Saturday, January 19, 2008

Public Service Announcement

Floating Homes Association
P.O. Box 444,
Bayview, ID 83803

To Bayview Residents:

The purpose of this letter is to ask you to seriously consider making a contribution to the Legal Fund of the Floating Homes Association (FHA).

Although most float home owners do not reside in Bayview full time, many of us spend a lot more time in our beautiful town than you might imagine, certainly more than just a few weeks and weekends in the summer. In recent years, “floathomers” have supported the community in numerous ways. One has served on the Board of the Bayview Chamber of Commerce, two have been part of the Development Analysis Committee, one has served on the Overlay project, one has been on the Community Center Board, several have testified at Kootenai County hearings, multiple Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) hearings, and the recent IDAPA rule making process. Many of us are good friends with many of you. For years and years, the FHA has contributed substantially to the Bayview Daze Fireworks Fund, and also to keep a street light lit all year. We sent a Bayview child to camp. As an association, we made a significant contribution to Jerry Berry’s medical care, and more than several of our members also contributed to Jerry’s fund. In September, 2007, the FHA and our members individually contributed $1200 to help pay the Overlay filing fee. In short, we think we have been good neighbors, and good members of the community. We hope you feel the same.

When Bob Holland raised float home moorage rates over 100% in 2004 and 2005, we asked the Idaho Land Board and the IDL to help us. To be blunt, the IDL has not been of much help to us. It took four trips in 2006 and 2007 to Boise, where several of us testified before the Land Board, to finally get some results.

As a result of our officers’ and members’ testimony in Boise at the Land Board on those four separate occasions, the Land Board directed the IDL to include language in all renewal master leases that floathome moorage rates will be reasonable. They also directed the IDL to work with the legislature on an amendment to the Floating Homes Residency Act (FHRA). The IDL was instructed to seek our input when seeking a legislative fix.

Unbeknownst to us, and certainly with no input from us, the IDL Director drafted an amendment to the FHRA that will not materially help us, and could actually hurt us, unless we take strong and immediate action in the next few weeks. We need to get badly needed revisions and amendments made in this proposed IDL amendment, or it will be passed, as is, by the Idaho Legislature in January or early February.

District Three Senator Mike Jorgenson has been helping us, but he and others have told us that to have any chance of success, we must hire a Boise lobbyist. Idaho Legislators do not have any staff, and usually rely on lobbyists to supply them with facts and arguments as to why a certain bill should be passed, amended, or defeated. Said another way, the current proposed IDL amendment will certainly pass in its current form, unless we act quickly and decisively to get it amended.

We have just hired a highly recommended lobbyist, but her fee far exceeds our existing legal fund. We have asked our membership, and even those “floathomers” who are not members, to contribute as generously as they can, but it is unlikely we will raise enough money from them to reach the needed amount.

So we are asking you now for your support; whatever you can afford or are inclined to donate will help, and will be greatly appreciated. Please seriously consider helping us win our rent battle with greedy and unreasonable developers who apparently do not care about the charm and culture of Bayview. We think our float homes are part of that charm, and we want to stay a part of the Bayview community forever. Please help us.

We realize the recent holiday season may have strained budgets and we all have many other things going on. If you can donate now, please do. If that’s not possible, would you try to do so later on in February? Or if you would like to make a pledge now, and make monthly payments over some period of time convenient for you, just write a simple note as to what you want to do, and send it in to the following address.

Please mail your contribution to:
Lyn Shoemaker, Treasurer
FHA
PO Box 444
Bayview, ID 83803
Thank you so very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Powell Shoemaker, President 509-533-6455 pshoe417@comcast.net
Bob Brooke, Vice President 208-762-3664 Bob@robertdbrooke.com
Jamie Berube, Secretary 509-928-2570 jberube@smhca.org
Lyn Shoemaker, Treasurer 509-533-6455 pshoe417@comcast.net

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here in the real world it cost Money to live on the water. No simpathy here. If you can't afford it move, don't complain to Congress that the rent is due...

Anonymous said...

