Resident grateful for city's business meeting

Letter to the Editor,

I would like to comment on the annual City Council-Business Meeting held on Sept.19, at the Ponderosa Room.

The City Council brought speakers from Kalispell that have experience with restoring and renewing the areas that need it the most.

The objective of the meeting was to open up the minds of the community, the city, and business owners to what it would take to “cultivate Libby’s business community.” They shared their struggles, challenges and the processes through which they were able to achieve the goal they were working toward.

I would like to say thank you to the City Council, especially Robin Benson, for bringing the speakers to Libby in efforts to promote a positive business atmosphere in our community.

Libby has undergone so much negative publicity over the years and one of our main struggles has been to overcome it, along with the economy downfall. However, the job is far from done.

With the economy taking a downhill slide, it has become difficult to afford the maintenance of businesses of Libby.

Business owners can’t really afford any tax increases, so they tend to be nervous when hearing about restoration or development projects.

The speakers from Kalispell explained that with a combined effort from our city leaders and business owners there is much that can be accomplished. The key to success is maintaining determination, partnerships, and, most importantly, a positive attitude.

By bringing the speakers here to Libby to share their experiences, it allowed those who attended to realize that the goal is not out of reach, but will take the combined efforts of the community to reach success.

I commend Benson for her efforts in bringing together the business community with the City Council for a common purpose — Libby.

— Naomi Rebo

Libby