The Rewana
Citizen
Est. 1998 Dedicated to Truth and Education
Sam Dehne, Publisher
"So Those Who Have Died did not do so in Vain."
Subject: Draft Environmental Assessment for Proposed Cargo Development at Reno/Tahoe International Airport – Request to extend public comment period and Public Hearing
To: Ms. Barb Castro of Landrum & Brown
11279 Cornell Park Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
November 28, 2000
Dear Ms. Castro:
I must inform you the community was caught completely off guard when learning there would be a Public Hearing December 7, 2000 on the above-referenced document. Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RTIA) published the Notice of Public Hearing in the Sunday, November 5, 2000 edition of the Reno Gazette Journal. It created a buzz of bewilderment as citizens called one another attempting to ascertain whether this was the expected U. S. Postal Service Hub Relocation decision or something new. Regular Airport meeting attendees had not even heard of a study in progress, let alone completion of an environmental document.
........[Former homeland of hundreds of citizens before the Reno airport confiscated the land for (PRIVATE) FedEx, UPS, et al.]
Sincerely,
Jackie Decker
Reno, NV 89502
Cc: AAWC Executive Director
AAWC Chairman, Board of Trustees
FAA
Reno Airport Officials Do the Wrong Thing... Again... But, Heck, It's Only Your Money by Jackie Decker
Washoe County commissioners recently received information from the inmates who are guarding the asylum down at the Reno Airport... regarding relocation of a huge USPS (Postal Service) hub operation to the Reno Airport. This scheme is of a dire nature; safety wise, noise wise, pollution wise, and economy wise. It is adversarial government at its worst.
I would like to offer the following information as related to that meeting. I can furnish supporting documents and additional information on request.
1. Reno Airport staff furnished a spreadsheet to its trustees listing costs incurred in preparation for the "Postal" project totaling $428,218. Further additions to that budget were made at the 5-27-99 meeting of Reno Airport Trustees and work will continue. Demolition of an existing building and ramp pavement have already begun. Please note that these and other expenses are being incurred even though there is not even a permanent contract with the Postal Service... and (hopefully) may never be.
2. The two Washoe County Airport appointees testified that Airport staff had not made contact with them to request a public hearing before attempting finalization of a contract with Postal Service, as was agreed at the Washoe County meeting.
3. It is an established fact that property values decrease due to noise as evidenced by property tax assessment records.
4. ** Relocation of the Postal Service to Reno is part of the Reno Airport's heretofore secret plan to become a U.S. distribution point for air cargo moving to and from the Pacific Rim and Southeast Asia over the next three years. It is part of the larger goal to establish the region as a global distribution and manufacturing location. A scheme that bodes ill for Reno citizens.
5. Does this play into the hands of local politicos, special interests, and other assorted elitists? You decide:
5a. Semi-secret tax-funded government agency, EDAWN, as Grantee of FTZ (Foreign Trade Zone) # 126, has a contract with Nevada Foreign Trade Services as the sole zone operator. Nevada Foreign Trade Services (NFTS) is owned by mayor Jeff Griffin.
5b. FTZ # 126 includes 17,247 acres comprised of 7 sites. Extremely valuable site # 6 encompasses 2,175 acres around the Reno Airport, and was just approved in March of 1999.
5c. At almost that exact same time, the long-planned Nevada Air Guard (NANG) relocation to Rewana Farms was halted, and Postal Service relocation plans simultaneously began. Besides the Reno Airport, other major property owners in the zone include McKenzie Limited Partnership (astoundingly, Airport Trustee Gino Menchetti is their Resident Agent), three subsidiaries of Dermody Properties (astoundingly, Michael Dermody is Secretary of EDAWN), Owen Family Partnership, and others of similar affluent and often "conflictory" persuasion.
6. In August of 1997 the Reno Airport awarded a $27,500 contract to Mr. Griffin's NFTS to expand the FTZ onto Airport property (without putting it out to legal bid). The contract was awarded at the first meeting after Reno City Council and Mayor Griffin appointed two of it's four (one-half of the board) appointees to the Airport Board. (The City of Reno annually grants $35,000 to EDAWN. NFTS received about $10,000 from its boss, EDAWN, annually. But that figure should increase exponentially by virtue of the FTZ expansion contract with the Reno Airport.)
As a result of this deviously contrived contract, mayor Griffin's companies now have the monopoly to provide FTZ services in Northern Nevada, and are the largest providers of international trade services in the state. There are numerous Nevada Laws that prohibit such grotesque self-serving machinations by public officials.
7. The FTZ application was submitted in June 1998, and included properties the Airport recently acquired in Rewana Farms. A public hearing was waived to expedite consideration of the expansion application from 64 acres to 17,247 acres prior to 3-31-99; "in order to meet the needs of potential users".
8. ** Items 4 through 7 above summarize that the overall purpose of the FTZ is to establish or expand multiple large-scale industrial parks and establish the region as a primary global distribution hub for further economic diversification. It also delineates numerous incredible Conflicts of Interests in achieving the goal. The Airport is under the jurisdiction of the City of Reno (including the mayor), who appoints half the Trustees to the Board. They also control land use issues, such as the acquisition/condemnation of Rewana Farms, and have benefited from "political efforts to help make land available for further economic development".
Rewana Farms certainly was not acquired for noise. No one ever complained, and standard avigation easements to protect the Airport from litigation were never even offered.
It was a contrived land-grab.
9. Federal Regulations (called "Part 150") dictate the Airport must submit a revised noise exposure map if airport operations create any substantial, new noncompatible use as determined by an increasing noise level of 1.5 decibels or greater. The Part 150 is also the essential tool by which FAA grants noise monies for sound insulation and property acquisition. The Airport Executive Director has publicly stated on more than one occasion that they are pursuing each of those opportunities, thereby substantiating that airport noise will significantly increase. Runway directional use, length of flight, weight of aircraft, time of departure/arrival, and temperature all contribute (normally negatively) to the noise factor. Cargo and charter carriers consistently utilize older, less-powerful aircraft discarded by passenger airlines. And they fly mostly at night.
Home owners are not going to tolerate increased nighttime aircraft noise. Huge residential complexes including Double Diamond, Huffaker, Donner Springs, and South Hills residents already experience car alarms going off due to aircraft fly-overs. They are more affluent and prestigious than retired and elderly Rewana Farms residents, and more numerous. All Truckee Meadows citizens are concerned with increased airport noise, and also concerned about increased air pollution, increased vehicular traffic congestion and pollution (especially from the already enormous influx of 18-wheelers), and increased safety risks. They are preparing an army to protect the community's quality of life concerns.
Collectively, the citizens who live here and work here will no longer tolerate the Airport and business community to diminish our enjoyment of our homes and quality of life to live free of terrible noise and air pollution, increased traffic congestion and safety risks. An ever-expanding Airport and increased air traffic, especially with already marginally-safe archaic 727's invite an air disaster.
This Postal scheme demands a complete Environmental Impact Study (EIS)... so that everyone will know just how outlandish and self-serving it is.
Please become proactive in thwarting this ill-conceived plan. Thank you for your attention.
