansion of the project or grant participation could be something that makes this something that Fromberg is known for. We could even expand with a greenhouse or a farmer’s market! Please feel free to express your ideas and we hope to see you Monday night! Your participation is what will make this a reality!

3. Self aggrandizement or promotion of family self interest? Why else would this same info be posted on 4 Facebook pages? Fromberg Montana Happenings. Bridger Montana Happenings. Carbon county classifieds. Carbon County Montana Barter/Trade.

4. Good idea for a town community garden or not? That’s what the subject is here

5. Oh for Heaven’s Sake! It’s a garden. People have had community gardens since the beginning of time. Remember the Victory Garden’s of WW2? This all seems so self serving. The timing is very obvious. All these multiple Facebook postings the Saturday morning AFTER the bid process closed Friday night at 5 p.m. Why is the public only NOW learning of your “garden” idea put forth in your most recent bid for the “barley field”? Researching grant money? Are you kidding? What, to buy a few seeds? You stated you’d so graciously provide use of a one acre parcel and water from adjacent property. You stated that the primary use of the property will be a family member’s homesite. Will you put it in writing that said “Community Garden” is for use of all citizens of Fromberg in perpetuity? Why don’t you and your family begin this project with your own sweat equity? Be active community leaders instead of virtual ones. Leading by action rather than talk. And all from the family of one who hopes to be mayor?

6. Like every other volunteer organization, it starts out going great. But in a few months, the volunteers drop off and a few are left to do the work. Many people in town volunteer and put effort into projects tirelessly and continually and never expect any thanks or recognition for the good works they do.
   They do it because they are proud of their town and want others to be proud also. Not to put a damper of a community garden, but as stated , most everyone has a garden. Those who don’t either don’t enjoy that sort of activity and prefer to buy product all ready to go at the market. Grants are not as easy to obtain as most think they are. You have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get one and they are many stipulations involved. If anyone wants to get involved in an improvement project, step as so many have and offer your help and ideas. I agree with Alice, put some serious sweat equity into the town itself, the rewards are many and very fulfilling.

7. The Montana ethics code states that an elected official cannot benefit financially from any dealings with the town. If I had checked this out earlier, and I must admit I didn’t, Mr. Perkins may have had to go about this in a different way. He is benefiting from this resolution. The same can be said of The Mayor, as an elected officer of the town and a business owner and vendor, selling computer supplies to the town and other supplies. In the last months printout of expenses we paid $371 to the Mayor for computer supplies, and we have been since he opened his business here. As for all the help he and Mr Perkins have given(?) to the town Public Works Dept , if you go through the expense claims, they have been paid for a lot that work.
   Every council person is paid for meetings attended, granted, very little. As a council member (who lives on a very limited budget) I donate my council earnings back to the city and I am the only one that does. Makes one wonder why more people are not interested in what the town spends their money on.

8. As I have had objections to the way the process for the sale of the barley field was handled, I will vote no on that sale. The first offer made by Mr. and Mrs. Mark Vargas at the August meeting was by all accounts low, according to other realtors and was tabled. In the meantime another offer was made at a higher bid, to which the bids were made known to several people. The Mayor was then advised by legal council to advertise. This was done and offers were made, although the process was still not done properly. At the October meeting the bids were opened, but this time the name on the bid was not Mr. and Mrs. Mark Vargas, it was now in the name of Mr. Vargas’ father Wayne. Why the change? Because Mrs. Vargas found she could not complete the deal and profit from the town, as a candidate and if she is elected to office. Also, anticipating another offer, the previous offer by them was considerably higher than their first offer. There was a leak somewhere by the town employees as to the offer made in August by another individual. These are the facts. So, because of the inadequate handling of the whole process from the beginning, I will cast a “no” vote to sell the property. As stated previously, If it had been done the right way to begin with, my thoughts might be different. Now, The vote to sell will be yes, because it again will be a tie and the Mayor will vote yes to break the tie. But I will know I did the right thing.

9. Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing
   this post and also the rest of the website is extremely good.

   http://theelderscrolls5skyrimevolution225.ru

10. There have been many suggestions on how and why the town should invest in itself and develop this property to generate funding back into the town.
    Personally, I don’t have objections to selling it. besides the fact that the town of Fromberg, with a little planning, minimal investment and some work by the town crew could actually turn it into a good way to bring much needed added funds into the town budget. But I did and do have many objections to the way it was handled from the start. There are many volunteers in place and ready to roll up their sleeves to help in any way they can.
    This website is great because you get a lot of important and valuable feedback from the citizens in Fromberg and for the council as well. As a councilperson, I for one , am very happy to hear any information, ideas or solutions to concerns voiced here. You, the people of Fromberg, have a site to do that on and any and everything you say is very much appreciated. Thank You for your comment.

11. Thank you. Our primary goal has been to provide easily accessible, irrefutable, factual documentation regarding the Town of Fromberg in a timely, professional manner. And to provide an ongoing open forum for all citizens of Fromberg. We work diligently toward these goals everyday.

12. For those who have visited this site, tell your friends and neighbors. My opinions on things brought to the council are there on the videos and tapes, for all to hear. There are many who cannot attend meetings, and this site is a perfect way to actually attend those meetings incognito, so to speak.
    There are some who just as loudly voice their objections to my opinion, but in the best interest of the town I feel all voices should be heard.
    There are times when I have been wrong, and I am not afraid to say I was. We should all do our best to work on solutions that will better the town.
    This site offers a way to bridge that gap for those who can’t attend meetings and perhaps offer their ideas for solutions. Everyone has a voice and every persons voice or comment is valid and important. So hop on board and be part of it.