Living in Neverland, Fargo “Style”

Diversion Authority Editorials

Special Assessments Fargo Dam and FM Diversion

Much like the fairies of Pixie Hollow, the Fargo Diversion Authority derives its power from its own version of “fairy dust”, that being sand and clay. Sprinkle a little here and a little there and the Fargo Diversion Authority unleashes its capacity for evil and mischief with their dangerous handling of property rights and their whimsically hedonistic way of justifying everything greedy about Fargo’s insatiable land grab of the land natural flood plain south of Fargo, ND.

Ironically, Neverland’s fairies can be killed whenever someone says they don’t believe in them…

So…, is it possible that whenever someone says they don’t believe the Fargo Diversion Authorities propaganda…, that they will lose their powers too?

In a recent Fargo Forum article, the Fargo Diversion Authority released a potential assessment map which ambiguously indicates the highest percent share of assessment cost is where Fargo is willfully encroaching into the last natural flood plain south of Fargo.

As if almost by specific design, the new neighborhood areas in and around Shanley, Bennett and Davies schools could pay dearly and dis-proportionally for the proposed Fargo Dam and FM Diversion. However, they wouldn’t really be paying for flood protection benefit…! They would be paying dearly to subsidize a contrived land grab of the last natural flood plain, as outlined in Fargo TIER 2 development plan, to allow an elite group of land developers among others with ties to the North Dakota Builders Political Action Committee and Realtor’s Political Action Committee of ND.  Ironically, the aforementioned entities contributed a combined amount of $15,500 in a questionable attempt to secure Cass County Commission district 1 and district 5 seats with persons friendly to the proposed project.

So where does “Neverland” fit into all of this?

Neverland is a fantasy world where residents never have to grow up and face reality.

Through contrived mechanisms and propaganda, the Fargo Diversion Authority is attempting escapism from flood fighting by forcing Fargo flooding problems onto to surrounding communities.

The blatant attempt at grabbing historical immortality by getting ones name associated with building the Fargo Dam and FM Diversion will be nothing more than a dismal footnote in North Dakota history for having abandoned the principals of “fairness” for “financial interests”.

With child-like stubbornness similar to the “Lost Boys”, Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker, Fargo Deputy Mayor Tim Mahoney, Diversion Chair Darrell Vanyo and Cass County Administrator Keith Berndt have all parroted the misinformation “one solution” message: “…a diversion is the only viable long-term solution to flooding in Fargo-Moorhead…” However, the unspoken part of the plan is the multiple dams needed to make the current proposal work for their land grab of the last natural flood plain south of Fargo, ND.

That version of the diversion and multiple dams comes at a hefty price, which by the time the last shovel is put away, will most likely be well north of $3.5 billion if cost over-runs parallel other regional U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects.

In the land of “never”, “won’t”, “there will be no…” and other false information from the Fargo Diversion Authority:

NEVERLAND: The MN Diversion,
  ┗ Reality: turned into a ND Diversion

NEVERLAND: Distributed Retention and Storage won’t work,
┗ Reality: but it would provide up to 1.6 feet (19.2 inches) of benefit to Fargo in a 100 year event.

NEVERLAND: The staging area is required,
  ┗ Reality: to allow development of the last natural flood plain.

NEVERLAND: The Staging Area will not be a dead zone,
  ┗ Reality: unavoidable environmental impacts would be conversion of floodplain agricultural land
                 to floodplain forest. – (Cited Source: CWRB Hearing) Property with water easements
                 may never be developed.

NEVERLAND: Ring-dikes and levees don’t work,
  ┗ Reality: dikes and levees have saved Fargo in EVERY flood fight.

NEVERLAND: Impacts greater than three feet would be a buyout,
  ┗ Reality: ring-dike Bakke, Hickson and Oxbow, ND to create a 7 to 12 foot deep man-made
                 lake around them to avoid buyouts.

NEVERLAND: There will be no impacts south of Highway 46,
  ┗ Reality: impacts reach 8 to 15 miles south of Hwy 46.

With just a few examples from a long trail of contradictions, how can anyone believe the spokespersons of “Neverland” making statements about special assessments:

“This is really just an exercise, because at this point,
we’d have the sales tax paid for,” – Fargo City Administrator Pat Zavoral

“If a special assessment is collected to cover construction costs
– and diversion leaders insist it won’t be” – reported Kyle Potter, Fargo Forum

“Money would never be collected from property owners.”
– Eric Dodds, Operations Manager AE2S Fargo

Maybe it’s just a matter of time before Fargo residents move on from the fairy-tales the Fargo Diversion Authority is desperately trying to sell anyone gullible enough to listen.

Either way, when political leaders say “won’t” it usually means “will” and “never” is usually code for “guaranteed to”

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