(Ms. Decker is a long-time resident of Rewana Farms, Reno... a 125 acre community of mostly senior citizens that is located near the Reno Airport. Decker has been active politically in the Reno area for some time and is currently leading Rewana citizens who are defending their homes against the onslaught of the Reno Airport and many of the local politicos and special interests who covet the valuable properties. 10 of those brave citizens have died during the battle.)
The Reno Airport confirmed the north terminal cargo facility is a "go"; even though there is no contract. Where did THAT money come from?
Prudent preparation would demand the Airport sound-insulate homes in the flight path before they bring the noise. Better planning would not allow them to bring cargo to this airport at all!
New airport director Bart keeps referring to Amazon.com and the Wade property in Fernley, citing the inconvenience they currently experience trucking their books miles away for shipment. Griffin's FTZ includes that property too. Why will no-one seriously consider constructing a feeder airport at Fernley or Wadsworth to handle cargo? The FTZ zone encompasses all of that property. An airport could be constructed near the railroad so companies could utilize more than one mode of transportation.
Citizens all over the US are pushing for high speed rail cargo shipments to alleviate noise and air pollution. It is a sound idea; accelerated nighttime cargo flights directly over thousands of sleeping citizens has no place in the heart of our community. It would also make more sense of the train trench citizens are being forced to pay for, for the next three or four decades.
Why is Mr. Griffin being allowed to throw his political weight around anyway? He should be appropriately punished for dereliction of duty and malfeasance for allowing the Airport to literally destroy this community's quality of life these past several years. He has well-feathered his nest already, and will continue to rake in millions with his FTZ as the largest cargo mover in Nevada... unless he is stopped.
Note: Many of the Reports Below refer to the Reno airport's confiscation of Rewana Farms for the Nevada Air Guard. That devious scheme was replaced with a plot to turn the homeland into a cargo Mecca. The principal is the same: the Reno airport's taking PRIVATE land for its own private good... and the good of its cronies. This is wrong!
Airport Authority of Washoe County’s Condemnation of Rewana Farms in order to relocate the Nevada Air National Guard... Is Wrong
Nov 20, 1998 An open letter by Jackie Decker
TO: AIRPORT AUTHORITY OF WASHOE COUNTY (AAWC), NANG, USAF, CITY MANAGER, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, GOVERNOR, NEVADA CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, FAA, EPA, INSPECTOR GENERAL, MEDIA, & CITIZEN/TAXPAYERS
Why do the very people who are sworn to uphold the law find every conceivable way there is to break it? Why are people you would expect to be honest and ethical looking for a place to hide in order to evade Rewana Farms citizens? Why do people who can not evade these citizens seek to discredit them, ignore them, and pass them off to someone else? When all other measures fail, why do these people assure citizens they will strive to protect their interests then hastily call a closed meeting to refine their means of further betraying them?
We think these are fair questions that deserve honest and complete answers. The acquisition and resultant condemnation of the Rewana Farms Neighborhood is more complex than it appears on the surface. Part of it is physically condemned with owners removed and homes bulldozed. The other part is condemned to the wreckage and blight that remains afterward.
The City of Reno along with the Airport Authority (AAWC) and Nevada Air National Guard (NANG) conspired together in the late ‘80s and 1990 to destroy Rewana Farms for their respective pet projects. The goal was to avoid using their own funds while completing those plans. It is called pork barrel. To accomplish this scheme they incorporated the Regional Transportation Commission, the FAA, the Governor, and members of the Nevada Congressional Delegation among others. Evidence to prove these facts is contained in the Neil Road Neighborhood Plan, the Federal Aviation Regulation Part 150 Noise Compatibility Plan, and the Airport Master Plan. Further evidence is contained in correspondence among and between the above-mentioned conspirators with the NANG, USAF, FAA, and others.
It began with the City of Reno annexing this southeast section and quickly turning the rural Neil Road area into the most densely populated, low income multi-housing neighborhood in the city. That separated it from the single-family, owner-occupied Rewana Farms and Persimmon/Alder neighborhoods into its own distinct neighborhood. However, when the city began developing the Neil Road Neighborhood Plan, they incorporated our neighborhoods into it unbeknownst to us and therefore without representation of the majority.
Neighborhood Plans are supposed to benefit the entire neighborhood they represent. Neil Road residents, comprised mostly of renters, wanted a multi-purpose center to replace the fish hatchery and to halt further apartment growth with its resultant traffic and crime. That granted, the City seized this opportunity to blanket rezone only Rewana Farms to Industrial/ Commercial, despite its current residential use. Finally made aware that our neighborhoods were also in the Plan, Rewana and Persimmon/Alder residents demanded participation. Two more meetings resulted in the City overruling vehement opposition to the rezoning by property owners. They had other plans.
City of Reno wanted to introduce commercial investment and development into part of the Rewana Farms area to generate more tax revenue for their coffers. Airport Authority wanted part of it to expand their boundaries for more concession development and income by way of a new terminal and gates. NANG wanted this specific site for relocation and expansion of facilities. They had been in their secret meetings. They all needed RTC to move the already approved and adopted Moana Lane Extension further (to the) west. And they all wanted to utilize federal pork barrel to the maximum extent. They all know the FAA doles out huge amounts for noise abatement; much bigger chunks than allowed for airport expansion and improvement. (Ever heard of smoke-filled back room meetings?) They all shared the common goal to achieve their respective dream with little expenditure from their own budgets; just call in some favors from cronies and the politicians for more pork barrel and influence. Involve the Airlines, lobbyists, Chamber of Commerce, casinos, developers, political analysts, anyone with clout.
Federal Regulations and just common decency dictate participation and planning along with those whose lives would be affected and effected. That never happened. The Neil Road Neighborhood planning began in 1986, but the Plan was not adopted until February 1994, while waiting to see if the Airport’s Noise Compatibility Plan would be approved by the FAA and noise monies would be forthcoming. Then of course, everybody had to get all their ducks in a row; make sure the Airport’s Plans were incorporated into the regional and other governing Plans. They had to ensure they had political, economic, and social favor, and yes, lots of pork barrel.
After ensuring they were all on the same page, the Airport invited about half of noise-impacted residents to a meeting to advise them that they had one year to move due to excessive and intolerable noise, or be condemned. They were going to protect half of the citizens from intolerable noise. Now; after about forty years living in their homes, and after the well-documented bulk of the noise, the Guard’s noisy F-4 jets, were on their way out. Jets and noise by the way, the neighborhood had never even complained about. The rest of the now fractured neighborhood, once serene and bonded together, was left with the same noise that mandated removing their neighbors. Left with a noisy Guard Base and noisy four-lane highway in their back yards and left without their former neighbors’ companionship. Left with non-conforming residential use where they want to live, which is why they chose to live there in the first place. They chose lots of open space for trees, gardens, lawns and shrubbery, animals...and neighbors; not industry.
Read the books referenced; it is all in there. The Guard demanded they move onto Rewana Farms property if they were to move at all. RTC was told to realign the Moana Lane Extension; and they moved it on all the maps without a public hearing or any public input or notice.
