commentary from Tanglewood, reposted with permission:
If you missed it in the newspaper, and it was very easy to do as the FPB didn’t even include their logo, the FPB is having a meeting Tuesday, March 21 to vote on the reservoir. The meeting is at 5 p.m. in the library at Western Hills High School.
It appears the FPB has not considered any of the comments or concerns the TNAi and individual neighbors have expressed.
A good showing is needed to show the city commission and the FPB that we care greatly about the reservoir. Please come!
I sent the letter below to the city commissioners, FPB and the State Journal on Sunday. This is our position as a neighborhood.
There are also individual neighbors who are opposed to the reservoir remaining in Tanglewood and they are working on their own on that front.
We will be having a full neighborhood association meeting very soon to discuss the fencing for the headend building. The FPB has thrown a wrench into things on that front again.
However, for the moment, the reservoir is a tremendous concern.
TNAi Letter to FPB & City Commission
I’ve just read the Strand report and I must say I am disappointed. The report is simply a confirmation that everything the FPB wanted to do from the beginning is the best plan. No consideration was given to the way the reservoir plan impacts the residents of the city, who will have a blight on our skyline, or of the Tanglewood neighborhood. The bottom line in this report is cost, as if the cost to the homeowners is irrelevant, and we assure you it is not.
While the FPB indicated it planned to vote on the reservoir in March, we also asked what consideration would be given to the comments from the public. Apparently, the FPB believes that allowing people to give comments is enough. However, it does not appear in this case to include an obligation to incorporate those comments into its plans.
If “accepting the comments” is all the consideration that will be given to the public the FPB has made no progress at all in being responsive to the public. It may be cheaper to put one larger tank in right now or to have the domed roof to save money, but that is not in the best interest of our city’s skyline or of the residents of Tanglewood who have already suffered enough at the hands of the FPB’s “money saving” efforts.
A property on Tanglewood Dr. (two streets away from the headend mess) just sold for $17,000 less than the appraised value and the homeowner believes this was due to the conversion of the park-like setting that we previously enjoyed in our neighborhood into an industrial park. Add the substantial additional losses in value to homes closer to the city-owned property in Tanglewood and consider those values in terms of the approximately 200 homes in the neighborhood and you will have the very definition of an unreasonable cost. A low estimate of the cost of the FPB’s actions in our neighborhood is $3,000,000, or $15,000 per household, with much higher losses to families closer to the city’s property line. Not only does this impact the residents, it affects city schools, and the city’s tax base.
Too many times, we have tried to work with the FPB and then been blindsided by reports just like this one so that the FPB can push through their agenda under the guise of a thoughtful, researched proposal. We can see how well that turned out when it came to the headend building.
If the FPB has given any consideration to public comments mentioned in meetings and the public comments, we would like to hear what they are. As far as we can see, there is nothing, and yet the FPB Board is going to vote on the reservoir this week. As we have learned with the headend building, no amount of landscaping can hide an eyesore and this will be the case with two massive water tanks that will dominate the neighborhood and city views from South Frankfort, downtown, Daniel Boone’s grave, Louisville Road and more.
Furthermore, the City Commission directed the FPB (and the FPB agreed) to go through the planning and zoning commission and we are still waiting for that to occur. When will that happen?
To reiterate, the TNAi will not oppose the reservoir remaining in Tanglewood so long as it is approximately the same size and footprint as the current reservoir. We will vigorously oppose anything larger or more obtrusive than what is there right now. Our understanding of what the Strand Report says, and what the FPB has proposed in its informational meetings, is that the proposed tank will be substantially larger and more visible. If this is the case, we vigorously oppose this project.
The FPB should not take a vote on the reservoir plans until it has satisfied the concerns of the public, especially those who will be most affected. To date, the FPB has not communicated at all with the TNAi with regard to the comments made and how those comments will be incorporated in the final design. This is troubling and adds to the assumption that the FPB does not plan to incorporate the public comments into their plans at all.
We had hoped that the FPB was making strides to become more of a community partner, but if it is to proceed with its original plans on the reservoir and dramatically increase its size, against the wishes of the public, and to the detriment of a neighborhood that has already suffered greatly at the hands of the FPB, we have a major problem on our hands.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Gray
President
Tanglewood Neighborhood Association, Inc.
