Thursday, August 21, 2008

Is it The Fault of Others or Just Miscommunication?

A recent comment left by a citizen. There seems to be a pattern of behavior coming from elected officials.

Hello All, I live in the older neighborhood (behind Kelly's) that is slated to be torn down in phase two. I have had to deal with Dallas on a continuous basis. One story I would like to share. My property along with my neighbors is now the home for the additional power lines for the new downtown development. We were given a notice on our doors that all of our trees would have to be trimmed or come down completely (I would have had the most trees lost completely) in our backyard. These trees give us some privacy from the Chauncey Barett Gardens. I ask Xcel energy what easement do you have to take down 6 of my trees? Some of my neighbors had already given the ok but I held out as I knew that I would lose more property value. Xcel told me this, and I quote, "The city told us they [City] already owned all these properties." I told him that I own this house and until I see an easement bought by the city or Xcel, they are not going to get my signature to take my trees. Xcel immediately said they were not touching anything until the city deals with the home owners. I sent an email to Mayor Capra and she forwarded it on to Dallas (I also copied all the news stations and newspapers). Dallas called me ASAP and left a message that this was a miss-communication and it was Xcel that was in a hurry. This was curious because Xcel had no stake in the increase power needed at this time. Unfortunately, Xcel had already taken down trees in an elderly couples yard. Then, Xcel couldn't drive the truck over her neighbors yards (neighbors said no) and so they left the mess for the couple to clean up. The increase power lines now reside in our front yards. Xcel did some trimming but nothing like what it would have been had they run it in the back yard.My elderly neighbor lost the most in the entire ordeal. My question to Mayor Capra is, who is the advocate for the citizens? She never responded to any my questions.
Thanks for the outlet to speak our minds!
Margaret Lee
August 20, 2008 9:06 PM

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about your neighbor, Margaret. The lack of timely response from our elected officials is exactly what I addressed during the last council meeting. The Mayor is up for reelection this year and we will be stuck with the status-quo if she runs unopposed.
Your story saddens me.

Anonymous said...

It seems to me that when we question their decisions they call it animosity and hostility because they have no answers.
Margaret, I would suggest a Letter to the Editor to get your story out. People need to hear what is happening in the downtown area. This is just the beginning.


Melody

Anonymous said...

"Status quo, you know, that is Latin for the mess we're in."
- Ronald Reagan

Anonymous said...

There is so much that can be done but the citizens have to come together as a group. That is why this Blog is so important! I wish I would have thought of it sooner! Thank you again!

One individual can't change the City but a group will make a difference. I will be walking my neighborhood handing out the complaint we filed against the city in regards to the non-conforming zoning code we are stuck with while the city and Beard failed to follow through with their development plans.

Anonymous said...

Margaret could you please privately email your contact information to centervilleblog@yahoo.com?
Someone will be in touch shortly. We want to help...

Anonymous said...

Citizens For Centerville Consolidation

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To learn and share your thoughts now!

Okay citizens of Centerville - The link above is the path to your sounding board. Is consolidation with Lino Lakes the right move for Centerville? A growing number of people think that there could not be a better time to do so. Post your thoughts, ideas and concerns here and join in an open forum discussion with other citizens about your views on consolidation. Feel free to post your thoughts here or take part in our surveys on the right side of this page.

Anonymous said...

We need someone to step up to the plate and run for Mayor. Nothing is going to change otherwise. I'm not sure about the consolidation business but we definately need to take our government back! They seem to have forgot just who works for who around here! Big bullies, if you ask me. Thanks for the great information. Election is just around the corner.

Anonymous said...

Tom,
You are all over this website saying we need a change in office. Is there a reason you do not run against Mary? You sound passionate about it. Are YOU up for the challenge?