COMMENTARY

 

WAL-MART NEIGHBORS DESERVE BETTER
City Has Abused Longtime Residents By Allowing Excessive Construction Noise In Neighborhood
Commentary                                                          By Mark Hallburn
Publisher
PutnamLIVE.com

When John Clay bought his home in Hurricane 35 years ago, it sat across the road
from the beautiful hilltop
Maplewood Lodge.

 

 

 

Dolores Martin, the wife of this publisher, and her mother, bought their home next door to the Clays in 1992. It was an eyesore, divided into three apartments. Immediately they replaced the siding, the roof, and made other major improvements increasing its property value and making the former ugly home beautiful for the neighborhood.

About 15 years ago Mike and Sally McDonald bought their hilltop home above the Clays, in part because of its beautiful view of the woods where the Maplewood Lodge used to sit.

Mike and Missy Mullins bought their home next to Jay Clay because it sat next to a beautiful A-frame home and pond owned by Karl Fitzwater. It was a quiet idyllic setting that is rare to find with the convenience of an Interstate less than five minutes away.

Karl Fitzwater owned the A-frame, the former honeymoon cabin of the Maplewood Lodge. His children used to take boats out on the pond, sharing their days with Martin's nephew, the Mullins kids, and other friends who came to their home to play.

Those idyllic days are gone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the abuse of the City of Hurricane and the Putnam County Development Authority, the Fitzwaters and Mullins have moved out while the Clays, Martins, and McDonalds endure excessive noise from the Wal-Mart construction site which has torn down the beautiful hill, ripped out the A-frame, and buried the pretty pond.

They are paving paradise to put in a "Wally World!"

Hurricane City Manager Ben Newhouse, who doesn't even live in town, (adding insult to injury)  calls it "progress" - and has told Martin's family to move. It isn't progress, it is disgusting. And the arrogant attitude and conduct of Newhouse, Hurricane Mayor F. Raymond Peak, Mayoral Candidate Scott Edwards and their Citizen Party cronies on the Hurricane City Council has taken arrogance and bad management to new heights as they abuse the citizens who have lived in the neighborhood for decades.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am not saying a Wal-Mart in Putnam County is a bad idea. It's a great idea! It will bring hundreds of jobs, capture revenue from Cabell County, and keep Putnam County shoppers here instead of them driving to Nitro and Barboursville.

But there were dozens of better locations for the Wal-Mart. Putting a 184,000 square-foot super center into a neighborhood and filling in a pond is insanity-brought to you by the PCDA and the Citizens Party!

It's a shame that the Citizens Party cannot be recalled. They are poster children for obnoxious government. Anyone who would shove a Wal-Mart into a beautiful neighborhood against the wishes of nearby homeowners is unfit to hold office. The Citizens Party members should resign in shame. But they have no shame!

Each day, Peak, Newhouse, and Hurricane city "leaders" ignore the town's noise and nuisance ordinances while forcing Wal-Mart neighbors to put up with excessive construction noise that starts at 6:00 a.m.-or earlier-and lasts past 7:00 p.m. The noise is accompanied by daily blasting that rocks the neighbors homes.

Neighbors have complained to City Hall. Martin is in the sixth month of a high-risk pregnancy with her first child. A human being would show compassion for the woman that has endured several miscarriages and a stillborn. But Newhouse hasn't returned Martin's calls and the city hall telephone number has been blocked from Martin's telephone. Another example of the out-of-control arrogance of Hurricane "leadership."

Clay told PutnamLIVE.com that his complaints have been ignored. And when this reporter investigated illegal blasting (the blaster did not have a license) Hurricane Police arrested me for telephone harassment. (I was found not-guilty).

Instead of serving the people of Hurricane, city "leaders" have a longstanding practice of retaliating against whistle-blowers, harassing them instead of helping them.

It's time to end the harassment from Hurricane City Hall!

The City of Hurricane says it will earn $600,000 - $800,000 a year in business and occupation taxes from the Wal-Mart. Other nearby businesses will bring in more.

What the town should have done was buy out the Clays, Martins, McDonalds, and a few other neighbors so that they could live in peace while the Wal-Mart and Hurricane Marketplace were built. They could have even rented the families temporary homes. It would have been a win-win business decision that benefits everyone. The homes could have been developed into vibrant businesses providing jobs instead of angry neighbors! Instead, Peak, Newhouse, Edwards and the rest of the Citizens Party have abused their longtime tax-paying residents with months of excessive construction noise and pollution.

Hurricane's government and so-called "leadership" is incompetent and out-of-control. Some say they should be arrested and tossed in jail for decades. Instead, members of The Citizens Party have the audacity to run for re-election June 12th. They don't deserve a single vote. Not one! Not your vote, not my vote. Not one vote!

On June 12th, we all have the opportunity to take a stand for integrity. We have the chance to send the Citizens Party and its horrible "leadership" packing. We can send F. Raymond Peak, Scott Edwards, Linda Gibson, Wayne Lively, David Boyles, and Gary Clagg into the political sunset riding Wal-Mart shopping carts. We can also send "Frank" Sergent, a former Citizens Party member and current councilman off. It's payback time. We need to take a stand for integrity and vote these cronies out of office once and for all.

Citizens of Hurricane have been abused by The Citizens Party for decades.

* The L..D. Foster fiasco is one example.

*Mis-management of money leaving Hurricane heavily in debt is another.

* Rude city managers from Newhouse to Karen Lilly are other examples.

* The dog-leash and limit laws are causing people to refuse to buy homes in Hurricane.

* Selective enforcement of laws targeting political opponents.

* The recent attempt to extort money from the press for public information.

* The Business and Occupation tax has discouraged businesses from moving to Hurricane costing us needed jobs.

* Nepotism at Hurricane City Hall is out-of-control. Too many employees are related and living off the gravy train that includes Peak's son earning nearly $60,000 a year.

* Skyrocketing water and sewer rates have hurt Hurricane families and senior citizens.

* Despite double-digit increases in water and sewer rates, recently a water-shortage was announced.

* Peak and Newhouse are both on the water and sewer payroll but have mis-managed the water system into a shortage.

* Last month The Citizens Party Council voted a raise for mayor and council in the next term. Already the highest-paid council and mayor in Putnam County, they don't deserve a raise, they should have to give back every penny that they have been paid during their decades of abusing Hurricane citizens!

* Then there is the Wal-Mart mess the straw that broke the camel's back.

On June 12th, take a stand for what is right. It's time to take our city back! The Wal-Mart neighbors deserve better. Hurricane deserves better. We have put up with decades of abuse at the hands of The Citizens Party. Raymond Peak, Scott Edwards and their abusive cronies need to go!