Have been out fishing again (hasn't the weather been perfect for boating, swimming and fishing). This weekend a 10 pound channel catfish from Patoka Lake found its way back to New Albany. Good looking fish, too! For some reason, it helps to know where the Patoka River comes into Patoka Lake -- nail a big 'un there every time!
To go off camping, (not being a happy camper at the time) really helped with the frustration I was feeling over the political football which landed at two private citizens' feet Thursday night at a PUBLIC meeting by the Mayor of New Albany because of Mr. Mike Sodrel's actions.
There are two citizens in New Albany who have TRIED TO KEEP up with the pollution, all of New Albany's sewage overflows, all of the monies, and the Clean Water Act. New Albany has been in violation, gee, I forget the years now involved. We signed our "second Amended Consent Decree" under our last Mayor -- Overton, and got a $34 million plus state revolving loan which is monies from the EPA administered by the State of Indiana to ONCE again fix our pollution and stop the raw sewage from running down our streets and across our properties. The citizens' involvement would add up, together, to 22 years of experience. The sewer board meeting is held at 3:30 in the afternoon, and there doesn't seem to be any public that attends unless they have a problem, except for two citizens. Yea, one of them is me.
Mr. Sodrel, we did not need political influence after spending nearly $80 million dollars fixing an infrastructure for approximately 38,000 people. We sent e-mails to all of our representatives asking them to stay out of it. We felt, as citizens trying to support the Clean Water Act (which Bush has almost gutted), we are helping (in our small way) to fix the mess with the dead zone down in the Gulf of Mexico.
Now, because you went to the head of the EPA (even though taxpayers were assured this City would have its' feet held to the fire this time if they didn't fix it), the Mayor of this town has laid this ENTIRE MESS at our feet. What? If these two citizens hadn't attended the meetings no one would have found out? Found out what? What? Do you think we enjoyed tracking these monies and the projects and all the other inter-twined events? Do you really believe, Mr. Sodrel, we in this inner-City don't need an infrastructure that works and that raw sewage is acceptable in your OWN HOME TOWN? Ah, come on.
Sorry, but I do not appreciate having to become involved in a criminal investigation because of this and other Administrations not being held accountable for doing their jobs. We, the citizens of New Albany, do not feel like paying any more monies for work that was to be performed WAY BACK in 1997. Check our facts out. There is an Agreed Order with the State of Indiana dated 1997 promising the Robert E Lift had and would be fixed at that point in time. It is now on the table again with no monies to fix it (because for some strange reason now it absolutely HAS TO BE); we the citizens have paid FIVE (5) times over for this particular project; yet, this Mayor has the nerve to blame it on two citizen activists off the street (guess they didn't believe him).
There must be some agreement between you and Bush with the way Bush gutted the Clean Water Act. But, Mr. Sodrel, it's YOUR OWN HOMETOWN. Gee. Thanks for getting this Mayor (Garner) to blame me publicly for the problems. Maybe I should be honored? Who knows. BRING BACK BARON is all that is left for me to say at this point in time.
Please remember, if you wish to disagree (even anonymously), you are more than welcome to comment. Please though, I will not publish any comments if a civil discourse can not take place. Thanks.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Even though I have disagreed at times with your conclusions, I do salute you for taking the time to attend these meetings and doing the research.
With my poor writing skills, this is going to come out sounding "wrong" but please take it in the spirit offered. If you had not been watching over the years, we may have even a bigger mess on our hands. Even a watchdog that never catches anyone still acts a deterrent.
IAMHOOSIER:
Please don't apologize for any "poor writing skills" you may have. Having admitted it publically before, prepositional phrases are my curse in life!
Everyone has a different level of education and a different "way" they have been taught. It wasn't until later in my life did I realize how fortunate I was in the education I received, and how the system was set up back in good old Flatwoods, KY.
My father went to Ashland KY's school system, but decided Russell school system had better schools (7 miles down the road, but in another County - Greenup). Russell is an "Independent" school system. We had a wonderful corporate sponsor, Ashland Oil. Our school was not part of the County schools, or others; I really am not sure how we ended up as an "Independent" school system, but it truly blessed me with a good education.
When I graduated in 1972, I think Russell was rated like 3rd or 4th in the State of KY for academic excellence, behind Anchorage. Some times you don't realize these things until later in life, but I would never harp on anyone's writing skills nor spelling skills.
We are all dealt a different hand in life and it's up to all of us to play that hand (or at least I was taught this way) the best way you possibly can. Having never dreamed I could have reached the levels of jobs I obtained (though I have now gotten out of my field of expertise), maybe only then do you realize how lucky and how important that education was.
It's kind of funny, but I graduated top of my class in, of all things, "mechanical reasoning". How could someone like myself beat out everyone in the entire school taking those college entrance tests in something I wasn't even sure what it was, and I certainly didn't know what to do with that kind of skill level. Evidently mechanical reasoning means I am able to perceive in my head how cogs and wheels and things like that operate. Go figure.
Anyway, I didn't take any offense at anything you said. Please forgive my ramblings, and I know sometimes we do not agree on issues. But, as that old saying goes, you can't please everyone ALL the time, right? Thank you for your thoughts and the time you spent in thanking Susan and I for something else I never dreamed would occur or that I would be involved in -- SEWERS. Who would have thought? Those analytical skills paid off; it's just a shame it took ten (10) years to cut through twenty (20) years of problemos, if you know what I mean. Again, thanks for your thoughts.
Yvonne,
Is it true that you are running for Mayor?
Couldn't resist publishing this latest posting! Got another chuckle out of me. Ya know, you have to wonder where they hear this stuff. That's okay, though. At this point in time, I have no intentions to run for Mayor of the City of New Albany -- thanks for asking.
All this humility is humbling, but could it be that top of the class in Russell, KY independent school district could still be wrong?
Is that what you call it, humility? Gee, I thought I was giving credit to a school and a corporation who cared about the kids in town. Let me think about that one.
Could the independent school district still be wrong? May I ask you, "about what"? I'm here, and you're there. Guess you may want to ponder on that one for a minute. Thanks for your time.
And here's to Russell, by gosh.
Please excuse me. I realize your comments are timed at 12:19 am, but I am not receiving them until after 3 am, hmmm.
Anyways, you may be referring possibly to the "mechanical reasoning test" I took -- could that be what you are referring to? My answer then would have to be no, because aren't your college entrance exams (the PSAT AND SAT) Federally wrote and State administered? Russell certainly didn't come up with the college entrance exams I undertook. Did yours, and I'm just missing out here on some info? Thanks for your interest in all of this, though. Talk about interesting.
Post a Comment