Dear Eric Sundquist, I have an added sour not on what "solidarity" with planners and influence did to the Village of Brandon.
First, in the 1950s, our STATE PLANNERS convinced the politicians of Brandon's Board to sell out to the State Highway Department for their expansion of the State road through the Village. All the trees the length of the Village were removed. The Village consists of side streets off this corridor--then treeless. Although this happened fifty years ago, this formerly tree-lined street has not been replanted. In this case the "bargain with the devil planners" was in return for the wide concrete street and bright lights. The next step came with local zoners who allowed a central building to change from a grocery and cold storage locker to become a hog butcher and sausage factory. This is directly in the center of town, surrounded by residents. We all signed petitions against the change of use of this building, but the board, to a man, voted for the slaughter house. Even the "undertaker" claimed he buried members of the slaughter house family. So much for local zoning saving small people. The village has been forced to replace its entire sewer treatment plant twice to accommodate this sausage factory and slaughter house! Then the final blow to Brandon came when the wonderful and viable small High School became consolidated with a town ten miles away and relocated there. Without a school, Brandon became totally moribund. The STATE had a team of consolidators at that time and forced these communities into consolidations. Brandon then lost all it local business and remains just a "bedroom community." Two of the events were initiated from STATE plans, the third from local small business interest. Local people like myself tried to counter their demands and influences--but that was impossible. In the decade after these three blows, I ran for and was elected to a term on this Village Board. Eric Westhagen _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
