Log in

A hitch

Posted

Charlie Vascellaro offers an excellent idea when he suggests the town use “eminent domain” to repurpose the Daybreak property. There is only one hitch, a serious one. The town has no funds to pay the required fair market price for the property.

Bonding was mentioned as a possibility however, if one reads The Times and the article on our pavement management system, you may figure that since we have no primary property tax that bonds may be required in order to prevent our streets from falling into severe condition. Yes, to the untrained eye, they seem fine; however, those of us from the Midwest and East know how fast that can change.

Remember also, there is a finite limit on how much bonding may be used. The fact that such bonding for street repairs may not qualify for tax-free municipal status is a topic for another letter. Perhaps there is a “fairy godperson” willing to donate the monies to the town to purchase the property, we could name the park after them.

I hear also that the town wants to build apartments. The real issue driving new apartment construction is more of a financial one. There is a very short supply of moderately priced homes for sale, apartments are full and rents are increasing across the Valley. Therefore, investors are putting their money into apartment construction. You can see this just by taking a look out your window as you drive through the Valley.

In closing, I should add that there is one thing about mankind that drives me nuts and it is that it is OK for me to buy a piece of beautiful desert, knock down the natural growth and build my castle, but you may not, because we must preserve the beauty of our desert.