Since we were not allowed to speak at the Town Hall Meeting here is "My Two Cents."
"First-I appreciate Salt Lake County sending me a post card alerting me to the meeting tonight. This is the way government should work, although I have to say I was shocked that this process was not known to me, as this is the first notice I received about a process put into action by the County Mayor through the Legislature (SB-199) that would put my private property rights up for sale to the highest bidder. Like Count My Vote, where the Utah Legislature galloped in on their "white horse" to "save us" from ourselves, stripping us of our Neighborhood Caucus' and extinguishing the Republican Party.
I did listen to the Public Comment Session held in June online, therefore, my following comments.
I am a life long resident of Salt Lake County. I purchased my first home on a County Island and have lived there for 33 years. Unlike Millcreek and Willow Creek, I have not received "impeccable service." I reside on a small island I lovingly refer to as "the black hole." We have 2 streetlights. Our street is so dark we can't even get trick-or-treaters to our home on Halloween night! The first time I saw a yard waste container was before the election where Peter Caroon ran against Nancy Workman, and it's been hit and miss ever since. There is a constant battle to get our street and circle plowed in the winter, although our island is closer to the snow plow facility.
Every City/County is contracted by the citizens to provide Police, Fire/Emergency Services, and Public Works, nothing more. Nothing less!
Let me say a few words about Sandy City and their contract to provide water, fire and emergency services to our island. We have had no less that 6 water-main breaks in the last 3 years, and it is common knowledge between fire departments in the valley that the Fire Department is not properly compensated for putting their lives on the line everyday for the citizenry. These two things concern me, as Sandy is involved in mass construction projects of multi-family dwellings where you have to share a wall with someone. This will definitely over tax these services.
Now to the "Process." Why this? Why now? Why was Zions Bank awarded the contract to do the study? Why not give it to Tax Watchdogs and Private Property Rights Advocates? I'll tell you why...because there is an Agenda here! Zions Bank is a SHILL for Wasatch Front Regional Council! A COG! A non-profit Planning Organization that legitimizes itself by surrounding itself with elected officials from every city and county along the Wasatch Front. They claim credence by way of the Utah Legislature. They have incestual relationships with Zions Bank, Envision Utah, UCAIR, the Governor's Office and more! It is unconstitutional "Regional Government", not elected by We The People! It is nothing more than a money-laundering scheme that takes our tax dollars and then doles them out again as grants to Zions Bank, Sandy City, Cottonwood Heights and other cities in order to implement an International Agenda. Our county tax dollars have been funding ICLEI-the International Council For Local Environmental Initiatives, which is tied to United Nations Agenda 21-Sustainable Development-Smart Growth. Let me use this opportunity to insist that the county STOP sending our tax dollars to this entity. Senate Bill 199 was written in a way that "Planning and Zoning" be a part of the language. And that's the catch! Planning and Zoning is the vehicle every city who is a member of the "Regional Council of Government" is using to bring about this Agenda.
In the public comment session in June, Mayor Ben McAdams said, "Our Founding Fathers left us a messy process"! No! Mayor. The process is very simple. If government would operate under the prism of the Constitution!
In closing, the "Community Preservation Act" is anything but!...Government should not be a Corporation! I don't want any corporation dictating my God Given Rights! The government resides in The People! I am declaring my Independence, and I hope my fellow citizens will do the same and remain in Salt Lake County."
September 28, 2015 Community Preservation Act Town Hall Meeting Eastmont Middle School Sandy Utah 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Talk of moving the Utah State Prison out of the city of Draper has been going on for some time, but John Huntsman Jr. while serving as Utah's Governor, turned up the heat with his dream of ousting the prison in favor of redeveloping the land for "economic development." It's been considered prime property by many with dollar signs in their eyes, but Utah residents have become accustomed to having the prison in their midst. Poll after poll showed Utah citizens opposed moving the prison off the site in Draper. Citizens educated themselves about the current property and a large majority of Utahan's felt that building a new facility on the current site was best for the taxpayers and community.
