Still Waiting

It's been a while since I have had a chance to blog, so there should be a lot to share. Well there isn't. The Town Commissioners have not given me the answers to my questions yet. The Mayor sent me an email on Aug. 20, saying the Town Manager had been on vacation and was playing catch-up, but she was working on my answers. Commissioner Hollinshed also emailed me on the same day saying she would attempt to give me her views,but she had to check info to be sure to give me correct information. It is Aug. 28, and I am still waiting. I didn't expect to get my questions answered on Aug. 11, but come on folks it has been 17 days. There were only 13 questions. There are 6 of you and the Water Dept. Director. That equals out to less than .77% of each question per day, split seven ways. I guess the questions were more difficult than I thought.
Clammerhead

The Locals

It comes as no surprise to me that people are beginning to speak out on the development going on in our area with anger. A lot of the locals and the people that moved here alike see development as the death of our slower, more natural way of life. With the reckless way it is being done, they could be all too sadly true. It is necessary to continue developing our area in order to maintain a level of financial security for our citizens. This doesn't mean it has to destroy our environment or a way of life that helped to build this area as a seaport and a "fish town". I still get an occasional comment that we cannot stop development because we need the jobs to feed the local economy. Feeding the local economy consists of more than the fast food restaurants and nightclubs.I'm not saying they don't help the area economy. I am saying that the building and developing should be done by local workers. The material should come through local suppliers. This often isn't the case with larger developments. Along with the finical loss by local businesses there comes the lack of local input into the projects. Often this input can make a big difference in the way these developments are accepted into the area. This only serves to enhance feelings of resentment from the locals. Let's make no mistake, development will not stop. We do have a choice of how it will happen.
Clammerhead

Play nice

In the best interest of being fair and solving the wastewater problems and related issues I feel it necessary to to speak out on the behavior of one of our bloggers. On a personal note I must say to now_you_have_my_interest, play nice. Although we all find some things humorous that others may not, it is hard enough to get a response from the town board as it is. It is not going to make things any easier if you keep picking on them. There are many things that I would like to have more information on that will require an open line of communication with the board. There are some honorable people on the board that have not earned this type of ridicule and should be treated with respect. To use an old phrase; Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Or in modern terms; Smell the baloney and make sure it's bad before you throw it to the dogs. We need all of the communication we can get and I wish to have you involved with our blog and our effort to accomplish our goal, but please play nice. I have no intentions of editing any comments unless they contain profanity, however we must all maintain a level of respect for both the board and ourselves.
Clammerhead

Calling all board members

Calling all Board Members! I have invited you all to join with me in getting this issue solved. I was told I would have my questions answered in writing. As of 11:11 pm. Friday, Aug. 15, no answers. This does not surprise me. I am wondering why none of you have been on our Blog to discuss these issues with the public. We would really like to hear from and talk to you in a forum that isn't controlled by a mediator, or other party that may be inclined to interrupt in order to manipulate the direction the discussion will take. Once again I invite all board members to join us in our discussions to find an alternative to dumping any type of waste water into any of our rivers. Your lack of participation may tend to influence the public as to your character. Please don't be offended by my challenges. My whole life I have been told to test everything and express myself. I am just being true to the nature of an American citizen that wants everything in the open to be judged by the people and for the people. Are you of the people?
Clammerhead

It gets easier

It gets a whole lot easier to understand the answers when you get them. So far I haven't received them. The town board said they would answer my questions in writing. I sure hope they do, although I doubt they will any time soon. It seems mighty strange they have had two days since the town meeting and still no answer. It may be that they were so complicated that they have to call in a research team to examine the questions before a committee could make a final determination on the facts as they were presented to the board on the issues in both their own right and as a consolidated query to establish the validity of the prudent respectfulness of what may or may not be a conclusion as to the facts in respect to the issues previously discussed that were not anticipated before the facts that initiated the undertakings within the boundaries of the parties to which the questions were initially directed not only took place, but were done so with little respect as to whether they would incite a response to the pondering of the group or groups that may or may not be affected by both the actions responsible for the conception of an idea and the inevitable appearance of such query in which a resolution may or may not be required before allowing the actions which inspired the fore mentioned questions to take place. Now that they know that I can spell big words, maybe they will also understand that I can put them together in such a way they make absolutely no sense at all, just like a real politician can do and simply answer the questions. They aren't that difficult unless you are afraid of them. Clammerhead

TWIST

TWIST stands for "The Way I See Things". TWIST the only way to stop this problem from getting worse is to keep expressing our viewpoint, and reminding other people especially the ones in office this is wrong and has to stop. I GREATLY appreciate your opinions as you have stated them. Even more-so I appreciate the fact you and others are speaking out. I am only Clammerhead. YOU are The Polluted Loon. I am pleased to meet you.

Clammerhead

What State does Art live in?

