Burying Decency And Dignity
I recently covered the done deal of the City Of Eureka (UN-affectionately known as EurTweaker) California, putting a “corporation yard” next to a cemetery. Moving the government monstrosity from the current location, an industrial area where noise and pollution are already a part of daily life, to a place that, thanks to the City, will no longer have the luxury of being away from all that.
Still believing in the power of The Last Act Of Defiance, I Posted the following Comment on the Facebook Pages of the Eureka Times-Standard and of the Lost Coast Outpost:
No rest for the dead, with all that noise. So much for the cemetery being a place of quiet remembrance and reflection.
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Eureka Times-Standard:
“The intention when we got into this was to finance not just for this project, but the 10 years of deferred maintenance that needs to be done over the next 10 years,” Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery said.
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Well isn't that special. The City hasn't taken proper care of its facilities, and by its own admission is ten years behind on basic maintenance and upkeep. Just how much more is it going to cost now that prices have gone up so much, and things not properly maintained tend to rot? “It'll be different this time”? Bull! Fool me once... Heck, even Dubya knows that you don't get fooled again.
Eureka OKs $1.4 million price tag for new corp yard site
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Lost Coast Outpost:
Katie Marsolan, a special projects manager in the Public Works Department, said some noise mitigation measures were covered in the IS/MND and said staff have already discussed the issue with the cemetery. “That might be something that they would want to advise their customers about, that this would be ongoing as a new neighboring site,” she said.
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A little late for the existing “customers” and heirs who purchased cemetery property thinking the deceased would be in a peaceful area. They don't get a dime. More importantly, they don't get paid the financial and emotional cost of moving their loved ones to a place that will provide what Ocean View Cemetery promised. Am I the only one that sees a huge lawsuit potential? Government taking property without Just Compensation, and that's just for starters.
As the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution states:
“...nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”
Let's not forget that pesky Fourteenth Amendment, which states:
“...nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”
A sharp attorney with balls, brains, and vision (admittedly, a rare combination in a profession of weasels) could have a field day, not just with those parts of the US Constitution, but many other Statutes and Constitutional provisions, both Federal and State.
Eureka City Council Approves $1.4 Million Property Buy for New Corp Yard, Operations Complex