Government types, in large majority, have been advocating moving the state prison anywhere BUT Draper, as evidenced by their current resolution to move the prison to Salt Lake City, West of the Salt Lake International Airport. It's still in Salt Lake County mind you, it just opens up the Draper parcel to development. As Alliance For A Better Utah pointed out in a 2014 article there were 21 state elected from the House and Senate that had real estate and development ties including Wayne Niederhauser (Senate President-Sandy) and Greg Hughes (House Speaker-Draper) at the time of the announcement on August 19, 2015. Governor Gary Herbert was also serving as Lieutenant Governor under Huntsman and has carried the torch for a long time. He is expected to sign the measure. I do find it interesting that Brad Wilson (who also has ties to real estate and development) sponsored the resolution, as he is from Kaysville. No matter, they are all having a "toast" for "mission accomplished." I found it frustrating that they all "galloped" up to a special session in order to see to it the resolution moved forward without the usual citizen watchdogs they are used to handling during the regular session. Niederhauser made mention that this was the first of 2 special sessions this year. I hope they don't make a habit of this! We are going to end up like California with a "full time" legislature. What a nightmare!
As I watched the press conference announcing the resolution passing, I couldn't help but notice how "giddy" Stevenson, Wilson and Hughes were on camera. Niederhauser appeared to be in a trance or under some sort of mind control, but the laughter and backslapping did not go unnoticed, and no wonder. They are all full of talk of economic development and making money for the state. They talk in terms of business propositions. I have news for you, government is not, and should not be in the business of making money! Your JOB is to manage The People's money, but I'm sure the cronyism will be evident as the process moves forward with their talk of Public Private Partnerships, (Fascism Alert). Representative Wilson talked about the "Biggest Building Ever Built In History", to the tune of $550 million, or from ($1.0 - $1.8 Billion depending on who's throwing around numbers), actually going DOWN as the project moves forward. Can you imagine? Will it rival this? The biggest building project on a plot of land of 5000 acres going down in price? It's a "pipe-dream!" Wilson and Luz Escamillia also talked about the prison move actually fixing the "landfill problem." "No!" I think that actually exacerbates our problem. Where do you think all of our garbage is going to go now? Senator Escimillia also hammered away at economic development adjacent to the new prison. So I ask, "was this NOT happening around the current site in Draper?" And, do you really think people are going to make the trek out to the prison swamp-land for something they can get at City Creek? I can't wait to hear what captain's of the airliners will say upon approach to the Salt Lake City International Airport..."Welcome to beautiful Salt Lake City, Crossroads of the West and home of the Utah State Penitentiary." Although legislators spoke of a "tough debate" over the issue, it passed the House with 82% of the vote, and the Senate by 72%. Truth be told, they were overwhelmingly on the same page to move the prison out of Draper. Although, Salt Lake City Mayor and Council are threatening to sue the state over their decision. Senator Jerry Stevenson (UTA TRAX connection), mentioned several times during the press conference that Utah Leg. may just annex the property into Magna, another Salt Lake County City. Ben McAdams is probably "giddy" over this idea too. But, once again, Salt Lake County taxpayers will be picking up the tab for the landfill cleanup and the new roads and infrastructure, including water and sewer. It will just make his head swell as Mayor of the largest populated/developed county in Utah with over 1 million residents.
There is still a lot to debate moving forward with the new prison project, but let's turn our heads toward the Draper Prison Redevelopment Plan, labeled by some as the "Silicon Slopes." I still think the scheme to move the prison was conjured up by those with "$$" signs in their eyes! And, there is enough of that to go around. Step in Representative Brad Dee from Ogden. He was quoted in a news article by the same name saying,
"the talk hasn't come from us. Our emphasis has been should we move it...it's ludicrous to suggest anyone in the Legislature has a conflict of interest with developing the prison site at this point. We're not talking today about who may benefit or what might happen. If a decision is made this session to move the prison, questions of where and when and how will come in the next few years." ~ Brad Dee
Now, things are starting to get interesting! Brad Dee has been serving on a board of consultants, Wasatch Front Regional Council, or (WFRC). It is considered a COG, or Council Of Government, made up of elected officials from every city and county along the Wasatch Front. The group was formed around 1969 as a volunteer organization. It is now a Corporation, claiming it's authority from a Utah law known as theInterlocal Cooperation Act of Utah. Basically, these groups set themselves up as "experts" and start wielding their power in every aspect of your life and your private property, driving Utah's elected, (City, County, State), by code and appropriations, (your tax dollars), to bring about their Agenda it is cronyism at it's best and fascism at it's worst. It is Agenda 21 Sustainable Development. It takes the power out of the hands of The People, and is government by committee. This COG is what is driving the Redevelopment efforts in Draper and every other city in Utah! It's set up to look innovative and unique, but all the "plans" are the same. It's not innovation at all! As Kathleen Marquardt points out in her article,
"you will see that the planning for a town in
Texas and one in Tennessee somehow have the exact same needs, desires
and problems. Of course you can do that for Missoula, Montana and Albany,
New York. You will find that not only does every place have those same
needs, desires and problems but that the answers are also exactly the
same, down to the density of housing and the eradication of the automobile."