At the Town Meeting Monday night, among other things I was assured that the new sewer plant is "state of the art". Just what State does Art live in that thinks it's a good idea to pump any amount of waste water into the creeks and rivers? I have tried to find a reason to believe that this is "state of the art" technology. So far I only find it to be a quick way to spend 18,000,000 dollars(that's a lot of zero's) to pollute our rivers. I always thought "state of the art" meant the best available, or equal to it. Obviously I was mistaken. I have been educated. Now I understand it means; it's better than what you now have, yet it is still far below what you really need and we are still going to pollute your waters, and it only cost you $.18,000,000 (still a lot of zero's no matter how many times you say it). To the ones that tried to convince myself and others with this state of the art concept and numbers dance Monday night; OOPS! Try again. We don't buy it. To us "State of the art" means that Beaufort is going to stop dumping ANY waste water into ANY of our waters! This means now, and not in 2,5, 10, or 20 years. NOW! Quick thought. If someone aims a gun at another person and a police officer sees this, then draws his weapon and yells "Stop and drop it now", how many times should the officer have to yell this before he protects the victim? Now, for example lets say that the waters of this area are the victims, Beaufort's Town Commissioners are the the assailant, the Beaufort Sewer System is the weapon, and The Polluted Loon is the Police Officer. What should we do to stop the death of our waters? NEWS FLASH!!!!! Monday night was a "warning shot". I don't think there will be another.
Clammerhead
PS I eagerly await the answers (in writing) the board said they would give me.

9 T-shirts

I went to the Beaufort Town Meeting today with 9 people wearing t-shirts with our organizations name on them, along with our web address. They are actually petitions, some of them with signatures, some without. I feel they will all be full soon. The meeting was in session for a short amount of time when they told me I could speak about the issues on my mind, and I did just that. I read the first part of a statement I had prepared, then began reading down a short list of questions that many people have led me to ask. Before I got to the end of the list (13 questions) I was cut short by the Beaufort Mayor, the head of the Beaufort Water and Sewer Dept., and a rep. of Rivers & Assoc. They explained to a poor old country boy with an IQ slightly above Albert Einstein's, how they were going to reduce the amount of bacteria from 200 parts, to app. 70 parts per measured unit of volume,while increasing their output by more than 3 times their present rate by volume, thus discharging cleaner water on a per day rate. It was also mentioned that at this rate , the area closed to shellfishermen may be able to re-open someday. They also explained that the shoals and marsh creeks behind Carrott Island had shoaled up to a much lesser depth not allowing the possible contaminates to disperse as quickly. Then the Mayor assured me they would answer my questions in writing. At that point I realized I had over stayed my welcome, left them with a copy of the rest of my statement and questions, thanked them for their time and left. I have spent the last 42 years operating boats through those channels and creeks. They have not shallowed that much except for the mouth of the creek that controls the volume going in, not the volume going out of those creeks. I have a working knowledge of numbers to the level I seldom need a calculator, and their math makes me confused.( and they only used a few of the 10 digits they had to work with.) I did not feel I had their interest or ever would. I did feel like someone wanted to get me out of there before they had to answer the questions their answers had inspired. Maybe this feeling will change when they answer my original questions. I'll keep you in touch.
Clammerhead

I went looking today

I went looking around the Front St. area today, just to see what might catch my eye. On my journey I noticed that there were 5 or more sewer pumping stations on Front Street alone. Almost every one of them have"closed shellfishing" signs near them. The discharge pipe about midway of Front Street has a sign hiding behind a cedar tree that states swimming in that area could be harmful due to possible bacteria from human and animal waste (poop). Keep in mind Front Street runs along Taylor's Creek for most of its length of about 3.5 miles. Taylor's Creek is approx. 200 yards wide and 25 ft. deep on average, and bordered on the north side by the town of Beaufort,the south side by Carrot Island with one main breach of a natural creek about midway then more open water, then Shackelford Banks, then the Atlantic Ocean. It is open on the east and west ends. The currents in this area all run about the same speed, and in such a manner that at certain times of the tide the water will be going in different directions. The small creek that cuts through Carrot Island is about 10 yards wide 6 ft. deep and shallows up quickly, so the logical conclusion would be that any bacteria or pollution would carry its way primarily down Taylor's Creek, while at a slower rate through the small creek. This leaves me with a few questions. Why is there only one " no swimming " sign on Front Street, yet there are at least 5 "no shellfishing" signs on the same creek? Why is that one sign hiding behind a cedar tree with only private access, and there aren't any "no swimming" signs at the 4 0r more public access areas on the same creek? Are the bacteria that affect shellfish different from the ones that are harmful to swim in? Why did the closing of 427 acre of shellfishing bottom come at the same time Beaufort was trying to get a permit to expand their sewer system? For the last question on this blog entry, why do I feel violated, bamboozled, and thrown to the way-side? Clammerhead