Well, now I understand the neighborhood rage against MHS and Mr. Kinsey.
I had to walk out when Kinsey started going on about how "sidewalks" create community. It made me want to hurl. Please watch this very short video snippet to understand why.
Hey, I appreciate and empathize with everyone who says they want "a sidewalk" for safety reasons.
MANY neighbors do not want THIS sidewalk for Evergreen, a street that runs along a blue line (year round) creek, which is documented habitat for federally protected Steelhead trout.
I feel this project should not go forward, due to the fact that the process was so flawed even before DPW received the design.
I agree that they (DPW engineering) have done all they can do on their end - but I can't for the life of me understand how the Marin County Supervisors can sleep at night - when they know this sidewalk is NOT WANTED by our community, when we have a budget surplus and there are other communities who need that funding desperately.
How could anyone support the build of a million dollar concrete slab, which hurts the environment - but NOT a pathway that looks better and improves the quality of water draining to the creek?
How could a private school which CHOOSES to move to a neighborhood without sidewalks, feel OK about using our County DPW as their private contractor - to spend a million dollars of Safe Routes to Schools funding - and change our semi-rural landscape - so they can keep their use permit - or to try to solve a traffic problem THEY are creating?? WHY not just direct their clients to avoid Evergreen?
Hopefully, the DPW will start to implement some of our neighborhood safety suggestions, while they ready for the next public meeting. (Will there even BE another public meeting?)
At least the no parking sign near the school - because the school is now placing bright hideous orange cones there.
At least they are trying (?) that gives me some hope for future relations with MHS.(?)
We are still accepting pledges for our fund for a lawsuit.
If the County drops the project and we don't have to use the money - we'll use the funding to help our neighbors enhance the right of way (IF they want) and create more natural paths.
Communication creates community - NOT CONCRETE.
Maybe I need to get back to doing what I do best - music.
Hello Mari, and others who wish to replace the planned, now approved by the Supes, concrete sidewalk with a more appropriate design, I will offer an initial contribution of $ 250.00 to the fund being created to litigate this issue. I feel very strongly that the process was fatally flawed and the outcome doesn't deserve to go the way it has. I will be happy if the issue is resolved without litigation, and happy to leave my money in the pot for a neighborhood-based design to be implemented. Not only that, I will give the same amount again in a month or two even if the sidewalk is defeated in its present form. I am happy to be a part of an effort to create the safe route many people have expressed a desire for even though I live nearly a mile away, but still in Homestead Valley. I urge others who feel similarly to consider doing the same thing. For those who have taken the position that they want a sidewalk, but are not happy with the urban design that is inadequate to serve the needs of all the possible users, and unfairly imposed on the residents of only one side of Evergreen, getting together in a funding effort is the only way to get this done in a way that meets all the needs. Surely even the notorious "Anonymous" can agree that a two-side-of-the-street pathway, with parking on the outer edge, would meet the goal of creating a safe route for the full range of users on Evergreen, and has the potential to be much more environmentally sound than the concrete DPW concept.
ReplyDeleteBob Cogswell
41 year (and counting) Homestead Valley resident.
Although i am glad that the installation of a sidewalk means that there will finally be safety improvements on Evergreen Ave, I do lament that the only viable option offered by our counties DPW was to install a concrete sidewalk, in this relatively rural neighborhood. Obviously, there are financial reasons that favor the design of concrete sidewalks, and DPW already has the details for them worked out, Other major financial considerations are cost and maintenance. Major considerations to members of the community are environmental and aesthetic.
DeleteThe group of residents not adamantly opposed to the sidewalk, but not wanting a concrete sidewalk, seemed to favor a gravel walking path.
Regarding design considerations, any pathway here would need to meet all ADA requirements (and the maintenance problem plays into this). Thus, a gravel path, or Decomposed Granite (DG) path are problematic, and, due to erosion, require regular upkeep (often weekly, during rainy season).
