At the end of March, utility poles were strewn along River Road with no notification to the affected property owners. We property owners responded with a reasonable request that the city provide recorded legal documentation of the location of any right-of-way which contained the stretch of River Road targeted for installation of street lights.
Now, this week before Christmas, those utility poles were installed without any notification to the affected property owners or to the public. The city attorney informed an attorney some of us property owners had hired for counsel that the City officials who made the decision to proceed did so by assuming the right-of-way for River Road is where they want it to be and that the property owners will have to pay the expenses to prove that assumption wrong.
While the history of documentation for what we know as River Road (formerly State Road 316) is messy, the city has yet to present recorded legal documentation that clearly substantiates that this assumed right-of-way is where these City officials have assumed it to be. Basically, the city is exercising eminent domain through the backdoor: we claim this is our right-of-way till you prove us wrong. Everyone will adjust; they must.
Our city officials who wanted to execute this street lighting project consistently have offered little if any communication and have been dismissive of our concerns and understanding of the history of River Road. Nor was there any desire by those city officials to have the public they represent and serve review this proposed street lighting project and offer their input. Closed doors exclude transparency and public participation.
While this is an example of how decision making is executed by this current administration, this decision imposes unnecessary and unjustifiable clutter to our community’s River Road experience.
Happy Holidays!
The River Road
Neighborhood
Dan and Jennifer Brink, Phil and Cindy Gagle, Nathan Clem, Braden and Carrie Boots, Barry and Constance Duncan, Doug Sundling, Steve Gerber, Rebecca Steury, Jennifer Golder, Jason and
Tiffany Smith
