Thursday, July 16, 2009

Part three of "live" blogging: Drainage complaints ongoing, escalating, with matching grandstanding.

COMMUNICATIONS – PUBLIC, continued

I'm trying to get names right. Difficult from the cheap seats.

6. Mrs. Pfeiffer - lives on Brentwood (near Castlewood) and has seen boats on her street. She's gone to industrial tile instead of carpet. Needs help on Brentwood, too; much worse since 2006. Haven't been to the stormwater board, but came straight here tonight.

The year 2006 keeps coming up.

Her husband speaks: It is going to get worse. Thinks the foundation of the house will be shot soon.

7. Mark Cassidy - "Six months since I was last up here," and a respite from the water problem. To address EDIT funds for police: Wants to wait and see even if he gets associated with us progressives (he he he). Annexation is never a given. Counsels caution. Wait until the budgets come back.

8. Tanya Boley - lives on Larkwood Drive. Same problems as Castlewood. "Not something we enjoy," including sewage from time to time. They'd love garage water instad of what they get now. Nothing's been done, and no one has come to haul away their junk, where possums now inhabit. Expresses disdain for garbage and wreckage pickup. She is a realtor, with calls from people wanting to sell their houses, but she can't even sell hers. Her tax money is benefiting someone else but not them. Her house value has stayed the same. Kessans not a help to anyone. Rather "nasty." Lost $50,000 in the last five weeks. Her side of the street is universal in terms of damage.

Kessans is taking some hits tonight. Coffey: "When I was a child, I used to trap muskrats" in the area. Why'd "they" let 'em build there, anyway?

She blames "poor decisions."

9. Kent McDaniel - wants to talk about the police. Diane Benedetti helped him when other would not. Asks the crowd if would agree with a 5% LOIT tax increase to pay for police, but Coffey warns him he should speak to the council. He agrees, then ignores him and turns to face the crowd again. Decries bad driving and traffic. Hoped for a public hearing -- "I may be off base" -- to see what's needed.

10. Jameson Bledsoe - main concern is the EDIT money for police. Feels good and safe that we have good police officers. Two bikes stolen, cars illegally entered, diapers stolen. Bullet dents in the hood. Stopped people stealing gutters in his yard. Despite all this, the money going to the police is a "reactionary" policy. Quotes a policeman as saying that putting one away will simply bring another criminal to fill the void. Jail overcrowding, or buy the troubled properties and tear it down or rehabilitate a house for a single family dwelling, and do that, then we won't need officers or code enforcement officers. Must change the physical characteristics" of these properties. The $1 million could clean up the decrepit properties and also solve the drainage issues being addressed tonight.

Coffey: What do you do with the gangs? You can't tell a person he can't buy a house? Gangs?

Coffey, visibly annoyed, goes in for the kill.

Coffey: We've had work sessions all year. NA a focal point of meth. How do you intend to adddress that? Usually I don't like to question speakers, but "I haven't seen you at these meetings."

Bledsoe: Didn't come because he was "unaware" that meetings were open to the public. Wished he could have seen the police presentation. Gangs? In NA, 30% make under $15,000 ... not to generalize, but this is a socio-economic problem, and these people probably contributing to it. Talks about a house in his neighborhood somewhere (?) that was a 6-plex given away by lottery to reputable developers who cold fix it. If it's a $200,000 house, the crack addicts and gangs can't afford to live there. It's a "comprehensive" solution. "I do see where the police are trying to help."

11. (missed the name) - house on a hill, no flooding in the house. Lives on the corner of Mt. Tabor and Klerner, and has been there for 62 years. Gets 11 feet deep behind his house nowadays, this coming since development in the 1970's. Provides a lengthy history of his area. Condemns unrestricted development as the culprit. Advocates retention ponds. Calls out Tony Schueler, who showed a house during Home-a-rama with the basement door locked because there was six feet of water. Has photos. He was annexed 50 years ago, but still doesn't have storm sewers or sidewalks: "Annexation didn't bring us anything except more sprawl." Denounces the amphitheater before sewers and infrastructure!

Note: Time limits not being enforced tonight. Imagine that. It's almost 9:00 p.m., and this is threatening post-meeting happy hour. I'll be back with another chapter shortly (please).

3 comments:

Bayernfan said...

What's interesting is I remember the officer at our neighborhood forum some months back who stated New Albany doesn't actually have "gangs" or a gang problem. Just kids fooling around who like to change their names alot. Is Mr. Coffey more in touch with the pulse of inner city gang life than the police?

Randy said...

I wondered where Mr. Ontheotherhand had gone. Now I know.

We KNOW what will happen if we don't reinforce the police. Some people think they know what might happen if we do. That's enough for me to figure out which side I want to be publicly identified with when the excrement strikes the oscillating unit.

Fund the police AND fix the police. Charlie wants to take $1 mill and buy 15 houses. Yeah, that'll fix the problem. The Blevins seat says let's just wait and see if we can't manage the decay a little bit longer, things can't get worse, now can they?

Meanwhile, a meth lab sets up next door and you're new bicycle gets stolen and that woman you work with gets assaulted and that middle school kid decides to tag your garage with "T.A.G."

Even the talented and gifted kids think crime is the path to upward mobility in New Albany.

My wife and I swore we would never again use NA to refer to her native and my chosen city. But the acronym seems ever more appropriate after the performances tonight.

Preparing a spread for the hordes (appropriating cash) before a claim is validated is pure political posturing. The council could quite easily authorize an appropriation once claims are found to be justified, but no, Mr. Gahan tosses a bouquet while Mrs. Benedetti blows kisses. I guess the 6th District Democratic campaign will come down to whoever can pander to the crowd most heartily. At least Diane is prettier than Jeff. They both think they can knock the other off in a face-off, but surely one will blink and try for an at-large seat.

Meanwhile, in the new 5th, only Jameson Bledsoe seems like he's eager, even though HE DIDN'T KNOW COUNCIL MEETINGS WERE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Oh, Charlie!

Amy said...

I have lived in New Albany for three weeks now and have been looking at the possum household every morning.