I have attached a link here, and a photo of a wheel chair using a gravel path, stabilized by this companies product (gravel pave). They have ADA endorsement for this product, on their website. The resulting DG surface would require some maintenance, but not nearly the amount required by a standard DG pathway.
http://www.invisiblestructures.com/ada.html
I believe that a "sidewalk" would be acceptable, if the driveways were concrete, the ramps up and down to street-grade at corners were concrete, and the remaining flat surfaces were constructed using DG in this product. The gravel will provide a permeable surface, essential to the environment. It appears that the maintenance required will amount to a couple of man-hours work, every other month. In order to advance on this environmental issue, the board, and DPW will have to bite that bullet, and commit to do such maintenance. Otherwise, we are doomed to ever-increasing storm runoff, and continued use of concrete, the production of which emits very hi levels of CO2 .
I know that the Evergreen Sidewalk has brought the discussion of such issues to the forefront in Marin's DPW, and for the Supervisors. I trust that the Supervisors will direct DPW to investigate, and eventually start using such products. It is just a crying shame, that this Homestead Valley neighborhood will not benefit from this effort.
I look forward to seeing some more DG walkways and parking areas in Marin.
Thanks
Brian Spring
Bob,
DeleteWe both live in Homestead Valley up on the west side of the Valley not on Evergreen Ave.
We have only been here 28 years.
We will call your $250 and raise it to $300 to avoid DPW's plan to reduce the width of Evergreen Ave. and to protect and preserve the environmental semirural character of Evergreen Ave. and the Reed Creek's natural environmental habitat of endangered Steel Head Salmon.
Its disgusting that the County categorically exempted this project from Californis Environmental Quality Act's environmental requirement to review new sidewalks.
Were we not at the same meeting?
ReplyDeleteHow can you say "...they know this sidewalk is NOT WANTED by our community..." when the DPW guy explicitly said their tally from their meetings with every Evergreen resident the "strong majority" was in favor of the sidewalk? He didn't have them with him but the numbers are available should you wish.
I don't think it was right to leave out that very important piece of information in your report.
Other things you neglected to mention of today's meeting:
- Only concrete at this time ADA compliant.
- Permeable surface would require more maintenance and is not in County budget. It would force far more maintenance onto residents whereas near zero maintenance would be required of a sidewalk.
- Drainage pipes will collect water that runs off preventing and thereby IMPROVING the current runoff to the creek.
One supervisor said the potential issues with creek run-off are balanced out by the demonstrated reduction in vehicular traffic that results from the additions of sidewalks.
Mari, it's time to stop this nonsense. There are no rational arguments against the sidewalk now. Perhaps the notification process could have been improved, but that doesn't change the fact that after all your very vocal protestations and alternative offerings, of which no neighbor has been immune, your neighbors, in a "strong majority," approve of the plan as developed.
To Neighbor "Scott"-
DeleteYour statement : " There are no rational arguments against the sidewalk" is irrational in nature. Your personal tirades against Mari Tamburo make your arguments very unconvincing. Frankly, they sound very aggressive from a casual observers standpoint. If we could just leave all the emotion and slandering out of the problem-solving process, things would go much smoother for everyone involved. There are a great number of solutions that would fit the neighborhood's character and effectively solve the problems we face on Evergreen. The most "irrational" thing going on here is the defeatist thinking of some of our neighbors ; Simply believing they have no choice in the matter while laying down and submitting themselves to the bureaucratic powers-that-be.
Tomas Dessle
32 year Homestead Valley Resident
There are a number of rational arguments against a sidewalk:
Delete1. the environmental--the sidewalk will increase impervious ground which a) reduces percolation and groundwater/water table recharge; b) increases sediment-laden run-off into a creek that appears to be habitat for a Federally-listed endangered species; c) increases run-off that, during heavy storm-events, raises the chance of flooding;
2. the legal--it appears that the County has violated CEQA by claiming a "categorical exemption" under the "existing facilities" class of the statute: there is no existing sidewalk, curb or gutter, so this project is the installation of a "new facility", which requires full EIR review.
3. the ethical--the development plan discourages sidewalks; if the will of the community continues to be that which was codified in the plan, than a strong argument exists for finding a way to assert the will of residents not to bear the decisions of bureaucrats;
4. the financial--$900,000 for a sidewalk that achieves no measurable improvement over the status quo: the argument is that students should walk from Miller; the right-of-way exists for them to do so, and does not need to be paved for continue to serve this function.
5. the aesthetic--the neighborhood has an already eroding semi-rural feel. Efforts should be made to restore and preserve that aesthetic, not to undermine it further.
