Dear Sagle citizens,

My husband and I moved to Sagle last July and have so enjoyed living in this area after having been in the hustle and bustle of urban life for 32 years.  The peace and quiet has been refreshing and a welcomed relief to constant sirens, traffic, and the busyness that goes along with living in area with almost 240,000 people.

Shortly before we moved here, we learned about the asphalt plant, but because we knew very little about the implications of that, and since we were already committed, we decided we’d ride it out and see what happened. Unfortunately, the only public hearing I had the opportunity to attend was the last one on December 13 presided over by the judge from Lewiston whose decision was ultimately not in our favor.  The thought of an increase in large, noisy dump trucks pounding down our road creating suffocating amounts of dust in the air, the possibility of the aquafer being contaminated, the pollution through contaminants in the air, the noise, and losing money on our investment in our beautiful new home was very disheartening. 

Then a couple of months later I met Jonna Plante - and I immediately knew I’d met a champion.  I was impressed with her depth of knowledge about the situation and its history.  Her drive and ambition to see this thing stopped compelled me to get on board and help her however I could.  Although I haven’t known Jonna long, I’m convinced by the way she’s handled this effort and the personal sacrifices she’s made that she’s the real deal.  She has obviously put her money where her mouth is, and she’s not a quitter.  Her intense interest in seeing this through is not self-serving; she sincerely cares about each and every household that could be permanently affected by the potential side effects of the plant.

Because Jonna said “no” to giving up on this, she has engaged Gary Allen once again to file a declaratory judgment action through summary judgment, which will cost $10,000.  Jonna has worked out a payment plan with Gary, and so far she has collected $500 per month via several of us who have committed to a monthly donation.  In simple terms, we’d like to raise another $500 per month, with at least a $25 to $50 per month, per person, donation.  Anything above that is welcome, of course, as well as one time donations.  As it stands, those who are already giving will be doing so for two years – with another $500, we can do it in one year or less.

While I certainly understand the sentiment, “what if we don’t win – then I’ve given my money for nothing,” I must submit this. We all know that sometimes life requires we make investments, which don’t always yield a return, but when you consider that this investment is our home, our health, our current way of life, it’s worth the risk.  Gary is of the opinion that we have a strong argument to declare the standing ordinance invalid, but of course, we won’t know until we know.

Once we get the $10,000 paid, any extra will go to the $15,000 that Jonna is still trying to pay off , not including what’s already been paid.  She has been fighting for us all and it would be lovely if we could all help shoulder that expense on some level.  My understanding is that there are enough people to be able to do that. Jonna has done her best to provide a variety of payment methods to make it easy for us to donate.  A nonprofit group called Citizens Against Linscott Interstate Asphalt Plant has been created with a bank account under that name, so checks can be made out to Citizens Against Linscott Interstate or C.A.L.I. and mailed to C.A.L.I., 259 Meadow Ln, Sagle, ID 83860. This is not a tax deductible donation, however.  If you’re comfortable with donating online, there is also a GoFundMe.com website under Citizens Against Linscott Interstate Asphalt Plant or if you’re accustomed to using PayPal, payments can be sent to the following email address on the PayPal website. nosagleasphaltplant@gmail.com 

In conclusion, thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter. Thank you in advance for any and everything you can do to help.  If you have any questions, you can certainly email Jonna at nosagleasphaltplant@gmail.com, you can text her at 208-610-5112, or you can leave a message on her phone and she will return your call.

I want to personally thank Jonna and her family, who have all paid a price for the multitude of hours she’s spent on this, along with all the other responsibilities she has as a wife, mother, and grandmother, as well as civic involvements.  Let’s show Jonna that we are behind this and appreciate her valiant effort and rally for the cause through our financial support.  Please don’t let the rumors that “we will never win this because Interstate has all the money” keep you from getting involved.  More impossible things than this have been met with success!

For those of you who pray, prayers are always needed – thank you! 

Blessings to you all.

Rusti Brookes

Sagle

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." – Henry Ford