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Community Association Presents
January, 2003 Meeting Notes
Item
#1 Wal-Mart expansion
Barbara Snell from Blackman Woods has received notice that Wal-Mart (Sam's
Club) has asked for a vacation of the platted road bed in the old Shanks
& Stead home place. She has been in contact with the City P &
Z Dept. and reviewed the petition papers and reported what she has found
out up to this date. The hearing is set for Thursday, Jan 23, 2003, but
we will expect a postponement and rescheduling as seems to be a common
practice. We discussed the need to enlist the services of our lawyer at
this time. We will wait till we know more about the expansion project.
Barbara will stay in touch with the P & D Dept. and Aleta Dyer will
notify interested members via e-mail as the case progresses.
Larry Daniel emphasized
the need to limit intrusion of business into R-SF zoned areas because
commercial intrusion will result in the de-valuation of the re-sale value
of the adjoining and near-by homes. He encouraged us that the effort to
monitor development in this area was worth the effort.
Donna Kennedy from
the Home Town Merchant's Assoc. attended our meeting and discussed the
Ozark Wal-Mart Case and HTMA's work there to protect local owned businesses
in that area as well as in Springfield. The HTMA is supportive of our
efforts to protect home values. At the same time our efforts will aid
them in keeping new business developments fair and competitive.
Item #2 City
Utilities Sur-Charges
We have been informed that a bill is on the City Council agenda for Monday
night that will increase the amount of added charges to the utility bills
of residents of the County. Members discussed what we have been able to
find out concerning this bill. It appears the management and board of
CU is not warmly receiving this effort but will be studying the bill and
it's possible outcome. We have learned that CU actually had anticipated
the reduction or elimination of the County Sur-Charge from our bills.
It may be wise to invite someone from CU management to a "09 meeting
soon. Mr. Tweedy is scheduled to be present at John Wylie's up coming
Town Hall Meeting.
Item #3 School
Board Action
The School Board made the decision at their last meeting (Jan 14th) to
study the school closing proposals further and look at how the "under"
utilized schools may be utilized better in an effort to keep them open.
With cuts in the State Budget, the outlook for education is not good and
should be of great concern for all of us. The School Superintendent and
two of the Board Members met with a group of concerned neighborhood leaders
from all areas of Springfield recently and were urged to keep the neighborhood
schools open. Closing of their schools have an adverse impact on the integrity
of the older and smaller neighborhoods.
Item #4 Aggressive
Annexation
The City of Springfield has began an aggressive effort to annex many of
the newer neighborhoods and developments into the City limits. These are
mainly the ones who's developers have already built the infrastructure
such as side-walks, sewers, street lights, etc. This effort has many residents
of the county up-set but due to "Developer's
Agreements" the new home owners have no ability to protest being
taken into the City. Emerald Park may be the exception due to the fact
that the first half of the development occurred before the Developer's
Agreements utilized. The residents of Emerald Park have serious concerns
about increased confusion to safety services such as fire and police if
only a portion of their neighborhood is annexed.
There are many factors
to consider, pro and con, when neighborhoods are faced with annexation.
We need to take a look at them and discuss them with our individual neighborhoods
so we will be prepared when the "opportunity" comes along to
be annexed.
Item #5 Improvements
to Blackman Road
Soon there will be an opportunity to see the drawings and proposals for
improvements to Blackman Road. Everyone should be alert to the opportunity
to attend and make comments.
Item #6 Zoning
Issues for Ashley Park and other neighborhoods in the northern sections
of '09
There is a large apartment complex planned just to the west of Hwy. 65
which will impact the eastward neighborhoods with increased water drainage
and traffic. We will need to keep our eyes on this development and support
those neighborhoods as much as we can. Here is where an understanding
of sink-holes is very important. The City recently purchased several homes
near the proposed development due to sink-hole flooding.
Another nearby neighborhood
undergoing developmental challenges is Lone Pine area and SESNA. They
are entertaining the possibility of making themselves a special tax district
in order to preserve a strip of green space (flood plain) and section
of the nature trail against commercial intrusion. This will be an interesting
process to follow.
We discussed the possible
advantage of formally calling our members a board instead of neighborhood
representatives but will delay action on this matter until a latter date.
A date for our next
meeting was discussed and it was decided that we will not set a firm date
at this time but keep everyone informed via e-mail as to the progress
of the items on our agenda. Several of our area neighborhoods are occupied
with development issues so our energies should be concentrated in our
individual neighborhoods at this time. We will plan to schedule a meeting
just prior the P & Z meeting when the Wal-Mart project is scheduled
or if other concerns develop that need our attention. Check in on our
Web site often for updates.
Respectfully Submitted,
Aleta Dyer
Submit any corrections
or additions to me at jadyer@swbell.net
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