The room was packed. Like 40 citizens attended! This is not just a few for our Board. Last month it was just about 4 people! Usually, they sit there pretty much alone!
Person after person got up and told them "don't do it". Except Citizen At Large Lee McWhorter, who thought it was a great idea. The audience applauded for the "don't do its"
The vote was tense, when John Rust proposed they buy the land, and there was NOBODY TO SECOND IT! But not to be deterred from his agenda, Chairman Tommy Ray LaFrance, declared that a second was not required, and proceeded with the vote.
Charlie Hoke said No. (By the way, I'm not mad at Charlie any more.)
John "I'm 100% for the flood plain ordinance" Rust said, YES!!!
Gerald Cubbage said, No. And, he said, he had gotten more calls about this than he did about the schools.
And then we came to Carol Lee. Carol Lee said Yes. Because, she told us later, her constituents wanted it, or didn't mind it after she explained to them that it would cost more if they did it later. And now they won't have to go up to that awful "hill" any more.
Tommy LaFrance, of course, said yes. He also believed that the constituents wanted it and it was the right thing to do.
So, you see, it's not that the Board doesn't listen. They do listen! And this is what we, the voters, wanted. They were doing what they saw as the right thing, and also, those "few" people who showed up at the meeting and spoke, didn't actually represent the majority of the voters. The majority of voters were the ones who stayed home and drank beer, and just left it in their hands so they could do their jobs.
This meeting lasted until 11:30 and I'm not in the mood to describe it in any more detail right now.
Suffice it to say that this property, as it stands, would have the county office building smack dab in the middle of a flood plain. But not to worry. They're going to use fill dirt, at a cost of another $180,000 for site work, and the fill dirt will raise it up out of the flood plain. And also, this was a good price, because Cracker Barrel and Sheetz might have bought it instead. So now you get the Emerald City Government Center instead of a Cracker Barrel and a Sheetz.
So all of you Flood Plain Dwellers out there -- nothing more to worry about. Fill Dirt is the answer.
Those of you who stayed home and drank beer --- well, as John Rust pointed out, he only lost by 34 votes, so I guess he and Tommy and Carol Lee are right. Their real constituents are the ones who agree with them. Two years from now, I guess you'll just stay home and not vote, too.
Thanks to all those who got involved. Look at it this way. The vote was 3 - 2. Usually these votes are 5 - 0
Alice
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23 comments:
I am pleased with the decision to purchase the land.
Cletus T Judd As I said you wasted your time 5-0 4-1 3-2 it's still a loss. I drunk plenty of beer for you dummys wasting your time.
Funny how the white paper 'The County Line' states that '...preliminary analysis indicates the necessary excavation could be accomplished using only fill material now on-site.' This has now become a $180,000 line item. Where's the rest of the budget? Laugh. Out. Loud.
Just a point of order - Alice if your account of the meeting is correct, and I am sure it is; might I ask who told Chairman LaFrance the body can move a motion to action and appropriate expenditures without a second?
I believe the Board's procedural rules require they follow Roberts Rules of order. I am not a high paid County Attorney like the one we have, but I am somewhat familiar with local government.
Sounds like the action may be outside the Board's own policies and could be contested.
Cletus T Judd I have come to realize that Alice will let people get bashed on here and then tell the same people not to do the same thing. People don't care or try to change things because why should they the opposition will bash them and then the person writing the blog will stop them from saying things no wonder why young people don't come here or try to change things. I've been reading past posts on here and someone stands up for something besides the opposition then Alice get's on them like a school teacher or something. Then Alice tells you to go to a meeting and you can speak out and make a stand for what you believe in. The more people who come here are gonna realize that this is a censored blog that talks about change but if you don't agree withe the poster your a idiot. Then she will elt the other people on here say bad things about them. YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO YOURSELF AND PAGE COUNTY WATCH. How dare you attack someone for caring or let them be attacked. Who do you think you are. Before you ask me what I'm talking about set back and think 2 seconds before I talk. Someone told me about this site and that is was full of B.S. I've seen that over the last couple days. Any sensible response MRS. Alice?
>>And then we came to Carol Lee. Carol Lee said Yes. Because, she told us later, her constituents wanted it, or didn't mind it after she explained to them that it would cost more if they did it later. And now they won't have to go up to that awful "hill" any more.<<
That's Carol Lee Strictly-Fishy for you. She claimed all that "big city" government experience when she ran for BoS but if you talk with her more than 30 seconds it's apparent she has an IQ about 4 points lower than a rock. Heard the folks up on that "awful 'hill'" in Luray refer to her as the Wicked Witch of Oz. She claims to be a Democrat (which many doubt she can spell) but she didn't support the Democrat candidate for sheriff, opting instead to support our "Favorite Son" of Shenandoah - Chief Petey. Ah well, some day we'll learn to vote for qualified candidates for BoS, then Mz. Fishy-Strictly will have to get a real job. Hmmm. Caroll Lee is real good friends of Mz. Daisy and BOSS HOGG - wonder if they were the "constituents" she said wanted the Taj Mahal. I know they don't like that "awful hill" since Ms. Daisy wasn't reappointed.
