Circle C Neighbors

Austin Fire Department master plan abandoned.

Apr 30, 2003

The AFD (Austin Fire Department) did have ''site recomendations that matched the criteria [it] required as well as a well-defined system currently in place for making these determinations.'' Unfortunately, the criteria were ignored, the ideal site rejected, and the fire station ended up being planned for a new location that is totally at odds with the system currently in place for making the determinations of where fire stations are to be located.

I don't ask that you believe me without checking out the facts. You seem to be a person who wants to be sure of what she is saying and would not appreciate being led astray by those who claim to have your best interests at heart while nursing designs drawn from baser, ulterior motives. I have the fire department plans (provided by the AFD) if you would like to see them. According to those plans, the fire station planned for Escarpment is in the worst possible place.

The truth is, the fire station was only proposed to be built there in order to create a reason to build the road to S.H.45. Don't you think it's even a little bit odd that the fire station hasn't even been designed much less started yet? According to the annexation services agreement it was to have been under construction no later than the 31st of March or the City would face lawsuits for damages and penalties (including deannexation)brought by any intersted person to enforce the agreement. Where are those lawsuits? Why haven't Rigsbee, O'Reilly and Bartlett taken that easy shot and filed suit against the City for breach of contract? Could it be because they are quite satisfied with what's happening? Do they really care about what that means to this neighborhood? Do you actually believe them when they tell you that Escarpment will always be a single lane with a bike lane? Why then do you think the extension is 4 lanes? To match what?

The CCHOA board of squatters doesn't care about the fire station. They only care about the Escarpment extension being built at public expense. By their own admission they made a conscious decision to minimize the amount of real information getting to the Circle C residents about the deals that were being cut with developers. Those developers are the ones who have already made their profits from this neighborhood and now need new (free) roads through here to take new residents to new developments further south. They are moving on to new profits and leaving behind those whom they have betrayed by selling out the very people who believed in them. Ask yourself, ''What does Steve Bartlett plan to get out of being on the CCHOA board if he is legally prohibited from getting paid directly for his ''services?''

Bill Gammon
bgammon@texas.net