In short, do you want someone from Ogden and Layton, (J. Stewart Adams Contractor), telling you what your General Plan will consist of in Draper? The answer should be "NO!" They are not accountable to you. Yet, when the legislative sessions start on Capital Hill, if a citizen from Draper calls them in opposition to a law they are opposed to, those legislators will not listen to them because they don't live in their district! Yet the laws they enact effect ALL Utahans!
In order to see how sinister this whole Draper Redevelopment Plan is you have to understand who's wielding the power as head of WFRC. His name is Andrew Gruber. He took over the helm of WFRC in 2010. Basically he's a lawyer who cut his teeth in the Regional Transportation Authority of Chicago. It's his "wheelhouse". Which is fitting since every redevelopment plan across Utah is CENTERED around the Transportation Agenda. It's no wonder that every plan includes Light Rail, Commuter Rail, (both UTA run), and Obama's High Speed Rail, don't these people know that high speed rail went out in the 90's, and is prominent in most third world countries? Here's the specs on the Draper Prison Site Redevelopment...105 acres of open space, MORE THAN 5,000 High and Medium Density "residential units", (make no mistake, these are going to be apartments from 600 square feet up), and nearly 9 Million square feet of office space in addition to retail, research and development and "other" uses. (Silicon Slopes KSL). It's Andrew Gruber's ultimate dream, eliminating cars so you have to ride his transportation system. Do you see my point about cronyism and fascism? Don't believe me about the "no more cars theory?" All you have to do is look at the artist renderings to notice they very rarely show cars, only buses, trains and bikes, and people walking the streets of course! In the high density housing in West Valley, (Fairbourne Station), some residents are allowed to park one car, but they have to pay an extra fee to park it on the property so, everyone parks on the street! This whole thing is a racket! Don't forget, you are provided possible employment so you can work on site and never leave your neighborhood!
Cottonwood Heights
Ottawa Canada
Abu Dhabi
Rosa Koire says in part,
"In a nutshell, the plan calls for government to take control of all land use and not leave any of the decision making in the hands of private property owners. It is assumed that people are not good stewards of their land and the government will do a better job if they are in control. Individual rights in general are to give way to the needs of communities as determined by the governing body. Moreover, people should be rounded up off the land and packed into human settlements, or islands of human habitation, close to employment centers and transportation. Another program, called the Wildlands Project spells out how most of the land is to be set aside for non-humans."
In short, Andrew Gruber and his Wasatch Front Regional Council's "Draper Prison Redevelopment Plan" is just that...exchanging one prison for another, known throughout history as the Concentration Camp, where your life will be created and controlled by the establishment. You'll live, but it won't be much of a life.
"This plan is a whole life plan. It involves the educational system, the energy market, the transportation system, the governmental system, the health care system, food production, and more. The plan is to restrict your choices, limit your funds, narrow your freedoms, and take away your voice." ~ Rosa Koire
In
a nutshell, the plan calls for governments to take control of all land
use and not leave any of the decision making in the hands of private
property owners. It is assumed that people are not good stewards of
their land and the government will do a better job if they are in
control. Individual rights in general are to give way to the needs of
communities as determined by the governing body. Moreover, people
should be rounded up off the land and packed into human settlements, or
islands of human habitation, close to employment centers and
transportation. Another program, called the Wildlands Project spells
out how most of the land is to be set aside for non-humans.
