FOT Forum
FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sarah on March 20, 2007, 12:41:23 PM
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Okay, FOT 'o mine, I figure one/some of you must have experience fighting dirty, rotten, greedy, grasping land developers. I'm facing a battle up here in Lu-BEC, Maine, and I need advice. Some bastards from Florida--the ones who bought the former sardine-packing plant next door to me about whom I did some ranting in the chat last summer--recently announced their plans to throw up a luxury housing project on an unspoiled stretch of coastal road right smack in town. They'll start with six townhouses but ultimately hope to erect twenty (they hope to get $500,000 apiece for 'em). The houses will sit on a fairly shallow shale cliff, blocking visual and, at least to some extent, physical access to the water below. The short-sighted, money-grubbing powers-that-be that run my little town are, of course, drooling over the prospect of property taxes to come. Some shill in the DEP has already leapt into the perpetrators' pocket and declaring that the complex "would not be a detriment to the natural environment." This project will go through unless enough people oppose it.
I need weapons with which to fight this. Oh, I'll call the DEP and anyone else I can think of and spread the word around town as best I can (not surprisingly, the full extent of the project has not been made public), but if anyone has any extra tricks to suggest, I'd be mighty glad to hear them. At the least, I'd be grateful for moral support.
I am not at all happy.
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Maybe you should try to contact the guy who wrote "Empire Falls" and ask him for advice. Seriously. This could be in his wheelhouse. On the local level, at least, celebrity advocates often get stuff done, at least if I'm to believe today's entry in my Martin Sheen Daily Affirmation Calendar.
I wish you luck. All else fails, we'll find someone to Turk 182 it.
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I would contact local politicians, environmental groups, enironmental lawyers. You need some sort of injuntion to stop them.
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So they're taking out a sardine packing plant and replacing it with luxury condo's and you're pissed?
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Like in the movies, I always root for the villain in these little disputes. So I'm of no help.
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Maybe you should try to contact the guy who wrote "Empire Falls" and ask him for advice. Seriously. This could be in his wheelhouse. On the local level, at least, celebrity advocates often get stuff done, at least if I'm to believe today's entry in my Martin Sheen Daily Affirmation Calendar.
That's an interesting thought. He is in Maine, after all, though it may be tricky tracking him down.
I would contact local politicians, environmental groups, enironmental lawyers. You need some sort of injuntion to stop them.
Working on it. I just found out about the scope of the plans last night and spent six hours on the phone today. Since the villains behind it all are hoping to slip everything through unnoticed and start building at the end of April, there's not a ton of time to drum up widespread local opposition. The local politicians are in the pocket of the developers; the enviromental groups so far are wimping out, as is the DEP; I haven't heard back from the lawyer yet.
So they're taking out a sardine packing plant and replacing it with luxury condo's and you're pissed?
Fuck, yeah. I'd give anything to have the old sardine-packing plant up and running again. One hundred jobs--crappy but at least regular--and the location being used for more than entertainment for one month out of the year for the idle rich. Hell, if the plan were to put up low-income housing for year-round residents, I'd support it. But this is an effort to turn Lubec into one of those horrors found in southern Maine; it will destroy part of the town in return for very little.
Like in the movies, I always root for the villain in these little disputes.
I appreciate your honesty.
So I'm of no help.
I'll expect none.
The release memo for the next book I'm editing ends with the sentence "Readers will understand why villagers would opt to join the Maoists, fight back, and keep their land and property instead of having to flee." I wish I had some Maoists to join.
P.S. I wish all I had to worry about right now was a bad ska band.
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P.S. I wish all I had to worry about right now was a bad ska band.
The idle rich have children, who, in turn have ska bands. This whole situation is probably far worse than you ever imagined.
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I would contact local politicians, environmental groups, enironmental lawyers. You need some sort of injuntion to stop them.
I have to chime in and offer an unhelpful comment -- it reminds me of another movie, namely, Sunshine State!!
But seriously, Richard has the right idea.
