INC NEWS - short answer to a long question: Adequate Public Facilities Or...

Tue Oct 30 17:57:36 EDT 2007

On the positive side, a LOT of the adequate public facilities stuff IS in the Comprehensive Plan, which does say "no development when things get too bad."  So now we just have to follow the Comprehensive Plan.

Regards, pat

From: TheOcean1 at aol.com
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 12:31:12 -0400
To: mwshiflett at hotmail.com; mmr121570 at yahoo.com; inc-list at durhaminc.org
Subject: Re: INC NEWS - short answer to a long question: Adequate Public	Facilities Or...

Mike is so right, it hurts.

If we had just one dollar for every committee and task force, with 
important sounding names, who's good work went unused...... we could probably 
pave several streets or build a school.

While there is much to rejoice about, our tendency to produce "all show, 
and no GO!" is still an Achilles heel for Durham. And that which we applaud has 
cost us dearly.

In an over simplified example, compare the city to your own home. Yes, you 
like the new deck that's finally been completed, but if it took three years and 
$75,000, we'd all know something was wrong. How many of us can spot such 
craziness when the price tags are in the billions?

How many of us have the knowledge to question the price tag of a pool 
costing millions? We might avoid being ripped off by pointing to a building that 
we can buy for half that, that contains a pool, but we never seem to grow any 
smarter. We're too busy bracing for the next error to avoid.

Sometimes it seems like we can never relax out on our over-priced deck, 
because we need to be in the front yard, defending against some idiot offering 
to paint our house for a mere $200,000.

Today's riddle: How many volunteer hours are required of devoted citizens, 
to defend against the advice of high priced consultants, to keep us from blowing 
ridiculous sums.

Keep the answer handy, you'll need it again next month.

Bill Anderson

In a message dated 10/30/2007 10:48:34 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 
mwshiflett at hotmail.com writes:
The 
  debate that follows this issue is one that has been on-going for over a 

decade.

In many peoples (read developers, land speculators, 
  investors, etc) minds 
the increase in tax base from farmland and wild 
  forested areas (~$2 to 5 
thousand/acre) to residential property that can 
  reach $250-750,000/home site 
more than makes up for the cost of the 
  infrastructures to pay for them.

The problem as I see it is that if 
  this were true, given the extraordinary 
growth we've had over the past 10 
  years +,  why are our roads, waterways, 
and trash pick-up services 
  and other basic needs so badly underfunded?

Those in the first category 
  complain that it's been wasteful spending by our 
municipal 
  governments.

Some in the latter feel underserved and over 
  taxed.

It's a good debate.

Several years ago both the city and 
  the county initiated a study commission 
here in Durham to look at 
  this.  It was called the Adequate Facilities 
Ordinance Taskforce and 
  it looked at not only water supplies, but schools, 
parks, transportation, 
  solid waste and many other 'basic needs' that must be 
provided to its 
  citizens.

It was quite an educational journey.

The main point of 
  which is that for a community to grow in a sustained, 
healthy and 
  prosperous manner it must first establish minimum Levels of 
Service for 
  each one of these.

Once established (and agreed upon) 'growth' could 
  only take place or be 
approved if there was either a capacity to handle it 
  or the money put away 
with a plan to accommodate it when eventually built 
  out.

Obviously,  we didn't succeed.   The taskforce 
  submitted its recommendations 
and the study is still sitting on a shelf 
  somewhere gathering dust while 
growth continues to expands without its 
  benefits and forethought.

Mike Shiflett

----- Original 
  Message ----- 
From: "Melissa Rooney" <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>
To: 
  <inc-list at durhaminc.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 10:25 
  AM
Subject: INC NEWS - Fwd: Letter to Herald Sun--Growth & 

Drought--SoundFamiliar?

> Please see the following letter to 
  the Durham Herald
> Sun in Today's paper:
>
> 
  ______________________
>
> Let's conserve resources by managing 
  our growth
>
> Gov. Mike Easley requested a 50 percent water 
  use
> reduction. On the same day Easley made the request,
> Durham 
  County Commissioners approved rezoning some
> wetland areas north of 
  Treyburn for the construction
> of 175 new homes.
>
> If we 
  are truly strapped for water, why are we
> allowing growth? After the 
  2002 drought, I suggested
> in a letter to the editor that new building 
  should be
> allowed only when a sustainable source of water has
> 
  been identified to supply that growth. It is unfair,
> in my opinion, to 
  continue constricting the water
> supply of existing residents while 
  adding more homes
> and businesses that will further strain our 
  water
> supplies. Why should we be asked to limit our showers,
> 
  etc, when our governments show no restraint in
> approving growth that 
  will only make this resource
> even more scarce?
> These droughts 
  are cyclical and will continue to
> occur. Ignoring that fact, and not 
  planning for
> sustainable growth will only turn this area into 
  a
> nightmare for those who live here. I wish that your
> paper 
  would address this problem instead of telling us
> it is our patriotic 
  duty to conserve every last drop
> of water. Maybe running completely 
  out of water will
> wake our officials to the reality that 
  outstripping
> our water supply is an irresponsible way to 
  manage
> growth. When our governments walk the walk, then I'll
> 
  listen to them talk.
>
> Jennifer Fortney
> Durham
> 
  October 29, 2007
>
> Note: forwarded message 
  attached.
>
>
> 
  __________________________________________________
> Do You 
  Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection 
  around
> 
  http://mail.yahoo.com

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