More On The News Journal's Developer Story Today

Click on over to Delaware Way for my take on the Stoltz story this morning: DelDOT Shoves An Arm's Length Between The Bond Bill Committee And Jack Markell, Chris Coons, Pam Scott-Paul Clarky And Keith Stoltz

DelDOT secretly continues to support developer interest over citizens!!!

Dismayed yet again to read about our State Government official's continued actions to support developers over citizens at all costs.  Didn't they learn anything from the secret Minner deals with the NKS sweetheart deal?  Is this agency still being run by the staff kept on from the Minner administration?

From today's News Journal coverage (Click here for Link):

"DelDOT convinced lawmakers to agree to language in the agency's funding bill that's less restrictive from their original proposal, but may give a citizens group in New Castle County's chateau country a legal foothold to challenge the projects in court."Why should the taxpayers have to subsidize this out-of-state real-estate development trust in putting in its project?" said Richard Beck, a land-use attorney with Citizens for Responsible Growth, a civic group fighting both developments"

Please support the Citizens for Responsible Growth in New Castle County in any legal challenge.  This type of late night closed door action by any government agency is unconscionable and should be challenged vigorously.  If they do it in one place and get away with it, they are emboldened to do it in many other places.

Public Meeting Of The Citizens For Responsible Growth Tonight At 5:30 In Greenville

CRG Public Gathering June 25th at Twin Lakes Farm

Please see attached invitation for a CRG event we are having at my farm on June 25th. (click to enlarge image) This is open to the public. This meeting is to make sure the community is aware of the dreadful effects Stoltz's proposed developments will have on us and generations to follow. Come find out how you CAN make a difference!

Thank you and see you on the 25th! Patty Hobbs

[Editor's note: I just spoke with Andy Hobbs and confirmed that this is the rain date for the gathering. So come on out and let's communicate!]

Public Notice for Delaware River Main Channel Deepening Hearing

Please consult the Civic League for New Castle County's Resolution Opposing this project that represents our official position on this project.  If you can, please attend and testify against this project.

Permit and background information is available on the Web (Click Here)

DNREC – Wetlands and Subaqueous Lands

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Pursuant to 7 Del. C. Ch. 72, Section 7208, 7 Del. C. Ch. 66, Section 6609 and Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (“DNREC”) will conduct a public hearing commencing at 6:00 p.m. each evening on July 13 and July 14, 2010.  The hearing will be held in the Longwood Room #113 Auditorium, in the Bank of America Building at Delaware State University, College Road Dover, Delaware.

Contact Your Legislature and tell them to Oppose House Bill 442 - A bill that will open the sewer floodgates.

Even the News Journal Opinion is spot on about how bad this bill is for the Citizens of New Castle County.  This is clearly a few legislators working for a few special interest friends at high risk to the taxpaying citizens of New Castle County who will have to pay the bill if things go bad.

Please read the News Journal Opinion.

The bill is below.  Please contact your legislator and let them know this is a bad bill.  We cannot afford to fix the Wastewater Infrastructure in northern New Castle County, and finally realized that they had an excess of sewer capacity in Southern New Castle County.  With the current housing market, this bill is nothing bay horrible and incompetent public policy - written as an insider favor for a few special interest.

The bill is below:

More on the Proposed Special Services Oversight

The news journal has enother article on the proposed oversight committee. 

The committee could be useful, if it is made up of competent people that understand the technical issues and do not have any special agenda's or "friends" in need of special favors.

If done right, it could do what NCC Council and Government has failed to do - - - Provide openess and transparency in the very political dealings with providing sewer services.

NCC Special Services Committee Co-Chairs Want To Reinstate The NCC Department Of Special Services Board

At the June 15th Civic League meeting, a rousing conversation ensued about why the County Council is mostly rubber-stamping whatever the Executive's Department heads dictate. League Director Gary Warren reminded everyone that there was once an appointed citizen's Board to oversee the Special Services Department that provided some checks and balances.

I guess Gary has been talking to his friends on Council because the Special Services Committee co-chairs have suddenly decided to reconstitute the citizen's overisght Board:

(Newark Post) reports ~ Councilmen want to reestablish committee following Lea Eara Farms sewage treatment problems - New Castle County Councilmen William E. Powers, Jr. and Timothy Sheldon announced their intention to re-establish the NCC Department of Special Services Board, following the takeover of a waste treatment facility at Lea Eara Farms near Middletown.

Alert: DNREC Hearing on the Main Channel Deeping Project to go on Public Notice Sunday, June 19, 2010

This unjustifyable pork barrel project that will damage our river and estuary is back.

In 2007, after a thorough review of this project, the Civic League Board of Directors past a resolution opposing this project, and joining in with a coalition of environmental and good government groups to "Dump the Delaware Deepening"

Apparently, the Corps of Engineers has simply repackaged the same bad information, submitted it, and plans to mount a political push rather than justifying the project on its merits.

Be on alert, and try to attend the public hearing to provide the voice of reason and a call for good government accountability of tax payer's money, by strongly opposing this project.

For more information check out the web posting from the Delaware River Keeper about there litigation to protect the Delaware River and Estuary. 

On Chris Coons, Development Options And Unloading Costly Waste

What is going on with HB 442 (Click HERE) - the controversial --GIVE ARTESIAN AND SO-CANAL LANDOWNERS WITH DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS WHAT EVER THEY WANT --EVEN THOUGH THE PSC AND THE COURTS AND THE COUNTY HAVE ALREADY DENIED THEM bill? Like whiny little babies, these vested interests are trying to force the rest of us to allow them the privilege of building residential sub-divisions while we suck up the costs of all the impending infrastructure....and add onto the already alarmingly HUGE STATE DEBT [Delaware State Legislators Must Get A Grip On The "Hidden Cost" Of The Development Industry ].

(WNJ) Aaron Nathans and Chad Livengood reported ~ Bill would drop NCCo's sewer control

The county now controls service in the unincorporated area south of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, but has built only the first phase of a southern sewer system. A group of landowners who want to build houses outside the county service area have been struggling to find a solution for years, and recently turned to [State] lawmakers and Artesian.

Artesian has proposed building a private sewer system that would initially serve 250 homes, and later expand -- if the law is changed to wrest away the county's sewer rights. Rep. Robert E. Walls, D-Milford, has introduced a bill that would allow a utility company to build a sewer system in that area if New Castle County doesn't have its own infrastructure in place five years after a landowner requests service.

I spoke with Rep. Bob Walls, yesterday who said he and co-sponsor, Senator Bunting,

Bad Bill May Open Sewer Flood Gates in New Castle County

Please read this article in the News Journal about a bill proposed in the Delaware General Assembly to allow private sewer companies, in this case Aretesian water, to build sewers without county permission.

As we have learned in SNCC, distributed piecemeal sewer ends up costing the public a lot of money and promotes excessive uncontroled growth and development.

Please call your legislator and oppose this bill, it is just bad public policy.

Bill would drop NCCo's sewer control - Artesian could build below canal

Your thoughts on Legislative Redistricting & Gerrymandering?

How can gerrymandering be eliminated and will the promised reapportionment cures be enacted, with process open to the voting public.