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One that I started pursuing at 7:30 this morning. So far with little success. At this point, I think my best bet will be to fan the fires of local resentment, at least so that the project is delayed, allowing the time to muster more organized, official opposition. I have a feeling that if there's a general outcry in town, the politicos, environmental groups, etc., will be far more interested in jumping on the bandwagon. I will continue to seek the support of these types, but I've already been advised (by someone at the regional land trust) that fomenting grass-roots resistance is a vital first step.
If I'm murdered as a result of all this, I count on you all to avenge me.
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I will avenge thee!
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My hero!
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/alembic14/RedDawn7.jpg)
Avenge me boys! Avenge me!
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What a good likeness!
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Have you considered dressing up as a ghost and trying to scare them off?
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I believe that option was proposed in the chat last summer. I'll keep it in mind, though I think the mastermind behind this venture might be too oblivious to notice any haunting I attempted.
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If I'm murdered as a result of all this, I count on you all to avenge me.
You mustn't worry about things like that. Maybe you can write a screenplay about this dispute someday though. Fight the good fight.
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FOT o' mine, FOT o' mine, forgive me, please, but I must crow: tonight my nemesis, the real estate developer himself, called me up, and I do believe I acquitted myself well. He smarmed, schmoozed, blandished, bribed, and blackmailed, and I responded cordially, competently, and, dare I say it? charmingly, all the while never giving an inch, countering every one of his arguments with a reasoned rebuttal, and even informing him jovially that I was hoping to convert him to the side of the angels (as defined by me, of course). I don't think it will make any difference, but I still think I done good.
Now I just have to kick myself because, when the property he intends to ruin went on the market, it didn't occur to me to try to get a group of people together to buy it. Turns out that $275,000 would have been enough to snap it up, and, split ten ways, that could have been managed.
Oh well. Spilt milk. Mice and men.* And so forth.
*Sorry about this. It's a small family joke that involves misquoting the famous lines as follows: "Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are these: it might have been."
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In the late 90's, I rented a house in Fall Church, VA from a retired swiss doctor from Switzerland, Lily. She had a weird (though admirable) distate for homosapiens. Whenever she called to ask me for help (changing a light bulb, etc.) I noticed that throughout her entire house she only had pictures of animals.
Lily had a bloodlust for developers. She drove around the neighborhood looking for those "publicly available" (but artfully obscured) zoning notices. When she found one, she would make a point to attend the meeting with the developers, and would let loose on them without fail.
I mention this -- unless I missed your original posts on the subject -- because Lily was never consulted by the developers first. She had to wail and make a lot of noise before they would ask one of their minions to call up and attempt to placate the raving woman. Apparently, you have a reputation.
So: Don't give up. Maybe a FOT could suggest an angle you could take? Can you come up with an allegory that cleverly states your case?
PS I'm not a constitutional scholar, but there is something very f*d up about municipal govermnment getting all fluid with zoning.
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Apparently, you have a reputation.
In a town as small as mine, it's not hard to acquire one. All I've done, really, is talk to a few people and put up some signs.
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hi sarah--
this may be trivial, but in my small little town, there is (was) a very old two way, one lane bridge that went over the rrx. well the town wanted to knock it down (because it was falling apart) and make way for a two lane bridge (very logical) but ! their plans included altering/raising the surrounding land by several feet, which would significantly change the landscape of the surrounding area (including the roads to people's houses & the overall look of this part of town) (some trees would have been knocked down and some other stuff i dont know about) basically, the residents in close proximity to the bridge were also fearful of increased traffic (a one lane, two way bridge is like a total pain in the butt, and although it causes congestion, a lot of people avoid it all together). so one thing the "save our town/bridge" people did, well two things actually, was put up school-bus yellow signs EVERYWHERE saying "save the bridge" "save our town" etc. since you already put up signs, the other thing they did was had someone photoshop what the new bridge would look like and how this would effect the ambiance of the town etc. so basically, you could use before & digitally simulated after photos to convey your point of how this development would negatively alter the look and feel of your town.
best of luck to you. oh in conclusion, a new two way, one lane bridge was constructed. i think it was like a compromise.
ps: earlier i accidentally referred to this bridge as a "one way" bridge, but really its a "two way, one lane" bridge - which is why its a pain in the butt to get across sometimes. - just wanted to clarify that.