Lastly, talk with some South Hills residents; now they have intolerable noise. For over ten years they have begged for noise relief from the Airport. Well over half of noise complaints consistently come from them, upwards to 85%. They cannot be acquired, cannot even get sound insulation. The purpose of a Noise Compatibility Program and FAA noise money is to protect citizens from airport noise. Not to steal land from people who aren’t complaining.
Governing agencies are out of control folks. They meet behind closed doors in meetings where the public is refused access, feathering their own nests at the expense of the taxpayer. The taxpayer is paying to relocate condemned citizens from homes they do not want to leave, constructing schools and other buildings that newcomers will utilize, expanding airports, building and maintaining roads that new growth demands, lowering railroad tracks, subsidizing low-income family's housing, medical care, child care, the list goes on and on. Casinos, developers, and special interests are not paying for this growth, for this corruption; taxpayers are.
They draw people here to work at their poverty-pay jobs so they can benefit from their taxes while we provide their needs while making the culprits richer and more powerful. It is oppressive. We do not want to hear, "poor Rewana Farms, I’m glad its not me".
Wake up! It will soon be you, and you will be the last to know. The City is annexing islands; next comes rezoning and a huge apartment complex ten steps away where a home used to sit a quarter-acre away. There will soon be not just more passenger airlines, but more noisy cargo jets and military planes buzzing overhead, spitting out more pollution and really intolerable noise. Worse, all those planes in such little space spells impending and certain disaster.
Think about it.
It Is Time to Elect Some Good (New) People In Reno
Election time is here with promises of better education, better health care, better infrastructure, lower crime, lower taxes, protection of Social Security income, seniors, and quality of life. The truth is, no politician can advance the interests of casinos, land developers, or big money, special interest moguls and the average taxpayer citizens at the same time; one group or the other will come up short.
Ask yourself who is currently paying for schools, streets, parks, prisons, police and fire protection, rent subsidies, health subsidies, and the like. We, the taxpayers are, of course; with taxes for fuel, sales, property, franchise, privilege, room, airport passenger facility, freight, entertainment, utility, import/export, alcohol & tobacco, and others. On the other hand, Nevada casinos pay among the lowest tax rate in the nation, often filing for, and receiving tax reductions and exemptions, along with other big business. Multi-family, low-income, apartment developers pay no property tax, and receive federal tax credits, while taxpayers subsidize rent income shortfalls.
Developer impact fees do not support resultant needed schools, health care services, roads, and protective services. If these fat cats fund a candidate’s campaign and win them biased endorsements, whose interest do you think the candidate will serve?
The "necessary growth and tourism" rhetoric is just that, rhetoric.
Nevada’s rapid growth is comprised primarily of seniors and Hispanics. Some are drawn because they mistakenly believe we are a low-tax state. Most are drawn here to work in the casinos or other service provider industries such as lawn and landscaping, fast food chains and restaurants, laundries, hotels/motels, or one of the various warehouses. In return, they work for minimum wage; poverty pay not sufficient to support them in this high cost of living environment. With their inflow, comes the need to house them, school their children, to provide all of the above-named amenities for their families. The cycle for supply and demand goes on and on, with native residents bearing the tax burden to provide their needs.
With this bode to come, the casino taxes don’t increase, the developer impact fees don’t increase, but the working man keeps losing a larger portion of his paycheck at the gas station, supermarket, and elsewhere in related taxes.
Weekly SNCAT viewers can watch their local government ignore and even stifle the voices of the people begging to preserve their neighborhoods and community. Some neighborhoods are annexed, rezoned, then uprooted and bulldozed by the greedy power-mongers, like Home Gardens and Rewana Farms. Higher density zoning is forced on others, resulting in over-crowded, poverty level living with all the negative impacts that accompany the change, like Neil Road and Sutro.
Dutifully, they raise our taxes to help pay rent, provide more police, child-care, and build parks. They boast of their accomplishments while they dig deeper in our pockets to produce their victories. Some projects to increase or change zoning of neighborhoods to their detriment have been stalled, but rest assured they will be re-introduced and implemented in the future, much like the controversial "island" annexations, or the Tahoe/Pyramid link. The "good ol boy" network will manipulate and stonewall to accomplish their agenda behind smoke and mirrors, if allowed.
They proclaim and initiate that they, better than we, know what is good for our community (including pay raises or lucrative retirement packages for them and tax increases for us), then forge on with their vision to fuel the economy, at our detriment. They, and those they represent, get richer and more prestigious while we take on another job, and forfeit our dreams to fulfill theirs. Our children lack, and our families erode while we struggle to make ends meet.
We need open and honest government that will address the root of the community problem rather than merely treating the symptoms.
We need new leaders with a new vision that will represent the taxpayers, the backbone of the community, and preserve our neighborhoods and quality of life. Infrastructure is necessary before growth if indeed, the will of the community is to keep growing.
The will of the people should go forth as a majority, not the force of the rich and famous who flee to their out-of-town, retirement retreat to escape the lunacy of the once content community they transformed.
If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll keep getting what we’ve always got; destroyed neighborhoods, a decaying downtown with closed small businesses, and escalating taxes.
This is a wonderful community, and we have lots of residents with huge hearts full of compassion and caring, that routinely volunteer service to improve the Truckee Meadows and our way of life.
If Mom and Pop were not taxed out of owning their own businesses, if leadership was open to new ideas, and if citizens had a real say in government, small business could flourish, and the community could and would support itself. Let’s effect positive change this election with leaders committed to govern for we, the people.
Jackie Decker
September 14, 1998
Mr. Jimmy G. Dishner
Deputy Assistant Secretary (Installations)
Department of the Air Force, SAF/MII
1660 Air Force Pentagon
Washington, D. C. 20330-1660
RE: Land Exchange Agreement with Reno, NV Airport for NVANG 152nd AW Relocation
Dear Mr. Dishner:
While the U.S. Government announces nationwide military base shut-downs,
in Reno NV the government is busy killing-off innocent homeowners...
whose only crime has been owning their homesites for the past 40+ years...
smack in the geographical land path of a NEWLY planned MILITARY BASE.
They've wagered an ALL-OUT WAR against these innocent citizens. You'd
better come and take a look for the sake of freedom & the good of the rest
of America.
The Air Force is currently negotiating a land exchange agreement with the
Airport Authority of Washoe County ( Reno Airport AAWC) to relocate the Nevada Air
National Guard (NANG) to the Southwest quadrant of the Reno/Tahoe International
Airport. Airport consultant, GRW, Inc., recently hosted a Partnering
Workshop with local NANG and Washington ANGRC representatives in preparation
for the relocation. The Proposed Lease Area that NANG would occupy
encompasses approximately 109 acres in what is left of the Rewana Farms
Neighborhood, a forty-year-old residential community.
I trust the Air Force is aware the AAWC does not possess ownership of all
109 acres being negotiated in the trade, and will not in the foreseeable
future, until every avenue possible for retaining personal private property
ownership has been exhausted.