Those are a few of rational arguments against the sidewalk. do have any in favor of it?
Andy Harris
Managing Director, SPAWN
Too funny - Mari is jumping in bed with the leader of a dishonest and discredited radical organization that doesn't believe the rules apply to them.
DeleteLest anyone not be familiar with their story - they trashed homeowner property rights in San Geronimo Valley and then got red-tagged for blatantly and fraudulently, in my view, violating the exact rules they coerced the county into.
See here: http://www.marinij.com/westmarin/ci_20107095
This is the second nefarious character Mari has jumped into bed with. First was Robert Galvin, a guy many believe has actually lost his mind much less an understanding of what "truth" means.
Wow, Mari. Don't you think if you have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find support, you might not actually have support? Nah, of course not. Delusions of grandeur reign supreme around here.
btw - who in the world is Robert Galvin?
DeleteActually, Scott, I heard Mr. Beaumont state that they are still working with the neighbors. He said they have reached out to all the residents - and I know for a fact that all the Evergreen residents have not yet responded.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why you insist on ordering me around, after all, we hardly know each other.
I would like a CHOICE in this matter.
If you do not wish to hear my "alternative offerings" - you have the CHOICE not to listen to them.
That I CHOOSE to offer alternatives, should be no concern of yours. After all, YOU DO NOT LIVE ON EVERGREEN AVENUE - and will not be required to maintain whatever the DPW decides to place in the right of way.
To clarify, Mari, he said they've heard from well over 75% of the residents on Evergreen (could've been more but he hadn't seen the latest) and there was, again, a "strong majority" (his words) in favor of the sidewalk.
ReplyDeleteI know this is contrary to your long held belief but it is an actual, statistically significant and relevant, recording of the sentiment of your neighbors, something your intuition was not. I think you are only hearing what you want to hear and you didn't want to hear this. But the reality is a "strong majority" of your neighbors, on Evergreen (if that really matters) want a sidewalk.
I'm not ordering you around, I'm asking you to please stop this and work with your neighbors on the sidewalk, or at least stop trying to get in its way.
Oh Scott I don't think so. Shallow thinking on the part of DPW. Some how I've seen
DeleteReports like that promising better drainage then experienced something different.
Don 't want the sidewalk or trust the promises they are making. Is your house on Evergreen?
Are you going to have to deal with the reality?
All of Homestead Valley resident drivers use Evergreen Ave nearly daily. No DPW pollster visited us to ask our opinon about reducing the wdith of Evergreen Ave. Kinsey promised Homestead Valley residents at Novembers meeting we would be able to vote having a sidewalk. Kinsey lied. As in 2005 Kinsey & company have imposed something that destroys our environment and that of endangered steel head salmon to benefit Marin Horizon School.
DeleteWow, so we were right all along. The majority support a sidewalk. None of us really doubted it but it's good to hear of an actual survey that proves our point.
DeleteBoy, though, that's rich. Charles calling others liars when he himself was just outed as a BIG LIAR for saying 4 out of 5 oppose the sidewalk just as the county releases the results of it's survey indicating very strong support for it.
HAHAHAHA, Charles, do you think anyone listens to what you have to say, especially now that you've been caught lying? What else have you been lying about?
By the way, Mari, that goes for you too - you have been lying for months, if not years! The majority support a sidewalk!
BUSTED!
Anonymous you may spout nonsense from your mouth but don't your put lies in my mouth.
DeleteI've never said or wrote that "4 out of 5 oppose the sidewalk".
As an architect and urban designer I'm not happy with the destruction of Evergreen Ave's semirural image or that of Steel Head salmon.
Yesterday 3 April 2012, Kinset & company approved the destruction of a 40 year old grass and tree lined road in favor of a concrete slab adorned with ADA vomit yellow domed mats.
Be happy.
oops "140 year old road"
DeleteI hear you. Contrary to your long held belief, more residents would prefer MOT to have a concrete slab forced upon our street.
ReplyDeleteAnd I ask you to please stop trying to get in the way of those of us who are working to achieve something that is more environmentally sensitive.
You have your opinion, and I have mine. I appreciate your view and I respect your right to express yourself.
I am done with this debate.
oops- NOT.