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(http://www.ananova.com/images/web/916474.jpg)
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2237937.html
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so basically, you could use before & digitally simulated after photos to convey your point of how this development would negatively alter the look and feel of your town.
Just got some posters in the mail today that do just that, and as soon as I reinforce them with tape and cardboard and the wind dies down (there's an advisory in effect right now, and when I fetched my mail it was almost ripped out my hand by a gust), I plan to haul out my trusty staple gun and get to work.
Grimlock, since the developer owns the land that abuts my tiny property on three sides (the fourth side is a road), I may well end up surrounded myself. Though I won't end up on an "island" like that fellow in China, my modest little house--built as housing for packing-plant workers about seventy years ago (the interior siding consisted of old sardine crates)--will be lost amid a sea of "high-density housing," as it's being described in officialese.
Happy days ahead.
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(http://library.thinkquest.org/5008/_borders/shack.jpg)
(http://www.kfccinema.com/reviews/action/versus/versusposter.jpg)
(http://z.about.com/d/architecture/1/0/T/K/mcmansion-010030.jpg)
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Sarah,
How goes your fight?
Give us the update.
R
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The first public hearing is tonight. In the two weeks since I started this thread, I've managed to get a lot of people riled up, and I'm hoping for a big turnout. Amusingly enough, the developer himself stopped by my house this morning to schmooze me. That he's here for tonight's meeting is revealing, since, when he called me last week, he said he wasn't going to come up till the 18th, when the second hearing is taking place. His deciding to come now suggests he is worried.
At this point, what I'm really hoping for is to get not only his project but all iffy projects put on hold till the town revises its zoning regulations, which it proposes to do starting this year. And much as I fear and hate committees, I am going to try to get on the one in charge of that revision. If the zoning is modified, this will go a long way toward putting the kibosh on the worst sorts of development.
In the meantime, the noble Grimlock has told me about a pet food manufacturer that's looking to acquire or build a plant of its own in response to the recent Menu foods hysteria. I'll be attending the meeting tonight with multiple copies of the press release announcing this plan, and the developer has been told that I have this info. There is indeed an existing plant here that until recently canned sardines. It may need renovation, but it's still a viable building. Who knows? Maybe the access to the water (it has a large, brand-new dock) will even be a draw. I tell you, if this company actually set up shop in town, I would lobby for Grimlock's receiving the key to the city. And, just think, my love for the Best Show could be instrumental in saving Lubec! It would all just go to show that one should never underestimate the power of TBSOWFMU and its attendant FOT.
La lutta continua!
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You can't top the Best Show, you can't stop the Best Show.
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Here it is, almost 72 hours since the first public hearing on the development project, and I am still worn out. I am not cut out for all this. Oh well. Here's an update.
The meeting was packed--more than seventy people (usually, it's a miracle if even ten attend). The first selectman, who is a thug, acted as moderator, and his partisan antics outraged just about everyone in attendance or viewing the proceedings on the local public access station. Still, I was saddened that the debate was pretty much reduced to the classic "jobs versus views" conflict, a misinterpretation that made it to the article about the meeting in Friday's Bangor Daily News (http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/downeast.aspx?articleid=148367&zoneid=177). I've heard, though, that others do not share my sour view of the article, and apparently some people were so bothered by what they saw on TV that they are now planning on voting where before they couldn't give a shit.
The wicked developer called me the next day "to say good-bye," and I spoke to him at more length about the pet food manufacturer Grimlock told me about (I had supplied the developer and the selectmen with the press release and a cover memo before the meeting but had no faith anyone would read anything). I also continued to try--no doubt unsuccessfully--to use my wit and charm (ho ho) to persuade him of the error of his ways. Boy, do I wish I were more charismatic.
