A couple days ago a friend emailed me and commented that she hadn’t read any anti-Red Plan blog posts recently. She had in mind a recent letter to the editor heaping scorn on people who lived by the new East High School for complaining about parking problems since the East kids have swarmed into the area. He implied it was their own fault for getting in the way of the School District when it wanted to level their houses for parking lots.
It was an annoying “blame the victim” allegation but as I explained to my friend with Dixon gone I don’t feel the desire to keep harping on the Red Plan. Its here and, even if its after affects still sting, I don’t need to sound like Mr. Sour Grapes through eternity over it.
I didn’t tell her that with my Congressional race fantasy still percolating away I’d prefer to stick to more nationally oriented posts. I did promise her that when egregious Red Plan info made the news she could still count on me for some sour grapes. Today’s paper gave me a beaut. Ann Wasson suddenly cares about what the state thinks and about “green space.”
Here’s the portion of today’s story about knocking down some houses near Congdon for an ice hockey rink:
Board member Ann Wasson said the existing rinks have been valuable to the Congdon Park neighborhood, which has little green space, in winter and in warmer months. The hockey association has also put a lot of money into the land the rinks sit on, she said. But what the board is concerned with, she said, is whether there is adequate green space for the school.
“Its not about hockey,” Wasson said. “If the Minnesota Department of Education says we need X amount of green space, in my mind that’s what drives the decision.”
What a crock. As another friend wrote in an email sent to me today on the story:
Harry…Where was Annie Wasson’s opinion on “X amount of green space” and Minnesota Department of Education’s guidelines when it came to Ordean?
Every thing I predicted about Ordean is coming to pass, including the failed retaining wall, a portion, evidently, that had to be rebuilt. And the architect comment about ‘how well it all fit”. You don’t build 22 ft retaining walls and spend the millions of dollars these cost when ‘things fit”.
Our School Board already took a million of the Red Plan dollars and gave it to build the currently debt ridden Heritage Sports (hockey) Center so what’s the big deal about spending another million on a hockey rink at Congdon? Heck, just add another kid to each of our classes and that’ll take care of it.
Oh, one problem. Public education trumps any homeowner when it comes to the use of eminent domain. I’m not sure a youth hockey center does. Maybe the threat of an expensive court fight will cow the homeowners. Too Bad Dr. Dixon didn’t hang around to stiffen the spine of the School Board in the face of these ingrates who would stand in the way of his grand vision.
