WRT board member responds to “What’s in it for me”
In an article (read it here) posted two weeks ago I asked “What’s in it for me? A larger Greenwood?” I also followed up on my first commentary with a second post (read it here). A revised version of my first commentary also appeared on the Daily Journal editorial page last week. White River Township board member Mark Messick replied to the letter to the editor and also provided us a copy of his letter to post here. It appears here unedited.
(In response to Mr. Jody Veldkamp’s letter of June 2, 2009) The benefits of White River Township and Greenwood reorganizing, should be and hopefully will be demonstrated in the committee’s plan. I, too, took a nice tour of the township recently, not on a motorcycle but in my subcompact car. While cruising around…well not really cruising since it was 5pm and with all the traffic I mainly was creeping along one car length at a time or totally stopped inhaling the fumes of the cars around me. I, too, noticed that this area is not anything like Greenwood. I don’t see people walking on trials or children playing in parks or adults playing softball at the park. I did witness many traffic violations…people driving way over the speed limit in the neighborhoods to get around the traffic on the Fairview Road, not stopping for stop signs, not yielding for people wishing to cross the street.
I did see the remains of the homes from last year’s flood in Old Smith Valley and I did go through water from a recent storm in Windsong Estates. I did dodge the many chuckholes in Carefree South…some of which might have engulfed my little car. While in Pebble Hills I remarked to myself how nice it was that the children were playing basketball in the street…and how polite they were to stop and let me through. Unlike Greenwood, I did notice that there seemed to be a growing number of brush piles in people’s yards from the recent thunderstorms…as you know Greenwood picks up brush left at the curb. While driving through Friendly Village, I wondered if the community even cared…and my soul was disheartened. That wasn’t the end of my trip, I marveled at how my little car navigated all the cars parked on both sides of the street in Wakefield and envied the park like setting of homes in Highland Park and Deerwood Estates.
I was surprised by the amount of water in the creek in Brentridge Estates…I wondered how that could be with homes so near…where was the planning?. Then I thought, I’d like to stretch my legs…I’ll go to the Bantam Fields and walk the trials…but when I arrived the gate was locked; oh well, I guess I’ll go over to Craig Park and walk those trials and have an ice cream cone while the dog lies in the shade of the creek bank. Is that music I hear coming from the outdoor amphitheater?…what a free concert!
Don’t get me wrong, I totally agree that the rural portions of the township should be left alone, they should be allowed to exist as they have for generations, but the urban portion of the township needs the oversight of a municipal government and not just a homeowners association. We need a street department, a planning and zoning department, a storm water utility, a parks department, a police department and the representation which we would get on the city council.
I didn’t even mention the abandon homes which I saw in the neighborhoods with the yards totally overgrown. I didn’t mention the smell from the failed septic systems in some of the older subdivisions. What are the homeowners associations doing to improve my drive time, to slow down cars in my neighborhood, to clean up the yards of abandoned homes, to fix failed septic systems. What can or has the county done about the storm water problems in the county? What has the county done about the traffic congestion in White River Township? How can the county police the neighborhoods in White River when they have a whole county to police?
I have not even addressed the unfairness of the distribution of the wheel tax dollars or the other revenues which the township generates compared to what the county government spends on services for the township. It has been said and I agree that county government was never designed or intended to deal with densely populated areas like we have in White River Township. I agree Mr. Veldkamp…”Why do they call it common sense when it is so uncommon?”. Common sense would tell me to hold judgment on the work of the reorganization committee until I see what they come up with…till I see what ordinances and services I will be asked to accepted…till I see what features, functions, and benefits the reorganized community would offer all the potential citizens.
Mark Messick
White River Township
Greenwood,IN 46142
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6 Responses to “WRT board member responds to “What’s in it for me””
Mr.Messick, Now take a drive thru parts of Greenwood,(not the recent developments, but the older neighborhoods)and write a story on how they take care of what they already have. If the windows in your sub-compact roll down and you look closely, I think you’ll see why a lot of us feel Greenwood has nothing better to bring to us other than a new TAX.
Comment made on June 9th, 2009 at 10:38 pmYou are right, look at their sewer problems in older subdivisions such as Valle Vista. Trying to fix one problem they create another when an old sewer collapses. More money to spend, less cash balance and according to the paper a lower bond rating resulting in increased interest rates. If the can’t take care of what they already control how are they going to resolve existing issues in the new area such as the sewer/septic/drainage problems in old Smith Valley?
Comment made on June 11th, 2009 at 7:23 pmMr. Messick provides some great arguments for why something different must be done, but doesn’t answer the question why merger with Greenwood is the answer. As Mr. Messick suggests, I will reserve judgment on what the reorganization committee comes up with. But, he misses the point. I don’t want to be told what someone else thinks should happen and have to make a judgment on whether to take it or leave it. I want to be a part of the process. If the committee wants the people to buy into its plan (which it must have to pass it), then it should have pursued a consensus building approach and agressively reached out to people in the community. This idea of developing a plan and trying to sell it later is a recipe for disaster and dissatisfaction.
Comment made on July 1st, 2009 at 4:35 pmAfter hearing all the lies and hearing that the Board Members would be part of the city council, I still couldn’t figure out why,(after his drive) that Mr. Messick thought Greenwood would “fix” the problems he thought he had seen. I still wondered “WHAT WAS IN IT FOR THE BOARD”. After doing some checking, I found that a LARGE pay raise to over $11,000.00 a year per member was waiting for them. Not bad for attending a few meetings a year and determining what’s best for US. I think that would offset any additional taxes the members might have after a merger.
Comment made on July 3rd, 2009 at 12:53 amAs a Democrat and resident of the heavily Republican White River Twp. I find it interesting that members of the White River Board are running to government to ‘fix’ all of the townships ‘problems’. Things are not perfect in White RIver Twp. but the citizens are choosing to get what they pay for. When they decide they want more they will come together and buy it. THey don’t need to become part of Greenwood or anyplace else to do that.
Comment made on July 5th, 2009 at 1:37 pmI take one drive through Greenwood and realize how badly I don’t want to live there. I chose to live in WRT for a reason: I wanted to live on the southside and I didn’t want to live in Greenwood! I would much rather be part of Bargersville or be part of a new town rather than be a part of Greenwood. Higher property taxes is worth not having my property values further eroded by being part of Greenwood. Instead of saying I live in WRT, I would have to say I live in WT – they can’t take care of what they have, why would I want to trust them with what I have?
Comment made on August 24th, 2009 at 3:14 pmLeave a Comment