DeleteMari, it was an unmistakable comment from the DPW that they've heard from most neighbors on Evergreen who have indicated a strong majority prefer the sidewalk. You are choosing to mistake that comment for something else, or ignoring it all together.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and keep fighting your battles. It's a lost cause but if it makes you feel better to do so, by all means, I won't engage any more, there's no reason. But, continuing to claim you have a wide base of support is false.
p.s. I saw your act at the Sweatwater on Monday, aside from the really awkward plea against the sidewalk, to a crowd who largely couldn't care less, I thought it was pretty good.
Scott what is false is DPW's claim that "they'eve heard from most neigbors. DPW never contacted me. And DPW never contacted any one in Homestead Valley including most lilely yourself. Not only will DPW's sidewalk blight the semi-rural quality and character image of 140 year old Evergreen Ave. with concrete gutters, curbs, sidewalks and yellow dommed disabled ramp mats, reduce Evergreen Ave.'s lane width below Caltaran's minimum widths it will significantly increase oil laden storm water runoff pollutants into the protected habitat of endangered Steel Head salmon. All without a negative environmental impact study. Kinsey and company have struck one more death blow to our valley and Steel Head salmon. The first was in 2005 when Kinsey and company approved constructing MHS new facilities in county designated Steel Head salmon habitat's Reed Creek's Stream Conservation Area
DeleteYes - Mr. Sands is correct.
DeleteThe DPW has not heard from all residents. This project is still in PROCESS.
Just because we can't trust Mr. Kinsey, doesn't mean we can't trust the DPW. They are sincere in their effort to serve.
Scott--Just because a county bureaucrat said it, doesn't make it true. The county has significant skin in the financial game, and it should surprise no one if pressure is being exerted from higher stations on county employees.
DeleteWhen the county can produce a poll/survey that includes names and signatures, you can believe their "statistical" assertions. Until then, believe this: Marin County is no different that any other jurisdiction: money talks.
My recommendation to BOTH sides: walk your neighborhood with a petition that states your case. Gather signatures. Then post your results as a PDF on-line. Otherwise, this is an argument fueled only by innuendo, hearsay and speculation, none of which is the formula for resolution of a disagreement over facts.
Andy, how silly of you. Jumping in where you know squat.
DeleteThe county repeatedly said: a) it would not proceed if the neighborhood didn't support it, and b) it would survey the neighbors when it had a better idea of the site plans.
It did its survey. It knows who wants what. Did Mari 'forget' to mention this before she got you involved? Ya gotta be careful with her, she often neglects the truth, the whole truth, when making her statements.
She now knows of the survey. She now knows a big majority support the sidewalk but now she's implying somehow they don't really support it but said so to the county for some reason du jour.
She's not trustworthy. She was completely surprised by the fact a survey was done and the results were completely against what she had been touting all along. Mind you, she kept promising she talked to so many people in the community - obviously a lie otherwise she wouldn't have been so surprised.
You got suckered into buying her b.s. By the way, you seem too happy to ignore that her side is somehow pitching this as a homeowners' rights issue which is completely the opposite of the trashing you did to the homeowners in San Geronimo. Funny how people will flip flop on their own "ethics" when it comes to their own backyard.
Oh NOW you want all of HV to weigh in on the sidewalk? Just a short while ago the anti-sidewalkers were claiming only Evergreen residents had a RIGHT to be heard.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes that even funnier is the reason they tried to silence the rest of HV is because they know the results would even be more in favor of a sidewalk.
You are too funny. Keep changing your story just to fit your purpose. No one is so stupid to really listen to you Charles - you can send 50 emails, but none of them carry any weight.
Actually, Anonymous - when I went to the DPW - one of the engineers mentioned Mr. Sands' blog as being especially effective in causing an agitation.
DeleteSo, I chose to remove it from public view. (he stopped posting to it anyway.)
My experience has been that when someone is so angry - it's best to find out WHY they are so angry.
When citizens are ignored and disrespected, we have a right to not only be heard, but listened to - and treated with some RESPECT.
With th exception perhaps of you Anonymous, most of us live in Homestead Valley and most of us use vEvergreen Ave. Reducing the width to below Caltrans minimum lane widths and destroying Evergreen Ave.s semirural image is not my idea of beauty. A semi-rural permeable asphalt at grade pathway in my opinon is preferable to a urban slab of concerte adorned with vomit yellow domed ADA ramp mats at every intersection.
