NEED HELP!! Ice Age Reserve and Dane Co in peril!

[Lefta Dissenter]

We need your help!
This Wednesday, January 30, at 7:30 pm is a public hearing at the Cross Plains Community Center
3734 Cty Hwy P in Pine Bluff WI (about 6 miles W of beltline)

WE NEED YOU TO COME TO THIS PUBLIC HEARING!!!

http://www.TownOfCrossPlains.info for information
Also see my letter to editor that was printed in Wednesday's Cap Times as a "Guest Column."
http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/268850

SEE ACTION LIST BELOW!

To make a very long story sort of short, the Town of Cross Plains has a three-member Board. One of those members, Bowman, is a rabid right-wing "individual property rights" zealot, who uses the most creative interpretations and edits of the statutes I've ever seen - and his use of portions of the Statutes almost puts the Frankenstein veto to shame. The Town Chair Krantz is... well, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that because of his age, lack of education, and belligerence, he has bought into the song and dance, thinking life will be grand without County oversight. The third member, Riley, is a thoughtful woman with an education, so, of course, she's a threat, and can rarely even get a second on her motions.

A developer has purchased 160 acres of land on Timber Lane, and has an option on another 180 or so. This land is in the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve project area. It is in the Ice Age Trail Corridor. It is the ONE SITE that has been designated for the Interpretive Site for the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. It is in the Black Earth Creek Resource Protection Area. It has been designated since 1981 as Agricultural Protection, which means no more than one house per 35 acres. Developing this would destroy a mile of the Ironman bike course! I could go on, but I said I'd keep it short. Last year, the developer was turned down by the Town in her attempt to have the designation of 337 acres changed from Agricultural Protection to Unsewered Development.

National Park Service, DNR and the County have all made repeated attempts to purchase this land. We have reason to believe that the developer has not negotiated in good faith. Despite her claims that she is 'working with the public agencies,' we believe that the price and the offers of 'greenspace' have been changed throughout negotiations - constantly keeping the land just out of reach of the public agencies. They are limited by law as to how much they can offer - they're spending taxpayers' dollars, after all. They also are limited as to what they can say at the upcoming public hearing, because if they are viewed as advocating for a certain position that might have an impact on the values for land that they, themselves, are attempting to purchase, they could wind up in court. So the developer's sweetly-spoken comment at a Board meeting that, "The Parks Services love my ideas - otherwise they'd be here speaking up in opposition," was more than a bit disingenuous.

Now she is back, with a repeat of her attempt for redesignation, but this time it looks like it will be rammed through the town process. The Public Hearing is Wed Jan 30 at 7:30, and we need you there!!! Anyone can speak at a public hearing, one doesn't have to be a Town, or even a County, resident. If you bike or hike or walk or love the outdoors, or want your children to learn about how the glaciers shaped our land, if you eat fish or even drink water, you have reason to be concerned about this!

Why will this be rammed through? Because (and I'll put my libel-protector clause in here, "I believe that,") Mr. Property Rights Bowman is on a crusade to break the Town away from County Zoning. He has spelled it out on his website - how Towns should be doing this - please go to my site www.TownOfCrossPlains.info and read "The Obscure and the Obvious," which is linked on the front page. Bowman's goal is to create a conflict between Town and County Farmland/Comprehensive Plans which will end up in the courts. The Town couldn't afford to sue the County, but this developer can. We believe that Bowman is using this developer as his test case. He gets his name in lights, she stands to make millions if successful, and her attorney, of course, advises her that they can win, because what does he have to lose - he makes money either way! We just heard from another Town Attorney/Administrator that this developer sued their Town two times in her attempts to develop out there. We believe that the Chair has been convinced by Bowman that life will be grand without Dane County (aka "those damned libruls in the Isthmus") interfering in land use decisions. What he doesn't understand is that Bowman's ultimate goal is what he calls "true local control," in which a landowner can do whatever he wants, without Town OR County oversight. Don't want a printing plant built next door? Don't want a high rise going in next to your house? "Either buy the land yourself or shut up!"

We know that the developer has met with the majority of the Town Plan Commissioners, as well as the Town Chair, at the local tavern on numerous occasions. And she gives new meaning to the expression, "pressing the flesh." These meetings have been substantiated by numerous witnesses. We have been told (though not substantiated) that the developer met with Bowman at his home, just prior to coming back for her second attempt for approval. And any Plan Commissioner who dares to differ with the Board is threatened with removal from the Commission. Blatant as can be.

This is what we predict:
-Town approves remap
-County denies
-Developer comes to Town Board with Plat
-Town Board approves Plat
-County denies
-Developer sues County to record Plat
-Shit hits fan

In the meantime, there will be chaos between the Co and the Town. The Town will not have a comprehensive plan. Regular landowners, who just want to take a land division to which they've been entitled for years, will not get approvals from the County until this is settled. And if, by any chance, they win their case, all bets are off. Developers will have absolutely no oversight, no constraints - the oversight that we've counted on from the County will be a thing of the past. This developer's concept for multi-family housing in the ancient glacial lakebed will be reality for her, and a nightmare for the Town.

ACTION ITEMS:

GO TO MY WEBSITE www.TownOfCrossPlains.info and learn about what is being proposed. Most particularly, read, "The Obscure and the Obvious," and look at the "Concepts for this Land" page.
PRINT AND SIGN THE PETITION - fax or scan&email the petition to me
WRITE LETTERS (be sure to sign them) and fax or email to me (details at website) - I will make sure they are entered into the public record at Town and County levels.
COME TO THE PUBLIC HEARING on Wednesday, Jan 30 at 7:30 pm. Even if you can't stay, you can just sign in in opposition to this remap/redesignation proposal and leave, but please, if you can,
DO stay, and DO speak up - and if you don't know what to say, we can provide you with materials. Some people who won't be able to be at the Public Hearing have written letters that we would like to have read that night.

We are in constant contact with the County on this, and they know it's coming, but the ONLY WAY TO STOP THIS is if there is such an overwhelming turnout on Wednesday that the Chair backs down on his support for Bowman's ideas. If the Town approves the redesignation, the train will be rolling, and I don't think there will be any way to stop it.

Please understand that I am not overreacting - I believe that this is a dire situation for the Town, and for Dane County, if a suit is successful. If they win, there will be nothing to stop other Towns from doing the same thing, and Dane County, as we know and cherish it, will be on its way out. Bowman is a zealot on his crusade, and I don't think he gives a damn who or what gets destroyed along the way. We have been obstructed in our attempts to see public records, we have documented numerous open meetings violations - and we've been so busy fighting this development proposal that we haven't even had the time to file complaints on those issues! PLEASE help!!! My partner and I have been working full-time on this (often 16-hour days), seven days a week, for months. We are not being paid to do this. We are determined to stop this destruction of a wonderful Town, and then we are going after them for the legal violations.

This is the bush administration in a microcosm. Obstruction, secrecy, bullying, entitlement, greed, arrogance, and that attitude of being above the law. Well, despite our impeachment efforts in the Town, we were not able to bring down bush/cheney, but we can and will have an impact here!

PLEASE HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!! Please come to the public hearing!!!

Thank you,

Katy

Please email if you have questions, comments, concerns, and please keep this kicked!

http://www.TownOfCrossPlains.info
7:30 pm Wed January 30 - Cross Plains Community Center is at 3734 Cty Hwy P in Pine Bluff. From the beltline, take Mineral Point Road west about six miles. At the four-way stop in Pine Bluff (with Cty Hwy P), turn left (south). Go about a 1/4 mile, the Community Center is on your left, sign says, Kalscheur Park.