A Bigfork couple whose commercial wedding facility was shut down last summer because of a zoning violation once again have applied for a permit to continue staging weddings at their Ten Arrows Ranch.

Bill and Alana Myers applied for a permit last fall to operate a high-impact recreation and caretaker’s facility, a conditional use that’s allowed for the SAG-5 zoning — suburban agricultural with a five-acre minimum — on their property. They withdrew that application in November 2013, but now are asking for the same conditional-use permit.

The Myerses had been holding weddings at their ranch off McCaffery Road for two summers, but when they ramped up to a full schedule last year, neighbors complained about the noise, dust and other intrusions. The county Planning Office investigated and shut down the facility because the property isn’t zoned to hold weddings.

The Flathead County Board of Adjustment was scheduled to consider the application at its August meeting. That meeting was canceled because the board didn’t have a quorum. It has been rescheduled for Sept. 2.

The Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee will discuss the application at its Aug. 28 meeting and will issue a recommendation to the Board of Adjustment.

In their application, the Myerses note that zoning would allow another 14 homes on their 40 acres, but they allege that “having occasional weddings maintains the quiet, rural atmosphere more than an additional 14 homes would.”

They also pointed out that their ranch property could be used for as many as 200 sheep or goats or up to 1,000 fowl, and that those uses, though more agricultural, “would not be as conducive to the use of the space.”

Until the Board of Adjustment issues a decision on the permit request, the couple has been allowed to hold weddings for friends and family members but can’t charge fees for their services.

Neighbors, however, have claimed some of the weddings held this summer go beyond the scope of “friends and family” and have asked the county to investigate. The Planning Office is looking into the ongoing allegations.

“Our ongoing criminal investigation is separate from their right to due process in applying for a conditional-use permit,” Planning Director BJ Grieve said.

Under county law, a zoning violation is a criminal misdemeanor.

According to the Myerses’ application, 10 acres would be used for the wedding receptions and caretaker facilities, leaving 30 acres as agricultural fields. The entire east side of the ranch has a shelter belt of mature pine trees, they noted, adding that their closest neighbor is about 1,000 feet away.

The application further states the couple would water any dirt areas weekly to provide dust abatement. They won’t allow fireworks or candles of any kind and plan to require all music to be turned off at 10:30 p.m. “with no amplification of music outside the barn during receptions.”

Guests would be required to depart by 11 p.m., and ceremonies would have to start by 4 p.m. at the latest, they noted.

The Myerses also pointed out the positive economic impact that would be generated by their wedding facility. Many couples “only came to the Flathead Valley because of our unique venue,” they wrote in their application. One Canadian bride estimated more than $150,000 was spent in the Flathead for motels, meals, gifts, gas and wedding services for her wedding.

The Planning Office staff report notes that existing sewer, water and storm-drainage facilities onsite appear to be inadequate because the City-County Environmental Health Department indicated the facility is required to be reviewed and approved under the Sanitation and Subdivision Act before the property can be used for its proposed purpose.

While the staff report notes that traffic shouldn’t be an issue because both McCaffery and Echo Lake roads currently are at low traffic volumes and not near capacity, noise could continue to be a problem.

“The noise and vibrations generated by the proposed wedding facility would likely be a nuisance and adversely impact the immediate neighborhood,” the report states. “Requiring all amplified noise to be constrained within the barn would likely not effectively mitigate noise since the doors will be required to remain open by the Bigfork Fire Department.”

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.