The Airport has initiated eminent domain proceedings in the Southwest
acquisition area (SWA) against remaining residents. A motion to dismiss
Airport condemnation proceedings has been filed through the neighborhood’s
attorney. Additional litigation is pending in the courts surrounding the
attempted realignment of the Moana Lane Extension, which is needed in order
to accommodate the NANG relocation to said Proposed Lease Area. Additional
elderly abuse and civil rights lawsuits are being contemplated and will be
filed in the near future, if necessary. Citizens are demanding a complete
Environmental Impact Statement as required by NEPA Regulations. Suffice it
to say the AAWC “land grab” and the proposed Moana Lane Extension
realignment will continue to be vigorously opposed, as they have been from
their inception.
It is a total contradiction that the Armed Forces, whose duty is to protect
citizens of the United States, would partner and participate in an effort to
throw citizens out of their homes and off of their property, stripping them
of their most basic right allowed under the constitution the military is
sworn to uphold.
It is imperative the Departments of the Air Force and Guard Bureau review
and consider all of the evidence related to this land exchange. We urge you
to listen to ‘the rest of the story’ from the citizens whose lives are being
negatively affected and effected. Summaries of issues to review and
consider are:
1. Willing Sellers: Airport and NANG propaganda allege eager and willing
sellers in the SWA. You should know their definition of a willing seller is
an owner who succumbed to bullying, coercing and threats of condemnation,
finally giving permission for an appraisal only under intense pressure. You
should also know the Rewana Farms neighborhood, which is part of the SWA is
primarily made up of long-time settled, retired and elderly residents.
Nobody in this neighborhood ever tacked up a For Sale sign or listed with a
realtor. Nobody in this neighborhood ever filed a noise complaint with the
airport or complained of noise. Residents live on these large one acre plus
parcels because this is where they want to live; the forty-year-old
neighborhood that pre-dates the airport, where they chose to move many years
ago. Many residents are now widows or widowers and memoirs of their
deceased mates are the very trees and shrubs they planted when first moving
here. Rewana Farms is their home, and life. Seven of these beloved
neighbors (in just the most recent 3-year effort) have died early deaths,
due in part to the stress and worry of threatened acquisition and
condemnation; hardly willing sellers eager to relocate. Condemnation was
threatened at the first notice by the Airport of intention to acquire.
2. Moana Lane Extension Realignment: The MLE was officially adopted in
1986, running parallel the western Airport boundary, approximately two
blocks east of where the Airport has drawn it on their maps, so it can
hardly be called a ‘natural dividing line’ as alleged. NANG proposed a
realignment further west, as well as additional land acquisition, to further
NANG and Airport expansion plans. They went on record declaring they needed
more real estate, later stating they would not discuss relocation anywhere
other than the Southwest quadrant. That set it motion the move to realign
the MLE further west than its adopted route. An amendment to the Reno
Master Plan is required by law to alter the alignment through public
process, a move that will be vigorously opposed.
3. NEPA Requirements: Conformances to NEPA regulations have been violated.
Environmental analysis was not accomplished in concert with the Part 150 or
Master Plan, nor before recent land acquisition began. Alternatives were
discarded without proper environmental studies. Acquiring land, attempting
to realign Moana Lane, relocating the Guard, constructing additional airport
gates and a terminal are inter-related and connected actions resulting in
cumulative impact effects which require an Environmental Impact Statement.
Such “tiering” constitutes a Major Federal Action; the current EA being
prepared will not be sufficient for NEPA compliance. As a sideline, NANG
submitted a FONSI during their mission change never mentioning their
intended relocation at time of conversion, even though such plans are well
documented and the mission change was said to necessitate additional land
area.
4. Funding: The Airport has not yet explained to the Board of Trustees how
they will fund this move. They have committed funds without certainty that
they will be available. They and NANG keep running to the Nevada
Congressional Delegation with their hands out. NANG has a $41 million
dollar request before Congress and the National Guard Bureau to build the
initial facilities needed in the Southwest quadrant. They have not utilized
FY97 MILCON funds already appropriated for the NANG Mission Change for what
were supposedly deemed urgent facilities. They are waiting to build their
aerial port at the new site. Facilities constructed at the current site
with House Appropriated tax dollars will need to be funded and constructed
again in the event of relocation to a new site.
5. Acquisition: The subjectively concocted FAR Part 150 approved by the FAA
in September, 1993 identified approximately 143 parcels lying within
supposedly ‘unacceptable noise’ contours in the southwest quadrant; 87
parcels in Rewana Farms, and 56 parcels in the Riley neighborhood. These
143 parcels were identified for acquisition on their Exhibit 5V. The AAWC
has since decided to deviate from that map, choosing to acquire only 48 of
the 87 Rewana Farms parcels, retaining the 56 in the Riley neighborhood,
then adding another 35 from that area that lie outside identified noise
contours. Parcels the Airport ultimately chose for acquisition conveniently
align with the proposed (but never approved) Moana Lane Extension
realignment. Meanwhile, the Airport refuses to address the remaining 39
Rewana Farms parcels that supposedly suffer from the same ‘unacceptable
noise’ alleged by the Airport. The Airport has purchased only 22 of the 57
parcels identified on its January 30, 1996 acquisition map to date.
6. Deception, Dishonesty and Duplicity: The 1-31-90 Land Use Technical
Conference relative to the Airport Master Plan and Part 150 submittals
documents the mutual benefits to be derived by the NANG, RTC, AAWC and City
of Reno in acquiring this land stating a goal of using “monies set aside for
noise” to accomplish it:
a. Noise and Misuse of Federal tax dollars. FAA noise mitigation monies are
being improperly spent. Ample evidence from various sources document
Airport noise peaked in the late 1980s, after which it then would begin to
decline. The 1991 Part 150 states noise has continuously decreased the past
three years and will continue to do so. The previous 1984 Part 150 stated
noise would steadily decrease after 1992 despite increased operations.
b. Mitigation is not acquisition. The South Hills neighborhood, who
initiated 85% of noise complaints prior to and during preparation of the
Part 150, are still the most adversely impacted neighborhood in the
community; they have not been targeted for acquisition, or even noise
mitigation.
c. Relocating NANG to the Southwest quadrant will bring Airport noise closer
to the most densely populated, affordable housing, below poverty level
neighborhood in Reno. The same scenario exists if the MLE is realigned
along the proposed path.
d. Noise monies were used to purchase property lying directly in the path of
the proposed MLE realignment. If the realignment were to proceed, resultant
noise would be more excessive than the noise that existed when the property
was acquired.
e. Relocation of NANG to the Southwest quadrant is not possible without the
realignment of the Moana Lane Extension. Acquisition of parcels transferred
to RTC responsibility for right-of-way from Airport acquisition maps has not
been accomplished.
Ordinarily a high level of veracity would be expected from a public agency.
Such is not an attribute of the Reno Airport. In the interest of your time,
just a few examples have been presented, though many examples abound. NANG
itself has attempted to plan its future in concert with Airport desires for
many years. However, the NANG has not been completely honest either. They
have gone on record saying they are able to perform to capacity and remain
at their present site on Airport property well into the future. They have
also said it would be possible for them to relocate to and function from
Stead, though it is not preferable. They claim their primary desire is to
conform to the desire of the community at large for the common good.
