The latest joke going around town says that the School Board has shown how flexible it can be and that it has bent over backward for the Ordean neighbors. It was first promoted by the Trib in a congratulatory editorial on Jan 15th. Sorry the link is no longer available. It shows up again today in a letter bashing the Ordean neighbors for being NIMBY’s and anti-development.
“The School Board and the city bent over backwards to accommodate the wishes of those in the Ordean neighborhood. They reduced the number of parking spaces in their plans for a new school at Ordean, scrapped an access road, and removed the possibility of eminent domain (“Ordean plan changed to quell neighbors’ ire,” Jan. 13).
Yet, instead of being happy about the compromise and about their voices being heard, there was an immediate wave of new and recycled complaints (“Ordean site changes not enough to appease neighbors,” Jan. 14).”
It was also in a letter-to-the-editor two day’s ago by Robin Downs one of the Red Plan’s most persistent champions:
“And the Duluth school district listened and made adjustments, reconfiguring the plan while also reducing the size of the property to remove any potential need for eminent domain.
This agreement was about making the district’s work better – a welcome change from so much of the negative debate about the facilities plan. The result is going to be an eastern high school that addresses neighbors’ wishes while still providing the important enhancements needed for our kids’ education. Nice job, everyone!”
First – Eminent Domain is not off the table.
Second – East High has more parking available (although its not enough) than the District advertises.
Third – You can redraw plans for a dog house as many times as you like but if you only have enough wood for a daschund you’ll never fit a St. Bernard in it. Making it plain that you will make the St. Bernard fit is not evidence of flexibility but of some other character trait.