More moaning and complaining goes in Bayview than in any other city in America. If Bob Holland bought the Marina's he is entitled to raise rents to cover payments. If he buys a piece of property and wants to build a garage and the laws says he can, why not. The greedy developers are only doing what the laws say they can as property owners. If the people of Bayview don't like they should get some jobs and buy the land themselves.

Bay Views said...

I published this letter, not as an advocate, but to get people talking about the issue.Having said that, I see a glaring problem of imbalance. If the market on floathome rents is totally unchecked, and the State of Idaho persists in limiting Fting supply, then they have crated an unregulated monopoly.

I too, am in favor of free enterprise, but with the existing restrictions on expansion, it isn't free enterprise at all. It's a controlled market with the residents at the mercy of whom ever they rent from.

Anonymous said...

The passion exhibited by those who say, "If you can't afford it move, don't complain...", amazes me. Thankfully most of the Bayview residents are kind and helpful neighbors. If you are an example of the new Bayview, I would be glad to move, if there was anyplace else that hasn't been ruined by greedy developers. Bayview represents the last best place and a vast majority of us are willing to speak up to protect it.
If you don't like it, then you might want to leave because we're not quitting.

Anonymous said...

Real Estate is one of the only self-correcting markets there is. If Holland Raises rents and nobody wants to live there he'll price himself out. If his price is right others will move in. Instead people there complain because they will soon have to pay market value for living near or on the water.

Anonymous said...

Herb,

You said it. They are at the mercy of who they rent from. Why rent? Get something they can own. Go buy a house in Bayview they can own. Why does everyone want to live for free in Bayview? I actually hope the developers make it a better place here

Anonymous said...

The greedy developers, as one Anonymous called them, are also the ones who don't follow the law.
Do you realize that you are complaining about complaining. Ironically oxymoronic.

I personally like it here. Obviously you want to see it change and resemble everywhere else which makes me feel sorry for you.

The float homes owners have had their rents increase 80% to 100% in a year. That is greedy, no doubt.

There is no place to turn for a float home owner.
I bet if you lived in a float home you would be grumbling if someone was forcing you to sell. Try walking in the other person's shoes.
I don't live on or near the water but support my fellow community members in the float homes.

Bay Views said...

I have rejected three comments. Let me explain the rules that I use. If you are making a personal attack, and use anonymous, It won't get posted. For that matter, no personal attacks will be posted. Also, If a comment is a rant intended to attack the blog or it's author, it won't. This is my sandbox. I make the rules. If anyone wants to step up on a stump, go for it, but start your own blog.I prefer for commenters to use their own names. Throwing rocks from behind another name is cowardly, and isn't met with approval here either.

Anonymous said...

Herb,

How do you feel about the happenings in Bayview? I understand people here are not happy with Holland but shouldn't he be allowed to raise rents. One comment said that Real Estate is a self correcting market he could price himself out of the market which is very true, why not let him.

Sheryl stated that Holland raised the rent %100. If you look around at Sandpoint and Lake CDA that's probably market value for the water. The owners should sell and make some nice profits that will buy their next home.

Bayview is a very nice place with nice people. What is the opposition to change all about. Is it just Holland or do people not want anything new here. There are alot of new proposals happening here dealing with not only float homes but with the area itself. I'm sure the developers will be asking market value for those as well.

How do people feel about them?

Bay Views said...

I of course can't speak for anyone other than myself. I don't think the issue should be whether or not rents are raised. The issue in my mind, is that with the State of Idaho prohibiting any float home expansion, it then becomes a monopoly. If, for instance, as some have suggested, a rent is raised higher than a person can afford, then they should move. To where? How?

5 or 6 years ago, anyone could buy a float home for under $30,000. Many of the people that now own them, have owned them for many years. Without question, it was legitimate for marina owners to keep up with inflation. The key here, as I see it, is with the monopoly the state has created, there is no competition, therefore no free market.

Bay Views said...

Due to one commenter's repeated spaming of this post, no more comments will be entertained on this post. The information is out there, both positions are known. This is not a soap box for repeated stuff from one source.