DeleteBe happy. Your desired urban slab of concerte adorned with vomit yellow domed ADA ramp mats at every intersection has been approved and is coming to Evergreen Ave. this summer.
It is sad to me that 'adults' find it necessary to be rude and childish when they can hide behind 'anonymous'. I live on Evergreen and have for 35 years. It seems to me those that are most effected are those whose lives will be disrupted as well as their property, the lifetime of cost and liability, and the wildlife in the streams. These are the folks whose voices should be heard first.
ReplyDeleteIt is very churlish to take such a negative attitude when Mari is trying to bring residents together for the best outcome. We should be looking for, as I believe Mari has been trying, a 'win-win' answer that includes the input and vote that should have been considered in the first place.
When I was a youngster, my mom always said 'if you can't say anything nice(ly), don't say anything at all'. If one can't be 'big' enough to be constructive then maybe one should resist the temptation to be so unkind and ungracious.
Diane
AMEN Diane :)
DeleteThumper of Disney Bambi fame said first said "my mommy once said to me If yah ain't got nutten nice to say doan say nutting at all"
MOOOO HOOOO HAA HAAA HA HA HA HA!!
ReplyDeleteThe Mysterious and Nefarious "Anonymous" comes out from the shadows and strikes again!!!
Really? ...stabbing from the dark like that really comes off as pure silliness.
Non-productive, slander aside....
Mari and Neighbors, we commend you for spending loads of your personal time on this and for having the guts to not give up.
My family will contribute somewhere in the ballpark of $250.00 - $500.00 to the path/litigation fund.
For the love of HV,
- The Dessle Family
Thanks, everyone - now THAT's teamwork!
ReplyDeleteMari ??????????????????? I just received an email that you didn't need our $300 ?????????
ReplyDeleteNot yet, Mr. Sands. but I thank you sincerely for your pledge and have marked it down. We should have coffee next week, so I can update you!
ReplyDeleteAhhh, yes, shoot the messenger when you can't shoot the message. Classic, yet sad.
ReplyDeleteNotice, no one has offered anything to dispute the FACT that the majority support the sidewalk. They've been lying to you all along. They never had a majority, not even close. You've been suckered. How does that feel?
Tomas, here's something truly 'non=productive': your donation. Hear that swirling sound? That's your, and everyone else's, money being flushed down the toilet. You'll never raise enough money for a lawsuit or your silly path. Who are you going to get to donate when a "very clear and strong majority" support a sidewalk?
Oh, did Mari tell you about the fault with her latest angle to kill the sidewalk? The CEQA angle? She, long ago, missed any opportunity she had. Yep, that's right, there's a statute of limitations that long ago expired.
Stick a fork in it. You're COOKED!
FYI Anonymous coward,
DeleteTry getting your story straight. In your 1st paragraph you say "They never had a majority, not even close"
In your 2nd paragraph you say "Who are you going to get to donate when a "very clear and strong majority" support a sidewalk"
You will be surprised when those of us with deep pockets anti up :)
We are only waiting the call to arms.
Anonymous- I know who you are! That was almost too easy.
DeleteI happen to be an Alumni of a local Marin high school and one might say I'm a experienced "computer hacker" on the side, just for fun.
So interestingly enough not only was I able to logon to the "backend" of this page but was able to access the server and it provided me with your unique IP address (therefore your location) and I was right- I thought that was you!
You are pretty local too, think I'll stop by your house tonight- Just for a peek ;)
Watch yourself coward, you wont be able to hide and get away with your mouthing off for much longer. I know you care as much for your family as I care for mine (Homestead)
Surely you would understand why I would need to expose your identity thus making you as vulnerable as the residents are at this point in time, while you rub salt in their wounds.
Oh, now THAT is funny.
DeleteIs everyone on the anti-sidewalk side a liar? Because you are, we know Mari, Charles and Frank are. Who else?
You're also pretty stupid to think you can b.s. people in the Bay Area about anything related to technology. Just for kicks, what did you conclude when you , supposedly, found my IP address was actually multiple addresses with multiple ISPs? While you're at it, did you even think to realize some people might know that knowing an IP address doesn't provide you identity? That in order to get that you'd also have to hack an ISP to, only possibly, get that?