Because I am exhausted, I am feeling very grim about the whole business. Even if this particular guy is stopped, someone else will turn up with similar plans, and eventually the rules will be changed. Lubec will become even more of a ghost town, full of madly expensive houses that are occupied only one or two months out of the year, and those year-round residents who don't flee will become servants to the rich visitors. And I'll just keep my curtains closed and tune in to the Best Show on Tuesdays.
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Finally, the update I know you've all been waiting for.
Last night, the second and final public hearing on the proposed ordinance change took place. I spent much of the day discussing and inputting into the computer dozens of questions that my sister had been compulsively jotting down upon arising at her usual ungodly hour (sometimes as early as 12:30 a.m.--although those are really bad days--more commonly around 2 or 3). I then categorized them, rewrote them, and printed them out to hand out at the meeting. The idea was to make it easier for people to stand up and ask questions, using the list as a guide.
At the meeting, we handed out the five-page list to all and sundry--including the developer and the selectmen--and waited to see what would happen. From the start, it was clear that the powers-that-be had learned a lesson or two from the shambles that was the last meeting. The first selectman, who had bullied, interrupted, and shilled for the project two weeks before, held his tongue more often than not. All the selectman and the developer had obviously (finally) taken the time to do some of the homework they should have done before. Most important, the developer changed the scope of the project. The townhouses have been dropped, and the new ordinance now only allows him to build on smaller lots with less road frontage. It also incorporates a height limit (35 feet). The houses will be single-family homes, and no house can cover more than 50 percent of the lot (rather than 70 percent), which would ensure that house sizes would be modest. In addition, the plans for the factory have shifted from turning it into a kind of minimall chockfull of little shoppes filled with junque for the tourists. Now, the developer talks of selling fuel for the fisherman, a marine supply shop, a lobster bait joint. He will be talking to someone who wants to organize a clammers' cooperative. In short, all the businesses he mentioned are for the good of working fishermen and many would offer year-round employment. And one of the selectman--a very scary woman (with whom I'm quite friendly, actually) who was once arrested for beating up her sister's boyfriend--mentioned Natura Pet Products.
That said, the developer still intends to build three houses on a small lot that would be better left empty. He will also certainly build at least two houses on one side of me and one on the other and possibly two more lower down on the property--and could build two more on the land currently available and even more if he ends up knocking down the factory. Plus there is absolutely no guarantee that he will put the factory to the use he described.
So. A difference has been made. And the zoning change could still be voted down at the meeting next week. I'm thinking of the whole thing is a lesson in how democracy works: no one is entirely happy, but neither is anyone completely dissatisfied. Fucking compromise, in other words. But better than nothing. And, who knows? maybe people will surprise me and vote the change down. I have a feeling they won't, though: as I described Lubec to someone in an e-mail the other day, this town is a dying animal, chewing out its own entrails because its empty belly hurts. People are too desperate for jobs to say no to a project that promises to offer even a few. But at least if the change passes, the results will not be quite as gruesome as they otherwise would have been. And I will be able to say, to quote Buffy, "the battle's done and we kind of won."
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How big are these lots?
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7000 square feet, with 70 feet minimum water frontage. As I said, the houses can be only 35 feet tall and take up only 50 percent of the total lot; in other words, they won't be huge.
My dream is that all the houses will be presold to you guys. A fantasy, I know, but a pretty one. Hey, maybe one of you has always wanted to open a marine supply business. You could set up shop in the factory and be able to walk to work!
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7000 square feet, with 70 feet minimum water frontage. As I said, the houses can be only 35 feet tall and take up only 50 percent of the total lot; in other words, they won't be huge.
My dream is that all the houses will be presold to you guys. A fantasy, I know, but a pretty one. Hey, maybe one of you has always wanted to open a marine supply business. You could set up shop in the factory and be able to walk to work!
Laser Allin at Omar's house!