However, documents indicate NANGs implicit desire and intent to relocate to
the Southwest quadrant; necessitating the destruction of a residential
neighborhood and removal of senior citizens from their long-time homes. It
is interesting to note that NANG has operated successfully at its present
site for several years since its mission change.
We will be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have and
provide necessary documentation to validate our allegations. Thank you for
your time and interest. We apologize for the length of this correspondence,
but as you can see, the matter is quite complex. We request a timely
response. Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Jackie Decker email (Click), jwabit@moondog.net
Rewana Farms Representative
4000 Rewana Way
Reno, NV 89502
cc: William Cohen, Secretary of Defense
William Edwards, Real Estate Agency
Samuel G. Lundgren, Engineering & Service
Ralph Conte, ANG/CEP
Kenneth Mead, Inspector General of the United States
Hank Moore, Member of Congress
Airports Division, FAA
Nevada Congressional Delegation
Internet and Local Media
Dateline NBC
Room 510
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10112
RE: Corruption and condemnation, strange bed-fellows;
Reno Nevada Airport and Reno Mayor
Gentlemen:
While the U.S. Government announces nationwide military base shut-downs,
in Reno NV the government is busy killing-off innocent homeowners...
whose only crime has been owning their homesites for the past 40+ years...
smack in the geographical land path of a NEWLY planned MILITARY BASE.
They've wagered an ALL-OUT WAR against these innocent citizens. You'd
better come and take a look for the sake of freedom & the good of the rest
of America.
Respectfully leaked by a Reno Citizen reporter whose camera is much smaller
than yours!
Three years ago, the Airport Authority of Washoe County (Reno Airport AAWC)
notified some residents of the Rewana Farms Neighborhood they planned to acquire
their homes, and requested them to attend a public workshop for more information.
Word quickly spread throughout the neighborhood as those receiving the
hand-delivered letters queried other neighbors to see if they too, had
received them.
Nearly the whole neighborhood attended, those furnished with a letter and
those who were not letter recipients. We were advised at the meeting that
we had one year to clear out, and were requested to sign appraisal and
relocation forms before leaving. Representatives kept refusing to address
neighborhood questions, preferring to stick to their structured
presentation. Chaos erupted after repeated refusals to address why we had
to move, and residents refused to sit quietly while they told us what they
required of us and how it would it would be accomplished. One resident
called the media, who turned out en masse. Only after cameras began to roll
did the airport advise us we were required to move by FAA mandate because of
intolerable noise. (There is no such FAA mandate. They ultimately gave
alternative reasons such as expansion needs, Guard relocation, noise and
safety concerns, and then finally settled on noise.) The meeting ended with
residents confused and angry, and the airport with no signed releases.
So much has happened since then. The forty-year-old residential
neighborhood made up primarily of retired senior citizens, began to organize
in an attempt to learn why they should have to move. I, as neighborhood
representative and spokesperson, began attending Reno Airport AAWC
meetings and devouring their FAR Part 150 Noise Compatibility Programs
and Master Plans, past and present. In addition, I read and studied FAA
Regulations, the ASNA Act, NEPA Regulations and other related material.
The airport, meanwhile, first attempted to adopt a resolution permitting the
Executive Director blanket acquisition/condemnation authority, which failed.
Instead, Trustees agreed to a willing seller concept that was administered
through their contractor, Property Specialists, Inc. PSI, during the last
three years, has accomplished 22 purchases through a process of coercion,
bullying, and threats of condemnation. Seven residents went to an early
grave with the added stress and uncertainty of their future, resulting in
subsequent sales to the airport by grieving families. In other words, if
PSI could scare a resident into signing an appraisal, they were defined as a
‘willing seller’.
The source of ‘intolerable noise’ in the community was attributed to the F-4
jets previously flown by the Nevada Air National Guard, who is a leasee at
the airport. The jets were replaced with propeller driven C-130 cargo
planes in early 1996. Additionally, most of the noisier Stage II aircraft
used during the noise study has been replaced by quieter Stage III. The
airport is currently 94% Stage III compliant. More importantly, 85% of
airport noise complaints came from the South Hills neighborhood, which
today, are still complaining of excessive noise. Conversely, no complaints
came from this neighborhood.
The Rewana Farms neighborhood, which is a part of what is known as the
southwest acquisition area, has failed at every attempt to communicate and
negotiate with the airport. We have attempted to enter discussions with the
City of Reno regarding land use designations, the FAA, the Nevada
Congressional Delegation, the Guard, and others, without success. Two
separate class-action lawsuits have been filed as a result.
Time and space do not permit me to give all the details at this writing.
However, the airport initiated condemnation proceedings against 27 remaining
property-owners in March. Some other related and relevant points are as
follows:
1. Evidence proves the Nevada Air National Guard (NANG), the Regional
Transportation Commission (RTC), the City of Reno, and the airport (RTIA)
conspired to seize this neighborhood under the guise of noise mitigation to
mutually benefit each of them. NANG wants to relocate from its present site
at RTIA to this neighborhood so each of them can accomplish expansion plans.
RTC and the airport want to realign the Moana Lane Extension (MLE) utilizing
FAA noise mitigation tax dollars for acquisition right-of-way and providing
a four-lane arterial in close proximity and easy access to and from the
airport. The City of Reno and the airport want to initiate warehousing and
industrial commercial development in the area to fill their respective
coffers. The City has initiated mass IC rezoning in the formerly single
family residential neighborhood.
2. Noise contour maps were and still are manipulated in an attempt to prove
intolerable noise. No noise monitors were ever placed in this neighborhood
which lies to the west side of the airport. Noise levels peaked in the late
1980’s according to the airport’s noise expert consultant, Brown-Buntin.
When the airport produced its 1991 Part 150, it testified noise had been
decreasing the last three years and would continue to do so.
3. Airport testimony is not credible. They have proven themselves
untrustworthy on many fronts. They concealed a $600,000 out of court
settlement for wrongful termination from their Board of Trustees and the
public until a lawsuit brought by the local newspaper forced them to reveal
it. The City of Sparks requested a Grand Jury investigation on 17 different
issues, one of which was the southwest acquisition. The City of Sparks
fired the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, one of that entity’s appointees
to the Board. An independent Management audit was conducted in lieu of an
investigation, but skimmed over many issues and ignored others altogether.
Later however, the Board requested the Executive Director to terminate his
Director of Administration, who in turn oversees the Property Manager. Both
the Executive Director and Director of Administration negotiated early
retirements to the tune of half a million dollars and consultant contracts.
4. A $6 million FY97 Military Construction appropriation requested by the
Nevada Congressional Delegation has not been utilized to build a new
aeroport for the Guard C-130s. They were to have built a fuel cell, parking
apron and aeroport at their current site, but are stalling to build it at
their new site once residents have been removed.
