Wellcome to the BlogoSphere!
Anon. commented yesterday that SteelHead's post about the reason for Kucena's resignation from the planning commisson contained some NON-FACTUAL (good gawd) information, and brought up the issue of credibility. Right on. I can't agree more, especially if the poster is trying to maintain that they are an expert. The poster and /or commenters should clearly state that this is their personal understanding. Or at least they should indicate that this is a current rumour going around. Frankly, if I were the one being talked about, esp. if Iwere a public official, I'd kinda like to know its happening. And if someone actually knows that something isn't factual that has been posted, it is great if they can bring it to our attention. What is or is not in the muni code is an excellent example. It can be looked up.
I haven't myself seen the muni code (I don't live in a library- the darned code isn't online.)Certainly many people believe that only one out-of-towner is allowed on the planning commission. I myself don't even know if Kucena did resign for that matter. I myself 'heard' more stuff on how the resignation came about than Annon has referred to but that might be beating a dead horse so to speak. I also 'heard' yesterday that he sold out of The Salmon Run. Don't know fer sure. Just a rumour.
This issue of course is about blogs vs letters to the editors or 'articles' . Timing is often important in public issues, or current events. The turnaround in a weekly paper like the Enterprise is often just too long. In this case, maybe they have already appointed someone for the commission before anyone even knows there is a vacancy.
My biggest concern is that people get involved for accountabilities sake. I want a dialog to go on around here. Most people weren't party to the goings on about the Mayor Holen issue and felt pretty out of the loop and could only peer through the 'window' of the letters to the editor. If rumors are flying around, lets get them aired out and be refuted.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
On Blogging and Rumours
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I agree that rumors should be identified as rumors, not as factual information. It is good to know that at least 2 of the Planning Commission can come from outside the city limits as I'm sure Anonymous who quoted the City Municipal code must have something most of us don't have, access to the written word. It would be nice to have the Municipal code online. Then again, it would be nice to also have a graph with the current zoning on it too. Most people don't know R1 from R2 or R3. I have found it absolutely mind-boggling that Salmon Run was annexed into the city as farm land and zoned R3 for high density. See what happens when you don't attend Planning Commission and City Council meetings???
Everyone has access to the City's Municipal Code by contacting City Hall in person or by phone. It is not currently on the City's web site because it has never been fully transcribed for computer usage. City staff are working to eventually add the information to the web site at the request of the Council, as well as make it available via CD, but it is a very slow process to verify prior to publishing.
Zoning maps are also readily available at City Hall.
The property Salmon Run resides upon has been within the city limits as a R3 zone for many years; it was not annexed or zoning changed to create the development.
Anonymous - you are so wrong. The property known as Salmon Run was annexed into the city on Feb 1, 2006 according to the City Council meeting notes. And, the owner, Jim Kacena burned the barn and cut the huge oak trees to make room for all those townhomes. Yep, the property was zoned Exclusive Farm Use in the county before, and now is R3. Wow. Don't believe me, just check with the county. I'm sure they will be able to tell you how much deferred tax was paid to lift it out of EFU.
squeakywheel - once again you've got your info wrong. The City annexed a "a small parcel" (see council minutes). This was actually a 0.2 (zero point two) acre pie-shaped piece situated just north of 141 between the city limits of both Bingen and White Salmon and surrounded by both. Recorded transfers of 4+ acres in 1977 from Suksdorf to Kimbro, which were to define the two cities' limits, neglected to include this orphan piece. The Suksdorf estate did not realize the separate piece was not included. County and City records are unclear as to whether the piece was actually included in the original citys' annexations years ago, though the County Tax Assessor continued to show it as part of the original parcel.
The remainder of the Salmon Run property has been a part of the City of WS for many years. Following the .2 acre parcel's annexation into WS, a boundary line adjustment was completed in 2006 to clarify the City's legal city limits.
Actually, the White Salmon Fire Department burned the house down as a training exercise for firefighters with Kacena's permission. This afforded the WSFD a valuable opportunity to train for their own and others safety and protection.
Post a Comment