- See more at: http://www.democratsagainstunagenda21.com/#sthash.XuCcYUnQ.dpuf
In
a nutshell, the plan calls for governments to take control of all land
use and not leave any of the decision making in the hands of private
property owners. It is assumed that people are not good stewards of
their land and the government will do a better job if they are in
control. Individual rights in general are to give way to the needs of
communities as determined by the governing body. Moreover, people
should be rounded up off the land and packed into human settlements, or
islands of human habitation, close to employment centers and
transportation. Another program, called the Wildlands Project spells
out how most of the land is to be set aside for non-humans.
- See more at: http://www.democratsagainstunagenda21.com/#sthash.XuCcYUnQ.dpuf
In
a nutshell, the plan calls for governments to take control of all land
use and not leave any of the decision making in the hands of private
property owners. It is assumed that people are not good stewards of
their land and the government will do a better job if they are in
control. Individual rights in general are to give way to the needs of
communities as determined by the governing body. Moreover, people
should be rounded up off the land and packed into human settlements, or
islands of human habitation, close to employment centers and
transportation. Another program, called the Wildlands Project spells
out how most of the land is to be set aside for non-humans.
- See more at: http://www.democratsagainstunagenda21.com/#sthash.XuCcYUnQ.dpuf
Remember, Andrew Gruber was not elected by any of us, but he is driving this Agenda, the Smart Growth/Smart Cites Plan masked as a Transportation Plan. Andrew Gruber also sits on Envision Utah Board of Directors, the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, the National Association of Regional Councils, Utah Governor's Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR), the University of Utah's College of Architecture and Planning, (he's not an architect, but he plays one on TV), among many others.
Now let's hear from Mayor Tony Walker Draper City.
"While there was talk about what [could] happen at the prison site, no one had shown what the property's future [could] look like... We wanted to let everyone know Draper is not going to be provincial, dream big, and those drawings are a good rendition of our vision. We want to show you that we're players, we'll do it the way it [needs] to be done, we think we know how to plan it, we know how to zone it, and we think we know what would work really well there." ~ Salt Lake Tribune
He also said, "he's a guy who needs to see pictures."
Draper Councilman Jeff Stenquist said,
"We feel like this is something that, while it would benefit Draper City, is a unique opportunity to benefit the entire Region... What we came up with isn't based on a concrete proposal at this point, it's just a concept."~Salt Lake Tribune
I don't know about you, but I didn't agree to any "Regional Government!" Look at the renderings of West Valley's Plan. These things never change from concept to construction! And, although Utah Leg. claims to "not know" what will happen with the land, it's all planned out by Gruber and his crony's down to the last square inch! Draper City Council passed a resolution stating,
"the vision for the property is in line with Growth Plans developed by the Wasatch Front Regional Council as it would [accommodate] future population growth as well as provide opportunities for employees and residents to live close to work, walk or bike to shop and have both great transit and road access necessary to lessen negative effects of congestion and poor air quality."
Talk about your "boondoggle", this controversy is not over!
A "Dark Horse" is defined as, "a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort, or a contestant that seems unlikely to succeed." As I've followed the prison debacle it became ever present that Andrew Gruber was the Dark Horse that would be realizing his pipe-dream of his planned development, disguiesed as a transportation plan, coming to fruition in Draper. He can now cross Draper City off the list of his Agenda 21 Sustainable Development Smart Cities/Smart Growth Plan, and consider the march toward fascism one step closer.
UPDATE- The Utah State Legislature has formed a Committee and is holding committee meetings in regards to the Draper Prison Move. The committee is carrying the name "Point of the Mountain Development Commission" Follow the trail that will not surprise anyone who has read this post. The players will not surprise you if you are familiar with the other posts here also. Next Meeting: Wednesday July 13, 2016 7:45 am 25 House Building.
*Note:
If you are not familiar with my blog posts, colored text usually
contains a "hot link" in which you can view my source documents and
video. Enjoy the blog and pass it on!
I've included the link to Fairbourne Stationbe sure to flip through the site to see the "vision" these plans use. Also, notice ICO is the Ivory Homes Commercial arm, again, the cronyism is undeniable.