5. The NEPA process has been violated and currently is being manipulated.
Environmental analysis was not conducted in concert with the Part 150 and
Master Plan process in evaluating alternatives. The realignment of Moana
Lane, the change of mission, then relocation of the Guard, property
acquisition, construction of four new gates, then eventual construction of a
new terminal and more gates are all related actions, referred to in NEPA as
tiering. Such actions require a full Environmental Impact Statement early
in planning.
6. All entities failed to advise or include this neighborhood in their
planning process. The airport deliberately concealed acquisition plans, as
did the City. The required public notices in the newspaper advising the
Part 150 and Master Plan made no mention of land use or acquisition.
This is just a brief overview of one middle-class, neighborhood’s plight
with beaurocracy. The powers that be, from municipal to federal, have
turned a blind eye and deaf ear as bulldozers continue to destroy a
neighborhood and lives.
I hope you will seriously consider a place on your program for this series
of events. Please refer to the enclosed letter written to the USAF. I will
be happy to provide any evidence of allegations you request, or answer any
questions you may have. Thank you for your time and attention. I am
looking forward to a reply.
Sincerely,
Jackie Decker, a Reno citizen
Has anybody noticed that it is not politically correct to vote in opposition
to the majority of your colleagues? How effective are Councils, Boards,
Commissions and the like? There exists this attitude that solidarity must
prevail if a decision-making, policy-setting bunch is to be effective. Our
governmental entities even conduct Consensus-Building Retreats to achieve it.
If there is to be no difference of opinions, ideas, or options, I frankly
don't see any need for these bodies, or juries either, for that matter.
On the other hand we tell our children not to succumb to peer pressure, dare
to be different, stand up for what is right, don't go along with the crowd if
it is contrary to your convictions, and the like. It is no small wonder that
we lose so many of our kids to drugs, smoking, and illicit sex; they tend to
follow example rather than what we say.
A case in point is the recent severance packages of the Airport's two top
executives. Did these men suddenly decide to pursue greener pastures, or were
they convinced to leave? One thing is certain; they left with a bulging
pocketful of money and benefits after such a short time of service. Public
opinion was unanimously opposed to such hefty rewards, but Trustees voted
unanimously to ignore Truckee Meadow's citizens and award them the works
anyway, complete with an array of praise and accomplishments, even two-year
consultant contracts. The Board voted for all of this without even seeing
letters of resignation from the executives. Such letters were a concern of at
least one Trustee, but advised the letters would be provided later, they voted
for the package anyway.
This same Board voted for the condemnation of the Rewana Farms Neighborhood
for noise. Eminent domain is to be used for the larger public good. What is
the public good to be served by condemning for noise? The Airport wants the
land that forty year-old neighborhood encompasses to relocate Nevada Air
National Guard so they can expand their facilities. That is what they have
gone on record as saying, and expanding Airport boundaries is the real reason
they voted to condemn, not noise. Only one Trustee voted in opposition
despite the fact federal funds earmarked for noise mitigation are being used
to obtain the land.
Our kids are receiving mixed signals, from the White House down to where we
live. Most of us know right from wrong, but we are looked on so much
favorably if we just go with the flow and don't make waves. From the most
prestigious government body to the lesser known governing agencies, we are
setting an example for the youth that will govern the future. It is past time
to take notice of those who are courageous enough to take a stand for
opposition and vote their convictions. Opposing views allow discussion to
arrive at the best decisions.
A LANDGRAB IS A LANDGRAB...
Dear Mr. (Luther) Mack:
[Chair, Reno Airport Authority]
I was extremely disappointed to hear you state you intend to proceed with the
condemnation of Rewana Farms during your April 20th interview with Channel 8
because "you need the land". That in itself tells a story; it still doesn't
sound like noise acquisition is the real reason neighborhood homes are being
bulldozed. My question to you and the Board is what is the public good to be
gained by condemning Rewana Farms for intolerable and unacceptable noise?
While it is true many of my neighbors are gone, some to perhaps a new
opportunity, others forced out against their will, (and eight too many to an
early death), much of the neighborhood still remains, including myself. Yes,
there is still another two blocks in the neighborhood, identified in the
Airport's own same noise contours, but not being addressed anymore as part of
your acquisition area. The majority of those remaining are united, know the
facts, and possess the evidence that proves noise is not the reason our
neighborhood is being ripped apart with homes and lives being destroyed. We
stand on our convictions the land grab is illegal, immoral and unjust. That
is why you still have unwilling sellers.
It was also discouraging (but typical) to see the Board vote unanimously to
award the predetermined severance packages to Mr. White and Mr. Kitchell with
absolutely no response to, or discussion about, the four citizens who spoke in
opposition. Not to mention the 100% opposition indicated by the Gazette
public opinion survey. Obviously Trustees were set on a prior decision
affirming the packages since within minutes of voting a press release was
distributed indicating a unanimous vote with the precise details.
The Airport has expended vast amounts of time, energy and money to simulate
petty compassion; all the while giving incomplete, inconsistent answers to 1)
the Trustees' 42 questions, questions raised by the 2) Southwest Acquisitions
Committee and at the 3) Wooster Workshop, if questions were answered at all.
Further expenditures for "expert" consultants such as Parsons, Brown & Buntin,
Coffman, and GRW, to validate "Airport truth", and 4) Independent Management
Audit that totally ignored some concerns while manipulating others, and now
the 5) Citizen Outreach Committee that has been given incorrect and incomplete
information so they don't have a clue, are meaningless token public relations
ploys to suggest the Airport desires to deal fairly with our neighborhood.
These continual maneuvers, including removing Mr. White and Mr. Kitchell, will
not make the stench go away if you determine to pursue the same fraudulent
course of action they initiated. The intent; to confiscate and develop our
neighborhood remains the same. Our neighborhood will continue
pursuing every avenue available to receive justice until infinity if
necessary. Who says the acquisition has gone too far to stop? Do two wrongs
make a right?
It would seem prudent to stop in your tracks. Airport expansion is your goal;
start from scratch with honest and open management. Bring affected home and
property owners into your planning process so they can plan their own futures
in harmony with yours. Present a level playing field and really negotiate
fairly, using clean money and honest means to enable all parties a reasonable
outcome. Which of you would welcome the thief who just broke down your door
and stole the TV to clean out the rest of your house? I think you get the
picture. If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what
you always got.
I once again invite you to review the attached material, which gives a bird's
eye view of neighborhood observations that have been brought before the Board
for nearly three years now. I request you copy and furnish all Trustees with
a copy of this letter and all attachments. Newer Trustees such as Mr.
Gribben, Mr. Farahi, Mr. Bruce and Mr. Moore may not be aware of their
existence. As policy setters and decision-makers, they should educate
themselves with more of the facts.
