Citizens Win Major Victory Over Lumber Products !

[chuck thomas]

Date; Wed. November 14th, 2007

PLEASE FORWARD;

 

LETTER  OF GRATITUDE  TO SANA BOARD AND NEIGHBORS WHO TESTIFIED AT LAST NIGHTS CITY COUNCIL HEARING

 

Last night's Boise City Council Hearing brought Boise area residents and Idaho Citizens a 'rare' Victorious end to a lengthy and costly battle.We defeated Lumber Products  Company plans to place a huge 150,000 sq. ft. Ware house and trucking facility, in many area residents back yards.

The City Council stated this was the most difficult and significant issue that they had ever dealt with. Our victory has set 'precedence' to prevent similar neighborhood invasions. Had we lost it would have opened the door to abusive industries being placed in both our 'and other' neighborhoods.

Those of us who have been active in Idaho' Legislature and local governments over the years, have learned that Developers political influence in growth issues almost always overrides Citizen's Rights and voices in growth and taxation.

This bullying situation has occurred in Idaho for many years, this is only the second victory I've seen in my 10 years of political involvement. 

 

Last night's victory can be solely attributed to our unity and teamwork. We living near lumber Product's  proposed Site formed the Five Mile Creek Neighborhood Assn.as a self-defense move, to prevent this huge facility from being built in our neighborhood..  

Being a Neighborhood Assn. provided us with more clout and much more testimony time than the customary 3 minutes. 

This move worked well for us, as Lumber Products obtained several 'last minute Hearing Deferral's in an attempt to erode our opposition, fortunately this ploy failed.  

Our Board Members and area residents gave excellent testimonies that greatly influenced our victory.

Donna Johnson even provided Lumber Products with a list of 'alternative' facility sites for sale, after Lumber Products threatened to leave Boise if they didn't get their way, VERY CLEVER MOVE DONNA !!

 

 

Jim Storey, President of Pioneer Neighborhood Assn. provided me with some 'key' valuable Comprehensive Plan information, for us to contest this facility. 

Jim also granted our Neighborhood Assn. permission to speak in their association's behalf at the hearings, concerning the threat to school children from Lumber Products fleet of semi-trucks. Many thanks Jim, for inviting me into your home and the great advise in spite of your health issues. We wish you a speedy recovery.

 

Last but certainly not least, Glen Stephens a Board member of Southwest Ada Neighborhood Assn. 'SANA' rode with me and assisted in our defense in last night's City Council Hearing.

Glen is former Ada County Director of Growth & Development and has more credentials than City and County Officials combined. We're very fortunate to have Glen in our corner.

 SANA is well known by Boise local Officials and Legislators as being very pro-active in Annexation Reform and citizen's voting rights in the Legislature.

 

Once Idaho Citizens force Developers to pay 'appropriate' IMPACT FEES on new-growth, Forced Annexations, high Property Taxes, Urban Sprawl  and runaway consensual Annexations by Developers will rapidly decline. 

If Citizens don't provide the Legislature with Impact Fees as an alternate funding method to high Property Taxes in new Annexation Reform legislation, they will likely shift the burden back on our backs under local option taxes. 

Idaho's Annexation Law is 'the other' Developer's Discount that has evaded any discussion.  

 

Over the past months I've kept SANA's treasurer Bob Johnson abreast of the details of our battle and 'God love him' Bob expedited a board vote to provide SANA's support at last night's City Council Hearing.

SANA President Bob Finley drafted a 'fabulous' testimony letter for Glen to submit, it addressed virtually all our areas concerns over this facility.

I'm very proud to be a SANA member and we all are very grateful to the fine people who volunteer as board members  in this great civic organization. If you live in our area, not being a member just doesn't,t make good sense.

 

I hope down the road, that SANA will consider accepting area Neighborhood Associations as sub-chapters of SANA. This could provide SANA and all of us much more clout with Legislators and in local government. 

 

NOTICE;

There is a SANA meeting tonight at 6:45pm on Victory Rd. at the Vo-Tech Center. They have 'just' voted to open voting memberships to much of SW Ada County residents.

I highly recommend you attend tonight's meeting and join, I feel Boise will soon enact more Forced Annexations in our area and SANA is a great organization to have on your side.

 

My sincere gratitude goes to SANA and everyone who has helped us through these hearings,

Chuck Thomas

Board member, Five Mile Creek Neighborhood Assn. and SANA member.

P.S. Hope to see you all at the meeting tonight....

 

 

 

---

 

America's biggest terrorist threat comes from Elected Officials, who solely serve the wishes of Corporate CEOs and their Third World labor market interests.
www.voteforabetteridaho.org
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Restore Integrity to the Oval Office in 2008
Vote Ron Paul for President
http://ronpaul2008.com/