New construction around Fayetteville not bad; Vote November 7 for Democrats--Save America from Ruin

The past week, our regional version of high-rise building has been popping up throughout our city. The Lindsey Building on Joyce had their ceremonial opening last week and it looks good. It is one of those ugly all-glass buildings with a strudy skeleton-brick facade on the front that makes it all look good in the new "financial" district of north Fayetteville near the Mall and CMN development. Also, notorious civic whiner Bill Underwood unveiled plans for their Dickson Street property along with AMA Realty and it looks good. Underwood, some might remember, tried to ruin Mt. Sequoyah by building a road over it conventiently allowing his Cliffs dwellers to have a pleasant route to their apartment that bypassed the (whisper:) south side of Fayetteville from downtown more easily than following Lafayette to Mission to Crossover to the Cliffs. Underwood also hates Bikes, Blues, and BBQ and can't seem to put his imaginative powers to work to produce stuff that those overweight yuppie Harley(and other brands) riders might want to spend their money for. Razorback and biker jewelry could be some quick-cash answers for Underwood's "lost weekend" in the jewelry business on BBBBQ weekend he could sell along the street in front of his centrally loacted store front(a nice looking builidng also).

Lindsey and Underwood deserve credit for their latest projects in Fayetteville where our aesthetic charm should be dove-tailed as they both seem to have done this time. More condos will offer a present base of potential consumers to save our downtown from the fate of other small cities which grew to become blighted larger cities throughout America with boarded-up, dangerous downtowns. Rupple Row also opened in west Fayetteville and offers yet another solution to check a potential for explosive, unnatural sprwal by promoting housing within the areas where utilities already exist. 1,900 sq. ft. townhomes on a road which might only have had a limited selection of uses that may have inclued duplex or apartment building. Thankfully, some local developers chose to test a new approach and I hope it's a beginning for that type of development in the future.

Fayetteville is doing a good job managing growth at this point in its civic history. Another pig-headed GOP follower like Ben Israel is also engaged in some nice projects to enhance the look of Fayetteville's cash-cow northern "financial" district. Kudos to all, except your overt support for Asa(!) like at Israel's Tuscan development touting his fav for guv at all Dixie properties. Growth is inevitable; flawed oversight of growth in Fayetteville IS NOT!
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VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS

Remember to vote Nov. 7 or absentee for two weeks prior. Let's send Lindsley Smith back to the ARLeg. The, let's send Boozman to the defense lobbying business, Asa(!) to the Homeland security lobbyist business, Holt back to the White Citizens Council he chaired in a previous life, Lagrone back to the pulpit, and Delay back to a hunter's ed course so he can own a license to hunt (or is he old enough to have been grandfathered and no longer forced to go through the hunter's ed course) for the first time to tickle the ears of his pro-gun, pro-hunt "allies" who actually hunt.

Vote for Smith(ARLeg), Beebe(Governor), Halter(Lt. Governor), McDaniel(AG), Daniels(Secy. of State --hold your nose while you vote), and little Woody Anderson(U.S. House) this November and let's begin to take back America from the self-righteous GOP morons who hold no regard for preserving our Constitution for another 220 years.

STEP system neglect, failure along Beaver Lake shore

A few months ago, I discussed the Spitzer-headlined development team seeking approval for their 25 story condo buildings along Beaver Lake off Highway 12 near Avoca. I believed then that STEP systems of that size on our water supply's shore is a bad idea. Turns out, we now have a recent example of what could go wrong with the decentralized septic systems. A public sewer line absolutely MUST be connected to the condo development if it ultimately happens. According to nwanews.com (a.k.a. the DoG),

"The trees and overgrown grass and weeds are growing in a sand filter, a gravel pit that is half of the decentralized sewer system at Sunset Bay, a subdivision east of Rogers. The system’s filters are supposed to be clear of vegetation so pumps can filter wastewater coming from Sunset Bay’s seven homes.
Five filters have been abandoned, leaving partially treated wastewater to drain into a nearby creek that runs south for 1, 000 feet before emptying directly into Beaver Lake.
“It’s essentially raw sewage,” said Allen, district manager for Benton County Water District No. 1. “This should have been mowed from day one.”
The water district isn’t responsible for the system because it doesn’t maintain the subdivision’s sewer system, Allen said. Sunset Bay’s property owners association was given that responsibility by developer Wesley Kent Neff, whose company, Summit One LLC, declared bankruptcy in September."

Not that Grandview Heights developers would ever declare bankruptcy and abandon the system's upkeep to the fates, but businesses fail each day across the globe and a business should NEVER be confused with a responsible government who answers to the public to the point of fatigue. A municipal sewer connection would always need to answer to the public and rarely file bankruptcy in comparison to scores of businesses. Our water supply and the clean disposal of waste should be a municipal responsibility. ADEQ blames county authorities for the lack of true oversight of STEP systems for subdivisions out of city limits and county officials blame ADEQ. That political hot-potato-passing should NEVER happen when it comes to preserving our safe drinking water supply. Raw sewage in Beaver Lake can in no way be spun to seem safe to promote a privatized overseer who could say "to hell with this upkeep bill, we'll pass the buck to the ethers...let the market take care of it." Fortunately for anti-government demagogues, their darling Pres. Bush is not held up to a business standard for whether he gets to keep his job. If Bush were a CEO, he would have been out on his assssss with his golden parachute to the sublime life of a retired wealthy CEO in Florida, the Bahamas, and the multiple other homes he or she has accumulated over the years.

Benton County should take charge of the issue and make certain this devlopment doesn't threaten our ciritcal water supply. It's time for a true Beaver Lake Water Authority to have government powers over building and development of every type within a certain distance from Beaver Lake. The creek is 1,000 feet from the lake that has been failing at Sunset Bay with 11 homes.