So we know you're both a liar and an idiot. I'm willing to bet you're the real coward here too. Of course you didn't show up at my place. That could be because you're a liar or you're a coward (or both as I suspect). Now we're going to find out, I'm calling your bluff:
Volunteer Park 9am tuesday.
Oh, and Big Daddy - read slowly, it'll improve your comprehension.
DeleteCome on, guys - can't we all just get along?
Deleteso - big tough guys - how was your meeting at Volunteer Park at 9am on Tuesday?
DeleteI was right, she was a coward and didn't show - neither at the park nor at my home. Is anyone surprised?
DeleteMari, did you ever go back to the DPW and review/count the letters like we discussed last week?
ReplyDeleteSeems pretty damning if, as they say, the majority support a sidewalk.
Richard - I will go back to the DPW this week to check and compare notes.
DeleteThe majority of the people I have spoken to do not support this project - and the DPW staff is not allowed to ask them if they want it or not - so I doubt their numbers are accurate.
-
btw - "Anonymous" people - what is up with this ridiculous bantering?
Please, if you can't be civil, go away.
Mari, I think you're missing the point everyone has been trying to get to. The question is whether people are supportive of the sidewalk or not. You keep saying they're not and others say the opposite.
DeleteThe DPW seems to back up their claim with an actual survey of residents. You, on the other hand, keep saying the people you speak to do not support it. The point is, are the people you're speaking to representative of the residents as a whole? You aren't presenting any evidence they are.
Richard seems to be asking you if you're going to find out for yourself if the DPWs numbers actually back up their claim or yours. Right now it seems like you're the odd man out. If you are, I think most would agree you're wasting your time and causing undue community discord.
Mike - Thanks for your comment.
ReplyDeleteEvery day, I find a new neighbor who expresses to me that they do not want to see this concrete slab all along the street. They do not want to take the funding from Safe Routes to Schools.
Some neighbors nearer to Miller would like to see some improvements made to the blind curve and near Whole Foods, but that is it.
Believe me, if the neighborhood supported this project, I wouldn't be wasting my time.
We don't need this. It's excessive.
Marin County can afford to engage in a pilot program of a "green street, non-motorized/pedestrian priority zone" - discouraging cars from using Evergreen - it will make it safer for everyone.
oh - to answer your question - yes - I'm going to find out who is supportive, and show them my notes.
ReplyDeleteMike beat me to the punch. However, Mari, you still haven't responded to the DPW's survey showing strong support for the sidewalk. Do you think they're lying?
DeleteNo, I don't think the DPW is lying. I KNOW they haven't heard from all the residents who oppose the project - so their current numbers are inaccurate.
DeleteYes but Mari, they said they've heard from at least 75% of residents, right? Their numbers would be accurate with respect to those 75%. I think since theirs is an unbiased and random survey that covers such a large percentage of the relevant population, it stands to reason, statistically speaking, it's very improbable the results of a survey of the remaining residents would change the answer in a material way.
DeleteI think you're fighting a steep uphill battle.
Richard - what you and others fail to consider s that the sidewalk design in play was created without community input, and the funding was awarded to a grant application that contains FALSE INFORMATION.
DeletePlus, there is no current traffic study to indicate sufficient automobile traffic volume to warrant a sidewalk or dedicated path.
Even if it did, there are alternatives to the million dollar concrete slab.
The desired result of giving pedestrians an option to walk off the roadway can be achieved with a more eco-friendly solution.
Fact of the matter is, this concrete sidewalk is being forced on many residents, using funding that could and should go to areas with more need and fewer resources.
Instead of fighting with each other, we should be banding together to stand up for our neighbors- and defending our Community Plan.
Marin County has plenty of money - they can afford to fix the street and the drainage - without imposing this sidewalk.
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=6 - please READ this - and then tell us how that is an IMPROVEMENT
DeleteMari, what you fail to understand is regardless of whether there was false info in the application or not, whether there was a traffic study or not, whether there are available alternatives or not, your neighbors support a sidewalk. They've considered all of your issues and still want a sidewalk. The DPW survey seems to confirm that. For your sake I would wish it wasn't true, but unless you find out the DPW has been lying, then I still think you're fighting a lost cause.