Jackie Decker
Jackie Decker
Breaking news last week reported Reno's top 2 executives fired for handling of
Rewana Farms acquisition and other matters. But by 4-21 meeting they both
"retired" with a $475,000 pay off. The Airport Authority of Washoe County,
AAWC Board wanted exec. dir. Bob White to fire Director of Administration, Jim
Kitchell. Of course, he couldn't afford Kitchell to be axed cuz Kitchell just
might "sing" loud and long. So under pressure, White said if Kitchell went,
he wanted to leave too, with a tidy retirement package after only 8-9 years,
and one for Kitchell, along with well wishes and commendations of praise. Oh,
and they will be retained as consultants for 2 years. Wouldn't we all like a
deal like that? They are continuing on with the "noise condemnation" because
Board Chairman Mack says "they've got to have the land". Doesn't need for the
land just tell the story though? No matter noise left with the F-4s and Stage
2, and that non-conforming residential use was guaranteed and grandfathered
when the City rezoned the neighborhood under citizen protest. Meanwhile, City
council voted to give the mayor's campaign fund raiser $30,000 already raised
from the "usual fat cats" in a plush contract funded with our taxes with not a
peep of disclosure. The contract was ostensibly for $20,000 but the fine
print included another $125,000 earmarked for mayor's campaign fund raiser.
I am encouraged to see Orange County citizens are not nearly as complacent as
Reno. Good luck in your continuing battle.
Jackie Decker
To: Reno City Councilperson Candice Pearce
Dear Ms. Pearce:
Part 1:
I respond to your comments that Mr. Nicora did not indicate he represented our
neighborhood. Further I present evidence said acquisition/condemnation is not
for noise purposes and request you or an appropriate representative respond.
I again ask the question, what is the public good to be gained by condemning
Rewana Farms for intolerable and unacceptable noise? (Click to read the full letter)
Was there an Honest Audit Investigation of the Reno Airport? Jackie Decker
Open Letter from Jackie Decker.......................................................October 2, 1997
Rewana Farms Residents' Representative
Reno, Nevada
Subject: 1997 Reno Airport Grand Jury-Directed Audit
To: Reno Airport Board of Trustees
Dear Reno Airport Appointees and Employees;
The 1997 audit report of Reno Airport operations lacked depth, and more, I felt, was misleading. It did not adequately address the controversial issues and flatly omitted others, leaving the impression the many problems brought to light in the past are minor or insignificant. They are significant. There is a valid concern, not just among Rewanians, but shared by the Nevada Congressional Delegation and local governing officials and others, that information disseminated by the Authority is not necessarily true and/or complete. A Congressional representative confided to me recently, disappointment that the highly paid consultants failed to accomplish the task assigned them by recommendation of the District Attorney. They recognize serious problems at RTIA that they feel the Trustees are not taking control of. Given that, they then looked to the City Council for direction to their appointees, but council is not intervening either. They had hoped the Audit would deal with the issues those responsible for oversight refuse to deal with. They expressed disappointment and frustration after reviewing the preliminary draft. A draft report that was not to go beyond the scrutiny of the Trustees, I might add.
They can see the Airport has operated void of oversight and accountability. There has been and is, an attitude that exists, that information Airport Administration asserts is accurate and complete, and their behavior beyond reproach. When confrontations arise, they hire expensive consultants to validate their truth. This inaccurate and incomplete information is then disseminated to prestigious and powerful businessmen, community leaders, elected officials and others who rely on the source as infallible. They in turn endorse the airport's efforts and berate the unknowns who would challenge the experts.
I alluded to this in my statements to the Board regarding local businessmen. I was specifically referring to recent endorsements given by the CEOs of the Hilton and Nugget, and the Reno/Sparks Chamber. Those executives know only what the Authority has told them, which is not complete and accurate information. Harry York's Chamber document professes a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Part 150 and Master Plan. His resultant conclusion is that RTIA has administered the program correctly. Mr. York did not even know the Part 150 was comprised of two books as he admitted at City Council two weeks ago. He questioned what was in the first book, thus he had not read and does not know and understand the purpose, procedure, and if you will, guts of the Study, nor its implementation. I must confess I took a shot at him; for conducting a study and then validating something he obviously knows very little about. The irony is that Trustees trust this expert testimony when they cast their votes. It offends me when prestigious titles with community recognition endorse issues they actually know little about, and it carries weight. It offends me that if you are not well-connected your testimony is disregarded. It offends me when they discredit the media for presenting opposing views and bringing balance to a formerly controlled public media blitz representing only the Airport.
A portion of my address to the Board dealt with a Trustee who repeatedly brags about how well-connected the Executive Director is, enabling the powerful Airport to quickly and easily accomplish their agenda. This Trustee suggests the Authority and others of prominent stature that enjoy money and power can rightfully disregard mere morality and principle. He goes on record challenging and rebuking outside governing intervention and smugly decries the public process. He suggests that despite controversy surrounding unethical and possibly illegal dealings in the past, the Authority will prevail because of these connections.
I had specifically requested that Deloitt and Touche examine the AIP 05 grant documents and present their findings. A request was made to identify which year's noise contours are the official noise contour maps used for the Part 150 Study. Reno City Council directed their Trustees to obtain complete answers to the 18 allegations presented by the Sparks City Council, and to interview the former Terminal Manager, Richard Hill. The findings of those requests were not reported at all or merely scratched the surface. The evidence surrounding the AIP grant is contained in the package I delivered to you. The answer to which are the official noise contour maps is also in that package. However, FAA has indicated the 1987 and 1991 maps are official one time, then the abated 1991 and 1996 maps another. AAWC legal counsel has written the 1990 and 1995 maps are official and then contradicted that. According to the Part 150 Study, the 1989 and 1994 maps are official. But ask any Trustee which are the official maps and you will get a variety of answers. Ask them or any of the airport's supporters exactly why Rewana Farms was set aside for acquisition when noise as defined by the Part 150 is equal or greater in Donner Springs, the Persimmon/Alder area, Huffaker Hills and even South Hills, but they are not being acquired. Ask how many parcels are in the acquisition area. In depth questions would get you the airport's version of what is true and complete today, but evidence exists that proves their answers change (and their maps), frequently.
Did you happen to notice the Audit report was void of information, but more importantly the exact same format as the GRW reports, and the Strategic Financial Plan, and other documents produced in the past? I can not help but wonder why that is!! It certainly appears Airport originated to me.
The point I was trying to make is so simple; we tend to complicate it in an effort to explain it. So much misinformation abounds as a result of trying to cover-up the obvious, it is difficult for seasoned veterans who do know and understand all the facts to convey them succinctly. The Trustees rely heavily on complete and accurate information from Staff and/or their paid consultants on which to base their decisions and resultant vote, but they do not receive it. I appreciate they give an appearance of supplying it, by employing experts or providing testimony from ill-informed supporters, but the fact is, they do not provide you with it. Those who have been involved in this process long enough to see the trees despite the intensity of the forest can really see the trees, in fact, see through the branches. Many have been willing to examine the proof that contradicts information the Airport has disseminated, and question it. They are quickly and skillfully labeled dissenters, alarmists, activists, and sensationalists, among other tags to discourage any attention the true and complete facts might invite. If the media prints anything other than the one-sided propaganda the airport public relations team provides on a nearly daily basis, they scream foul.
The preparation of the Part 150 is flawed with dishonest information. It was misused to obtain Federal funding. The noise it was intended to mitigate still exists in the same areas that originally complained about it. Noise-insulation is being accomplished at about 15 homes a year, with more than 400 out there. Rewana Farms, whose noise disappeared with the F-4s is being destroyed and demolished on a daily basis.
