Museum seeks permit change

SANDPOINT — The Bonner County Planning & Zoning Commission will entertain requests this month to modify a conditional use permit for the Bird Aviation Museum in Sagle and for a communications tower at Priest Lake.

The commission is holding public hearings on the requests on Tuesday, Jan. 11, in the Bonner County Administration Building, located at the corner of U.S. Highway 2 and Division Avenue.

The hearing on the Bird Aviation Museum permit is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and the tower hearing is set for 5:30 p.m.

Bonner County approved a permit for the museum at Glengary Bay in 2007. Forrest and Pam Bird seek to revise a condition of approval so that current exceptions to the house of operation apply to groups of any size. They also seek to modify a condition requiring a special use permit for events involving 400 people or more.

Jeff Berglund and Brian Seymore are asking for permit approval to erect a 130-foot lattice communications tower for broadband, high-speed Internet service. The tower would be located in the Nordman area, west of Highway 57 off Williams Drive and Lark Lane.

The public is encouraged to comment on the requests either in writing or by testifying at the hearing. Written comments longer than a page must be received by the Planning Department by Thursday. Comments longer than a page cannot be accepted at the hearing.

Written comments can be faxed to 265-1463 or e-mailed to planning@co.bonner.id.us. Staff reports concerning the requests can be viewed at the Planning Department on online. Staff reports are posted to the Planning Department’s website seven days before the hearing (www.co.bonner.id.us/planning).