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<DIV><SPAN class=749050018-23092005>Hi All,</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=749050018-23092005>For those of you who need a little relief
from Moscow's P&Z debates: here is a snippet of public testimony given
last night to The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly concerning the Borough's
attempt to regulate personal junk yards: (From Friday September 23, 2005
Daily News Miner)</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=749050018-23092005><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>
<P>The Borough Assembly, outnumbered by an angry crowd that filled the chambers
and spilled into the borough lobby, voted down an ordinance Thursday night that
would have allowed borough employees to issue citations for code violations.
<P><STRONG>Residents, many sporting weathered beards, work boots and Carhartts,
repeatedly boomed into the microphone, "Leave us alone!" and "We came to Alaska
to get away from this."</STRONG>
<P><STRONG>"Those gated communities are frightening," said Ryan Tinsley. "It's
called gentrification."</STRONG>
<P>The code enforcement ordinance was introduced by the assembly's Code
Enforcement Committee and Assemblymen Charlie Rex, Earl Romans and Luke Hopkins.
The group had worked on the ordinance since early spring after borough Mayor Jim
Whitaker introduced a similar ordinance but pulled it back Without the
ordinance, the Fairbanks North Star Borough was a paper tiger, left with only
the ability to send letter upon letter to violators, Rex said, only taking them
to court if the borough attorney has time and resources. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>But opponents called it a power grab and
a way to stifle personal rights. </FONT>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Most of the testimony centered on the
junkyard provision in the ordinance, under which violators could face $300
fines. </FONT>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2><STRONG>"One man's junk pile is another
man's treasure," said Ben Fenwick. </STRONG></FONT>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>They're not gathering junk, other
residents said.<STRONG> They're collectors.</STRONG> Old cars, airplanes and
other machinery are spare parts or inventory and could even end up in museums.
</FONT>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman"><STRONG>Some people said they would be unable to
earn a living if the ordinance passed. </STRONG></FONT>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2><STRONG><FONT size=3>"I used to sell
drugs," said Mike Shields, who said he is a mechanic. "I used to rob houses. (If
it passes) it's going to give me a lot of free time on my hands."</FONT>
</STRONG></FONT>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>Others said what they do on their
property is their business. The borough has no right to tell taxpayers what to
do with their property. </FONT>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>"Buy it or shut up," said Tammy Wilson.
</FONT>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>So-called junk collecting is actually
recycling, others said. </FONT>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2>"Yesterday I had three flat tires," Roger
Shields said. Instead of going to a gas station, he poked around in the yard
until he found fixes</FONT>.</P>
<P> </P>
<P><SPAN class=749050018-23092005>I don't know about you all, but debating the
legality of private religious schools in a downtown business district sure beats
threatening the livelihood of former drug dealers and burglars any
day!</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=749050018-23092005>Just to give you an idea of the extent of this
problem, at least two private parcels (with homes and children) have been placed
on the EPA's NPL list, Alaska Battery Enterprises and Arctic
Surplus. Both were cleaned up; however both site again are piling high
with new junk, ATCO units and children again play amongst the finds.</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=749050018-23092005></SPAN> </P>
<P><SPAN class=749050018-23092005>Have a good weekend</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=749050018-23092005>Chris</SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=749050018-23092005></SPAN> </P>
<P><SPAN class=749050018-23092005>Chris Storhok, North Pole
AK</SPAN></P></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2><SPAN class=749050018-23092005> </SPAN>-----Original
Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> vision2020-bounces@moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com]<B>On Behalf Of
</B>DonaldH675@aol.com<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, September 23, 2005 8:55
AM<BR><B>To:</B> pkraut@moscow.com; vision2020@moscow.com<BR><B>Subject:</B>
Re: [Vision2020] Thank you P & Z<BR><BR></DIV></FONT><FONT
id=role_document face=Georgia size=3>
<DIV>Pat and Visionaries:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>When the efforts of a committee of volunteers (appointed by the
mayor) spend an entire summer struggling with an almost intractable problem
-</DIV>
<DIV>and their work is dismissed in less than 30 seconds with a gushing,
vacuous thank you, I think there is a demonstrable leadership
problem. (Not to mention the unseemly public revelation that one needs
neither good manners nor brains to be on the City Council.)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The patronizing and dismissive hubris shown toward the work of P
& Z members is insulting. Perhaps, Pat, you attended the
meetings, and thus are able to weigh in on this discussion with first hand
knowledge of the work of the commission members? I don't remember seeing
you there. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If Joel Plaskon's special insight and "in the know" information was so
darned spectacular why did the mayor and council bother to turn this
problem over to the P & Z? Clearly, it was not to actually
learn anything more about the situation, consider public input, or expand
their own awareness. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Georgia size=3 PTSIZE="12" FAMILY="SERIF">Rose
Huskey</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 PTSIZE="10"
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Georgia size=3 PTSIZE="12"
FAMILY="SERIF">Who speaks for the chickens, people? Who?</FONT><FONT
lang=0 face=Arial size=2 PTSIZE="10"
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>