The Airport Authority continuously intermingles the noise issue with economic growth and airport expansion, but they are separate and diverse issues. It is a deliberate attempt to combine the two to garner support of businessmen to support their landgrab efforts. Furthermore, it almost obligates the Board to vote in favor of it, because it would be insane not to want to grow. It is an ingenuous maneuver to cloud the predominant issue, and staff succeeds in tripping up the Trustees and entrapping them into making rash decisions, in my opinion. They will naturally vote for growth, so if you tie in the noise acquisition as the only direction to grow, you have a done deal. Bottom line though, it is morally, ethically, legally wrong. They are separate issues and they need to be dealt with separately.... That is my point. Again, please understand I am not opposed to Airport growth per se, I am only opposed to the manner in which it is attempting to be accomplished and the validity that it can only occur into this neighborhood.
Neither my neighborhood, nor I are opposed to well planned controlled growth of our community. We are not even opposed to Airport growth; we have experienced it first-hand over the last nearly forty years without a complaint, as it infringed upon our neighborhood. What we do oppose is the conspiracy that transpired in 1989 and since to destroy our neighborhood and landbank our property until such time as it will be utilized for whatever, without inviting us into the planning process as required by the Part 150. It is the indifference, no contempt, leveled against our neighborhood to accomplish that end, while they claim immediate necessity and proper use of procedure. There was a deliberate determination to exclude us from the planning back then, and it has been, and is, ongoing.
The minutes of the TAC meeting that was in the package I delivered to you firmly establishes this conspiracy, not to mention numerous other documents I possess and have brought forth at AAWC and City Council meetings. The continued back door attacks and public denunciations of neighbors and myself lend credence to the contempt levied against us. Have you any idea what it is like to have a bulldozer awake you as they demolish your neighbor's house and pour it in the Dumpster? Or what it is like to have spotlights shine in your windows every night, or have big trucks carrying four-plexs rumbling down (and tearing up) the streets and hear forty year old trees come crashing down? We do, on a continual basis.
It is not wrong for the Airport to want this property, nor to purchase it from willing sellers that communicate a desire to sell. It is wrong to plan to take it en masse if federal funding comes through which was based on a faulty noise study saturated with dishonest data, presumptions and assumptions, rather than factual information. It is wrong to conspire against a neighborhood rather than communicating perceived growth needs and time frame with them, and inviting input and negotiations. It is also wrong to then converge on elderly residents of a neighborhood, demanding they leave within a year or be condemned because the noise level they have lived with for years suddenly needs to be mitigated by acquisition, even though that noise will disappear in about six months. It is wrong to first ignore then discredit and defame the neighborhood that seeks to understand this frenzied, immediate need of the airport. It is wrong to bully and terrorize elderly citizens, literally to death. Finally, it is wrong to hide the wrongdoing and not even attempt to correct it.
My neighbors planned to die in their homes, they believed they were set for life. Given their age and resultant health, it is unreasonable to believe many could transition from the security they have enjoyed to now having to again undergo house payments or rent on their social security income, which for the most part is less than $700 monthly. The younger ones who were short-timers, and can start over again are already gone. So are those property-owners that were non-resident and really did not have a vested interest. Unfortunately, some left involuntarily, crushed in spirit and scared to death they would be thrown off if they did not, and they are not faring well at all. Many others have died suddenly, a result of grief and uncertainty about their future. Several remaining now have deteriorating health, and all are anxious and grieved, lamenting under this smothering cloud of terrorism. It is not right.
Is there a real need? Is acquisition of this neighborhood today more important than human lives? Is it unfair to question the airport's plans and time frames and unrealistic to expect truthful answers? The far back street of our neighborhood was condemned in 1979 and that property has never been utilized. A recently retired deputy sheriff died suddenly after condemnation proceedings then. He is only one of the statistics; if I were to go through my stacks of paperwork, I could provide many more related casualties. The point is John did not have to die. I sat idle as he poured out his heart to my husband and myself. When all this insanity started again in October 1995, I vowed to take up my neighbors plight; is not that the Golden Rule? My own future is at stake; property values have steadily decreased since 1990 as a result of this madness. I get left with the blight and loss of my neighborhood and more noise moved closer. My own mother, next door, is 83 and visibly deteriorating under the stress and anxiety. Believe me, a class-action wrongful death lawsuit is not far-removed from my considerations of what to do next.
As the officially elected neighborhood representative, I have attempted time and again to make the Airport, City, County and Federal Governments aware of the facts and encourage independent evaluations of and corrections to this process. We were advised and forced to obtain legal counsel as a last resort, when none of the players wanted to touch the ball. I, we, are not through, by a longshot. We will continue to solicit voluntary participation in righting this wrong, but void of that effort, perhaps the legal system will be the answer. Perhaps they will really read the documents and see the manipulation of information. Perhaps they will recognize deprivation of public notice and participation. Maybe they will recognize the acquisition of our land and destruction of our neighborhood has nothing to do with noise mitigation, nor does the use of noise funds apply to our area. Perhaps they will stay focused and weigh all the facts, giving Rewanians a level footing with the prestigious and prejudiced opposition. Perhaps they will separate the issue of an illegal land grab from the desire to expand the airport for economic growth.
My intention is not to alienate or offend anyone, but to present facts and be heard, even though I do not possess the prestigious or political stature Harry York does. I know my material and the issues; he does not. I have read and understand the Part 150 and the regulations dictating it. I have read and understand the CFR and ASNA Act and other related federal documents. I have dedicated myself to understanding what has transpired here for two years, because it effects me and it effects my neighbors and neighborhood, and it effected those that have passed on, recently and back to 1979. The Airport was power-driven and out of control, and dead wrong. It has partially cleaned up on the surface, but until wrongdoing is uncovered, dealt with, and corrected, I doubt any real change will take place. I will fight to ensure this travesty does not go uncorrected or that it is allowed to transpire again with another bunch of innocent, unsuspecting citizens. The corruption and collusion within that flow outward and upward to other governing entities must be stopped.
Whether you read and investigate the truth is your prerogative, and your vote is your decision, not mine. I am sure you are well aware other Trustees who do know and Understand the whole issue and took a stand for righteousness have been slandered and attacked.. They took their roles as Trustees seriously and accepted their responsibility to provide oversight and accountability. They were committed to airport excellence but also honesty and integrity. Their courage was and is commendable, unfortunately their number was not enough to make a difference.
Airport expansion, economic and community growth, and Rewana Farms property acquisition are not synonymous. That bears repeating. Airport administration repeatedly reaffirms the acquisition is a result of noise mitigation period. That is the deceit, that is the conspiracy, that is the landgrab; it is a separate issue. It is not to be combined with or confused with expansion, growth or economic viability. There is an avenue to pursue to achieve those goals, but twisting and manipulating the Noise Compatibility Study is not the way to proceed if you are to maintain or rather gain the trust of the community.
("Click" on your choice):
Nevada Seniors
