U R G E N T ~ A C T I O N !

[Billy]

Shelia Leslie's draft of a stronger, state-wide water conservation and development limiting bill has been illegally leaked as reported by the RGJ.

Please add your 1000 character max comments to this RGJ page.

Here's mine under WashoeGreens:

Let's take a break from those who would develop Washoe at all costs & take this time of (permanent?) economic downturn to reassess the value of ephemeral financial gain v. long-term effects of critical wetlands & open range loss. Environmental degradation is likely contributing to weather changes in TM's microclimate. Soon Reno may be a globally recognized area of catastrophic draught.

Freshwater supplies on snowpack runoff from the Sierra Nevada... could decline by 70 percent, because winter precipitation would run straight into rivers rather than remain into the summer as snow to keep the rivers running. This would be accompanied by a major increase in heat waves & wildfires."

From The Suicidal Planet, 2007, by Mayer Hillman, Senior Fellow Emeritus since 1992 at the Policy Studies Institute... completed a doctoral thesis on... environmental issues in 1970 at the University of Edinburgh. He... believes public policy should be more socially & environmentally conscious.

[Billy]

Thanks for the thoughtful comments Erik, But Aiazzi isn't here. He flamed Bob Fulkerson and when Bob answered him fully, as you see below, Dave turned tail and "left town." WaGreens, that is. He did have time to flame another article we posted but has not returned to engage this conversation in the thoughtful, meaningful fashion that 100% of his constituents would expect of him.

His one-way street style has left a bad taste in too many mouths. Who can we support who will run against him? Yourself?

[Erik Holland]

Dear Councilman Aiazzi

I am sure a high school can be built that doesn't require 50 acres--I went to one in Chicago that was only a full city block. When you talk about the infill "everyone wants" you always add 50,000 ppl. I ( and I am sure many others too) have never said we need 50,000 more people. I know you had some concerns about the Spring Mtn development on Dec 3rd. Please rethink this.

Thanks

Erik Hollland

[Erik Holland]

HI Councilman Aiazzi

You keep saying that Spring Mountain isn't going to use Truckee River water. Well what about the fact that this new city you supported on Dec 3rd commits the area to billions of dollars worth of new roads. Where is the concurrency? Who is going to pay for them?

My best ( very conservative) estimate of their porportional cost for the roads this sprawling development pattern commits us to is about 300,000,000 million dollars. If their trip capture systems works, that's still 27,000 thousand trips a day on the Pyramid Highway. To put this figure in proportion there are currently about 44,000 a day at Pyramid and McCarren.

I really appreciate the work the City Council is doing on infill and on TODs. But to do that good work while supporting Spring Mountain is like eating healthy all day long, then doing meth at night

Your constituent

Erik Holland

[Billy]

Hey Dave, you said, I have been having this one-sided debate with PLAN for many years. I call it one-sided as I have NEVER gotten an answer..

Bob Fulkerson responded to you almost 10 days ago. I guess it's his turn to say he never gets an answer.

I would like to offer you two a SNCAT forum for further discussion. Would you be open to a neutrally hosted studio interview to discuss the issues in this forum further?

[Sabrina]

Here's what I wrote (InnerHarvest) let me know what you think:
How is it that the Regional Planning Governing Board as well as the Truckee Meadows Water Authority (a not-for-profit community based organization as per their website) is defying the will of the people? There should be no more discussion. I should hope that people begin to show up at these public meetings to ensure that the legal will of the people is honored.

Why are we even talking about development? With all the empty store-fronts, empty houses, empty warehouses, I am surprised that new development is being discussed. The current property owners should en masse against any development in order to retain their current property value.

Finally, where exactly is the water going to come from if there isn't an adequate supply from the Truckee? Lake Tahoe? Pyramid Lake? Broken Antarctic ice shelves transported via helicopter? Desalinization plants on the West Coast? Look at Las Vegas, they have drained the Colorado dry and now Lake Mead is disappearing.

[Bob Fulkerson]

Thanks for starting the blog and for this post, Billy.
Mr. Aiazzi is incorrect for thinking that this water initiative was started, or that 73% of the voters supported it, in order to stop any particular development. In fact, all our initiative requires is that we have enough water within Washoe County to support development as contemplated in land use and the regional plan. It is totally silent on moving water from one basin to another; it would not prohibit that from happening. I've told Mr. Aiazzi as much on numerous occasions.
We used to show up religiously at Regional Planning meetings, but our concerns fell upon deaf ears. That's why we were forced to take this initiative directly to the people.
The initiative also says nothing about taking more water from the Truckee River, putting more sewage into Pyramid Lake, or any of the other issues Mr. Aiazzi raises below. Again, all the initiative requires is we have a sustainable water supply to match the growth outlined in the regional plan. I can't for the life of me fathom why that is so difficult for some people to comprehend.
As for leaking the bill draft, it is indeed a misdemeanor. It sounds like Mr. Aiazzi respects that law as much as he respects the will of the people in implementing WC 3.

[dave aiazzi]

Billy,
Let's assume you are correct about water. Here is an important aspect to water in Washoe County. The developments that PLAN and Eric Holland are opposed to are NOT getting their water from the Truckee River (and therefor Lake Tahoe, Donner or Independence Lake). The are getting their water from curent sources on their property and/or water they already own from northern Washoe.

I have been having this one-sided debate with PLAN for many years. I call it one-sided as I have NEVER gotten an answer. Here is the question (and yes, I have asked it publically and on various blogs).
"Is it better to keep water in it's hydrographic basins and move people there or should we move water from those hydrographic basins to where we want the growth to go? Again, no answer.

Also, speaking of water, if we were to REQUIRE the infill that everyone claims they want, here is the outcome:

1. MORE water from the Truckee River
a. This would lead us to more frequent drought cycle
2 MORE sewage being treated
a. This effluent would flow directly to Pyramid Lake
b. The growth in Northern Washoe County is required to handle their own sewage.
3 Where would all of the new schools be built in the McCarran ring?
a. The school district requires 50 acres for a new high school

These questions are tip of the iceberg item that have to be looked at carefully. PLAN has not looked into and have not answered it. PLAN doesn't show up when Regional Planning decisions are being discussed. In fact, few people actually do show up.

Again, there is more to the story and your not getting a fair picture from Bob Fulkerson or PLAN or Eric Holland.

-dave aiazzi

and ps, Why is it illegal to see proposed legislation? What about "Open Government"?