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That seems awfully tight if you use the max. square footage allowed. If you draw a 35oo sqft box in the middle of a 7ooo sqft lot you've only got 10-15' to the property line. What are the setbacks? Might want to work in a maximum percentage of impervious area (hardscape and buildings); I imagine you're already greatly increasing the potential for runoff. I'd also beware of the developer trying to combine two lots and build a larger house upon it. If any of the code stuff is online I'd love to have a look.
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I would absolutely love to hear what you think about Lubec's codes, arcu. They're not available online, but I could get hold of a hard copy and scan it with my horrible scanner, and you'd probably be able to read it. If not, I'll just type the damn thing up and send you the file.
It's clear that the houses now envisioned are misguided. At the least, they will be horribly cramped. And the 33-foot setback makes me wonder how they'll avoid sliding off the cliff. No environmental impact or other studies have been done yet, so there is no confirmation that the project is even feasible. The developer has just been pushing for the zoning change; he'll do all the other stuff he has to do later and then submit the project to the planning board for approval. And it would be great to have a lot of quibbles to present when that happens.
I don't think, though, that the developer plans to combine lots and build bigger houses. Instead, I think he wants smaller units that he'll still be able to charge large sums for (by Lubec standards) because of the view. But who knows? The man is utterly opaque: it is impossible to tell when he's lying. He's a soft-spoken, emotionless cipher with a veneer of shy amiability. Yet apparently he's done lots of developing in Florida and made millions in the process (mind you, he denies absolutely that he's a developer).
Of course, one big reason to mistrust him is that expensive vacation homes and an ugly steel warehouselike building housing lots of small marine-related businesses that may produce odd smells and will certainly cater to rough, scruffy fishermen--who scare the bejesus out of a lot of the people who vacation here--are not compatible. And I'm hoping a lot of people in town will realize this or will worry that an influx of rich folk will lead to noise ordinances and other such restrictions, and the ordinance change will be voted down. If not, at least, townhouses will not be in the offing.
You know, this just occurred to me: This guy lives in South Naples. His name is Victor Trafford. He has a pressure-cleaning business but, as I said, supposedly he has also done a lot of developing. As an architect-in-utero, maybe you've heard of him.
THANK YOU, ARCU!
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So, the town meeting is tomorrow. And I'm in a quandary: do I make a motion that the article be "passed over," which would delay the vote indefinitely, or just let the vote take place. It's a gamble, either way. Though many seem to be opposed to the things to which I wish them to be opposed, it's impossible to be sure that they'll carry the day. On the other hand, if the vote doesn't happen, momentum will fizzle out as people gear up for the annual pastime of wringing as much money as possible from the summer people or just begrudge spending time on town politics during the couple of months when the weather is actually balmyish. I suspect I'll have more of a sense of the right thing to do when I get to the meeting tomorrow, but, in the meantime, any words of wisdom would be welcome.
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Let the people voice their choice. Procedural wrangling will just make you look like you don't intend to bring it. You've done a great job of having this addressd, you made them cave on big issues, you should be proud.
R
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That's how I was feeling till yesterday, when I found out that the selectman and the code enforcement officer had lied at the last hearing about receiving written confirmation from a lawyer at the Maine Municipal Association that the change is not an instance of "spot zoning." This assurance last Wednesday swayed a lot of people. Even after hearing of the deception, however, I was all for letting the vote proceed--precisely because I thought "procedural wrangling" would alienate people--but then I also learned that many people in the town simultaneously believe "No one has a right to tell anyone what to build on his own land" and "No rich guy from away has the right to ask for a zoning change so he can build what he wants on his own land." This evidence of confusion disturbed me enormously and made me wish there were more time to explain things to people. On the other hand, if they don't get it by now, I don't know if they ever will, and a delay could simply lead to a lot of 'em deciding not to bother to vote at all.
Mostly, though, I feel like someone second-guessing the answers to a test, something that is always a mistake. Plus I want at least this part of the war to be over and done with, especially since no matter what happens, I'm going to be screwed: houses will spring up around me with or without the zoning change. So, if it were up to me, I'd probably just let the vote go ahead. The thing is, it's not entirely up to me, and if I'm going to try to talk people out of trying to delay the vote, I want to feel like I'm on sturdy ground.