DeleteRichard - first, thanks for your thoughtful insight. The neighbors I have surveyed, except for a very small minority, don't want this sidewalk.
DeleteThe DPW is mistaken.
There is no logical reason, except for the $900,000 grant, to go forward with this project as proposed.
I appreciate your concern, but thanks, we - and we are a growing number - will continue to request that the County does not force this impervious concrete slab upon Evergreen Avenue property owners.
We have proposed alternatives that make better sense for this community.
the link doesn't work - try googling "stormwater runoff EPA" and see what pops up.
ReplyDeleteMari- Sorry, but you speak out of both sides of your mouth. One day you love DPW and all that they have done, the next bad mouth DPW and say they careless, etc, etc. I have seen and heard this with my own eyes and ears....SO FRUSTRATING how wreckless this campaign has become.
ReplyDeletewhen did I say the DPW was careless?
DeleteSome of the DPW people have better people skills than others. Some are more open to community input and offers to help than others. It's pretty sad that MHS friends in high places have bent the rules to suit their own desires - and the residents of Homestead Valley and the DPW staff are being caught up in this quagmire.
Yes, it is very frustrating. What is saddest of all is that a neighbor feels he can't just have a conversation with me - instead choosing to snipe through anonymous comments on this blog.
ReplyDeleteHow is the DPW mistaken? Theirs seems to eb an encompassing, random survey of at least 75% of the neighbors. That seems to be a very valid survey.
DeleteWhat was your survey methodology? Given the DPW's methodology and results and how they differ significantly from yours, yours likely is not a valid, representative survey.
And why do you focus on the identity of posters? Their comments are no less valid regardless of whether you know their names or not. It seems when you don't like the message, you distract by targeting the messenger.
Richard is just trying to get Mari to justify her protest which she has so far failed to do. She says her survey tells a different story than the DPW's but she refuses to back it up with anything close to proof (other than a laughable picture of unidentifiable stacks of paper). Her consistent mis-direction and avoidance of proving her point clearly shows she doesn't have it and she's causing so much trouble in the neighborhood for her own selfish reasons.
DeleteFor months, if not years, we've been saying the majority of the neighborhood support a sidewalk as designed and now we have actual, un-refutable PROOF of it from a comprehensive and unbiased survey from the DPW that shows a "strong majority" (their words) support the sidewalk. Mari offers nothing to contradict this proof - because she cannot - and yet she continues on in her selfish ways.
Jim, why do you try to back up Mari when all she is doing is causing neighborhood strife for the benefit of a small minority of people?
p.s. To me it looks like Richard is not a big supporter of the sidewalk but such stuff seems lost on anyone who challenges the goddess of selfishness.
Yes, keep up with the personal attacks - that is productive.
DeleteI have spoken with more than 75% of the people on the street. A large majority - 70% - are not happy about this.
The people who have met with the DPW, have just resigned to the fact that it is a "done deal" - and they understand that the DPW staff are just "following orders."
They don't want the stress of fighting with the "powers that be" or being caught up in this argument - about a sidewalk that never should have been considered in the first place.
If you look at the notes from the "walkabout" in June of (2006?) you will see that neighborhood input was blatantly ignored by whomever designed the sidewalk - before it was handed off to DPW.
Keep lying, that'll help your cause. Your survey is not trustworthy, we all know of your bias and that infects your results.
DeleteThe DPW is unbiased and has an overwhelming response rate that shows strong support for the survey. That you keep trying to explain it away with no evidence at all just makes you laughable.
the DPW is not unbiased. I work for a DPW. I know how the process works.
DeleteTo clarify, not so anonymus "Mr E man" that message by "dan the man" was posted for a neighbor who expressed that thought to me in person. He doesn't bother much with blogs, but he knows a lot about construction and how ridiculous bureaucracy can make a huge mess of a perfectly fine street.
DeleteFACT : Homestead residents were denied a fair process and because of POLITICS - and the almighty dollar, we got stuck with that horrid slab.
btw - Don't punish the workers at Ghilotti - You hired them to build a slab, they built the slab, so pay them the money you owe them.
Don't try to cover your sorry ass by punishing someone else.
Man up and admit you made a mistake.