Well, think I'll take myself over to Shenandoah VFW and see how this BoS stuff is setting with the boys in the bar.
Taxpayer, regarding the point of order, nobody told him. He just said, "Is there a second?" and nobody said a word, so he just said, "It doesn't need a second." And then they voted.
Also, Mr. Ballard hasn't been in attendance for how long? Isn't it nearly a year? So District 3 hasnt' been represented, and I asked about that but Mr. LaFrance said he didn't resign so there was nothing they could do about it. I'm sure we would all agree it would have been rude to pressure him to resign, but couldn't they have held off on voting until District 3 was represented? 60 days? It isn't like somebody was going to buy the land out from under them.
Cletus, I'm trying to let people do what they do, without interfering or censoring. I've been censoring only those things which could actually be legal issues, and that's only because the board is fully anonymous. I will in time make it so that you have to register to use it, then I won't even moderate it. What's your specific gripe?
Bill, of course we all know you are speaking in Rhetorical Hyperbole, but perhaps you are what Cletus T. Judd is talking about?
It would be better to tone it down a touch. A little less specificity, please.
Thank you.
Alice
Cletus T Judd Seems to think that Alice allows the bashing of Boss and Mrs. Daisy because she don't like them. But I guess it's okay because there real name is not being used gee I wonder who they are Duh? To think this is a blog it's more like a hanging ceremony.
settle down people.
count to 10.....
Let me try to understand this....
600K for the land and another 118K for fill dirt. I'm thinking that land will cost the taxpayers over a million dollars before construction even begins. Oh, and I'm sure the "Palace" will cost several more million to built. I can't help but wonder what it will cost to buy fancy new furniture, and all new telecommunications equipment and lines(phone and internet).
On the ROR issue, I believe a main motion requires a second. If anyone wants to challenge it, the courts would probably over turn the procedural error and make the Board do it again. In the meantime, you would probably need a injunction to stop any further action.
Thank you BoS! While I don’t think the decision to locate the county office complex where it is now going to go was a particularly good one, your overt sanctioning of building and, by extension, rebuilding in a flood plain is welcomed. It should never become up as an issue again.
Relieved, that is the Silver Lining, isn't it?
Alice
Now all we have to be concerned about is the final cost of the Emerald City. 3 to 1 it will be an eyepopper. We may have to rename it the Diamond City.
Doesn’t raising elevation in a flood plain require a specific type of fill dirt? Is the dirt from the building site the right kind of fill? Have there been studies on what the impact will be on the surrounding areas if the flood plain is artificially altered such that there will be substantial displacement of flood waters? FEMA permits building over a flood plain using engineered piers. Doing so would have a negligible environmental impact. The area below the building raised by piers could be used for covered parking. There would be less of a footprint for parking and leave space for future expansion of the complex.
Why, no, Ben, there haven't been such studies done. The current plan is to just move fill dirt that is already on the site, meaning Lord Fairfax Community College may discover itself in the newly created and changed flood plain after the landscape is altered.
But although the Supervisors just went through an exercise where they refused to pay attention to the volumes of data the citizens who do live in the flood plain were trying to explain to them, they chose to move ahead with this because -- and I certainly do not actually know their motives, I'm purely speculating -- Mr. LaFrance was not certain he would still get the votes if he waited until January.
Just another poor decisiodn by your board fellow citizens.
Moving a little dirt around seems simple and cheap in the short run but it could end up costing the county more dearly in the event of a catastrophic flooding event. Who would bear the cost of any lawsuits lodged against the county by citizens who might become victims of a half-witted decision to artificially displace a great deal of flood water? Oh, let’s not forget the insurance premiums for building in a flood plain.
After they move the dirt around, they won't be in the flood plain. That's what they told us at the hearing.
Does anyone out there remember why the welfare dept. moved from the old Potomac Edison building? I can't believe the powers to be have blindfolds on. I still hope we can make the BOS pay for this out of their own pockets when there are tons of lawsuits when the water backs up. Wonder what the present buildings where the Treasurer's office and Registrar's office, etc. will be used for now. Will they become the Safeway of western Luray? Bring on the bulldozers. I guess we could have plenty of parking for the bed and breakfasts on Court St. Wonder who's going to have any money left to pay their taxes so maybe we'll have to build a new jail, too to hold all the people who decided to go to jail instead of pay their outrageous taxes.
Dam the flood plain-Full speed before January! Thank you Mr. Cubbage and Mr. Hoke for standing your ground. We need to finish all needs of our school project before getting into the county office project. How about finished ball fields, tracks, bleachers and a completed job. I think by reading the comments you know as I do that water when diverted from a location moves to the place of less resistance. If this is correct the Greenway might recieve more damage during a flood. I know we need a county office now, it has been needed for years. I also know that construction costs for the office project is not going to get any cheaper by waiting. We have already waited to do projects in this county but have to finish one before starting another. I not saying to wait for the schools to be paid off but just to wait until we are sure of all our expenditures. Common sense tells you there's going to be money needed for items not listed as of yet. But what do I know, I only won by 34 votes! Looking forward to January.
Great comment Larry , you will be a much needed asset to the BOARD. GOD BLESS
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