I'm very tired of it all.
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That's how I was feeling till yesterday, when I found out that the selectman and the code enforcement officer had lied at the last hearing about receiving written confirmation from a lawyer at the Maine Municipal Association that the change is not an instance of "spot zoning." This assurance last Wednesday swayed a lot of people.
Ewww... that's bad news baseball.
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That's how I was feeling till yesterday, when I found out that the selectman and the code enforcement officer had lied at the last hearing about receiving written confirmation from a lawyer at the Maine Municipal Association that the change is not an instance of "spot zoning." This assurance last Wednesday swayed a lot of people.
Ewww... that's bad news baseball.
Grab a bat, punk!
Oh man, I love that movie.
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Good guys lost in Lubec: 111 to 95.
On the bright side, at least the article that, if passed, would have allowed houses to be built on property currently zoned "resource protection" lost (by a resounding 5 votes).
I am very, very sad.
edit: What, no kind words? Cruel, cruel FOT . . .
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Awwwwww.
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edit: What, no kind words? Cruel, cruel FOT . . .
Out, out damn FOT!
Oh, and sorry you lost.
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edit: What, no kind words? Cruel, cruel FOT . . .
Out, out damn FOT!
Oh, and sorry you lost.
My apologies for chiming in late on this, but I've been busy watching every last local patch of forest get cleared to build McMansions and condos. I feel your pain.
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Thank you, Laurie, Chris L., and Stan. And especially Eric, who is a prince. As to the rest of you, I can only assume that your silence reflects the kind of awkwardness people feel when they hear someone has been diagnosed with a deadly disease.
Anyway, I thought you might enjoy this little follow-up: Yesterday, someone reported that one of the comments she heard during the wars was, "I hope he builds an eleven-story skyscraper" (this in a town were the tallest buildings have three stories). Another yokel said that objecting to the development was tantamount to communism.
Yesterday I also learned that, probably in response to the VA Tech business, the local school--whose student body numbers perhaps 300--keeps its doors locked at all times: visitors must be buzzed in and immediately report to the office, where they are given badges they must dangle from their necks. The school, by the way, already conducts regular random searches of students' lockers, using drug-sniffing dogs.
What is my world coming to?
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Thank you, Laurie, Chris L., and Stan. And especially Eric, who is a prince. As to the rest of you, I can only assume that your silence reflects the kind of awkwardness people feel when they hear someone has been diagnosed with a deadly disease.
Sorry for your loss and my failure to comment on it in a timely fashion. I've been fairly busing cracking the encyption code on HD-DVDs and indulging my newfound love for macrame.
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The Ballad of Lubec Sarah
It was nigh on two weeks ago
Where the tides are high and the New Englanders go
to a sleepy town in some part of Maine
To enjoy fresh picked lobsters and water games
Lubec Sarah fought for the right
To keep her town free from developers blight
With honor and vigor she opposed the construction
Of unsightly, poorly crafted view blockin' obstructions
Against greedy McMansionists she made her stand
Against many cheaply manufactured houses next to her land
Which would crowd natures bounty with scarcely used parcels
Filled to overflowing with Home Depot offal
Lubec Sarah fought for the right
To keep her town free from developers blight
With honor and vigor she opposed the construction
Of unsightly, poorly crafted view blockin' obstructions
With the aid of the FOT she weighed every option
From kitty food makers (to dynamiting the auction)
But settled at last, after many an impassioned plea
To put her faith in the wheels of Democracy
Lubec Sarah fought for the right
To keep her town free from developers blight
With honor and vigor she opposed the construction
Of unsightly, poorly crafted view blockin' obstructions
Voting night came, and with bated breath
Lubec Sarah counted as her dreams sailed to the west
The developers won, despite all of her striving
Due to treachery, patronage and backroom conniving
Lubec Sarah fought for the right
To keep her town free from developers blight
With honor and vigor she opposed the construction
Of unsightly, poorly crafted view blockin' obstructions
Now many years later, and Sarah is gone
And the McMansion's melted from cruel winter's harsh songs
But in the wind, or so the locals say
the Ballad of Lubec Sarah can still be heard, blowing in from Johnson Bay
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Oh I'm sorry Sarah! I've been following this thread and hoping for a happy ending. :(
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I'm sorry too sarah. And I'm sorry I said you were the jank. I didn't know what I was saying. Seriously.
