Dueling Press Releases
posted by staff @ 3:24 PM
2 comments
Black River News
Archive of posts made between December 25, 2005 and December 14, 2008 about the Taum Sauk Reservoir failure and the damage to the Shut-Ins and the Black River. This blog was posted by Lee Ferber of Peola Valley Pottery in Lesterville. The pottery was closed in 2007.
2 Comments:
In the DNR press release Childers is reported to have said, "Hundreds of Missouri citizens statewide participated in public meetings as the Department of Natural Resources gathered comments for the redevelopment plan. It is truly the citizens of Missouri's plan for restoring one of the state's most popular state parks, according to Department of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers." (emphasis mine)
Oh, really? A citizen's plan? Sure, DNR had a couple of hastily-called meetings. Then they quickly published their own plan (which had mostly been drawn up in advance) and invited public comment.
Ten days of public comment. And then they pulled the plan off their website (it's back up now).
Ten days? Every government agency I've worked with has at least a 30-day comment period, and more often they give 90 days. By the time I heard of the plan the comment period was closed (the plan was not mailed to me, nor a link sent, although I chair a nonprofit that promotes recreation through the park).
A couple of meetings. Ten days. That's the voice of the public. We never got a chance to review the plan before the comments closed, never got a chance to send it out to our membership, never got a chance to educate, suggest nor rally the troops. Sorry, comments closed.
I sent my comments anyway, all pertaining to the Ozark Trail, which seems to be a forgotten stepchild in this restoration. The plan was built without any real consideration to trailhead access, daily use logistics and weekend backpackers.
I wonder how many of the citizen voices asked that the campground be placed a mile from the Shut-Ins. I wonder how many citizens asked for drive-up lookouts. How many asked that overnight backpacking would require a one-mile hike down a road to get to their parked vehicle, locked behind gates. How many asked that the park be shuttered until every last picnic table had been dusted off and each sign was perfectly erected.
Childer's remarks are disingenuous. He's trying to position the public on his side against Ameren. While I have no particular love for Ameren, I'm not a member of Childer's "children's brigade."
Let him fight his own war. Leave me out of it.
amen john! while i am not a fan of ameren they obviously want to show complete responsibility for their actions. i certainly am not a fan of mr. childers. so mr. childers if the recent rains did such a great favor of exposing the "dangerous rebar and other debris" do the citizens of missouri and other out of state tourists and get off ur butt and get it out of the shut ins! you cannot possibly ask for better timing, mother nature just did us all a favor and uncovered it for us and saved us all time and money in the sense that knowone has to hunt for this dangerous debris. so simply send in a crew, get it out, GET IT DONE! then send ameren the bill. they have never in the past not paid their bil ......correct me if i'm wrong that is. tired of this political finger pointing and bull####! git it done so the park can be reopened. and lee an shelley i think you both should continue to cover the local happenings or lack there of by the 3 blind mice.....blunt, nixon, childers. i also agree with lee's statement that nixon is genuinly concerned with the region and the lack of progress. maybe next time i will say what i really think about mr. childers. i really have a tough time of respectivly addressing him as "mr." he certainly has not earned that title in my book.
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