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I'm sorry to hear that as well.
Sounds like the residents of Maine have a lot of things disrupting their peace lately:
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/travolta%20upsets%20maine%20locals%20with%20jet%20noise_1029197
I hope there is a bright side to your situation, and that you can take comfort in it.
You should give yourself credit for all of your hard work you've done. Though it didn't bring the results you wanted, you had to go up against a lot in a short amount of time. I think that under the circumstances, you put forth a tremendous effort and you should be proud of that.
Maybe this sounds naive, but its difficult to make big changes when so much control is out of your hands. And persuading other people to see your point of view can also be hard.
So, keep your chin up, and enjoy the present landscape as much as you can.
Take the boxers out on the town!
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Take the boxers out on the town!
The boxers leave me today, which adds to my sorrows. Indeed, I'm so sentimental right now (many little bouts of weeping over the last couple of days because the puppies are to depart, and the poor things are being regularly startled by the flash as I take their pictures) that Grimlock's ballad made tears come to my eyes. All in all, I'm feeling quite jank today, John (in the sense of "like a pussy").
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Sarah, have you considered salting the earth those jerkos purchased?
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Sorry Sarah,
You know if you have that amount of support you might want to consider pooling your resources and find a lawyer to try and appeal the ruling.
Richard
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Sorry to hear the bad news.
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sorry to bring up the boxers (again).
maybe you can somehow keep one, or adopt one from another family of boxers?
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Well, the other reason I can't keep the boxers is that one is already able to climb out of my dogpen, and the other will likely follow in his footsteps as soon as he grows a bit. (Mind you, if they got along with my cats, I would happily have raised the height of the pen--another course of 4 ft. rabbit wire would have done the trick--and kept them both.) At least, they'll be moving to adjacent houses, so they'll still get to see each other (they are such lovely friends--the smaller one is gently gnawing on his brother's foot at the moment--it would be most sad to break them up completely), and they'll be with people they already know. No, I just have to be brave and hope that they'll be okay in their new homes.
I tell you, though: I don't see how people can bear to have foster children.
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If cats were ducks (with apologies for the horrible soundtrack)
[youtube=425,350]PzyXtDVc_yw[/youtube]
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Want more of a taste of Lubec? Go here (http://www.genotv.com/index.php?sh_id=137&sh_station=2&pageNum_allClips=0&totalRows_allClips36), and check out in particular "Golfing with Eddie," "Summer BBQ with the Masons" and "Howard's House." I know just about everyone interviewed, in particular John and Ed, in the first video, and Howard, in the last. And in a few days, on the same site, there'll be a video devoted to my enemy, the developer, that will show you all exactly what all the fuss has been about. You'll even get to see my garbage cans! (I'll post again when it shows up on the site.)
I want you all to understand even better why I'm so pissed off.
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this week's nyer has a cartoon about the situation in Lubec:
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/issuecartoons/2007/05/14/cartoons_20070507?slide=8
it's not HILLARIOUS, but its relevant.
also, how do i make the above url appear as a one word hyperlink?
thanks.
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[ürl=http://www.newyorker.com/humor/issuecartoons/2007/05/14/cartoons_20070507?slide=8]Unfunny cartoon[/ürl]
Ditch the umlaut/dieresis/whatever mark and you have this:
Unfunny cartoon (http://www.newyorker.com/humor/issuecartoons/2007/05/14/cartoons_20070507?slide=8)
MAGIC!
(http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l185/mschiffm/gob.jpg)
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thanks.