“’We will get back to you’ apparently is just a stall’”.
The Homeowners expressed their disappointment with the treatment they have received from the Diversion Authority. Unfortunately, this is not a new story.
Possible impacts for this home and other properties in the area outside of the staging/storage area (the Red Box) are acknowledged, but no compensation is provided. The request by the DA to meet with them implies a knowledge of impacts that need to be addressed. At that meeting, options for mitigation could have been presented that would not leave these homeowners hanging. If the Diversion Authority was really concerned, they would have been willing to propose a solution to remove the uncertainty.
Trana Rogne
Commentary on the highlighted article below:
| ‘We will get back to you’ apparently is just a stall By: Richard “Red” Geurts, Christine, N.D., INFORUM December 27, 2013 ‘We will get back to you.” When you don’t have the answer off the top of your head or when you have to check with someone else, that’s a normal part of conversation. However, when the engineering companies that are working with the Fargo diversion plan use that phrase, it is like waiting for a cold day in Hades. On May 8, at one of a series of meetings held by supporters of the diversion and those who are gainfully employed by the diversion to ask for questions and input, we asked several questions about how the newly changed plan would affect our home near Christine, N.D. We were told to give them our contact information and they would get back to us. Initially they did, in order to schedule a meeting. On June 5, we went to a meeting at the Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services offices. The rules of the meeting were plainly spelled out. We were not to debate the diversion, just seek out information. We had a polite conversation that raised issues of concern to us. We had several questions for the engineers, and they told us that they would get back to us. We received an email on June 25 saying that they have not forgotten us; they would get back to us on our questions. We have yet to hear a word. We aren’t saying that they don’t want to give us information that may be embarrassing for them. We aren’t saying that they are keeping a head count of how many meetings so they can provide evidence of a “community outreach and input.” We aren’t saying that they acted in bad faith. We don’t know what to say since they haven’t yet gotten back to us on an issue that concerns the largest investment we have ever made: our home. So, we will have to get back to you once we hear from them, if ever. We just want to make sure that the Army Corps of Engineers, Cass County commissioners and Fargo City Commission members know that our silence is not agreement with your plan. We have met many residents who were given the same promise of “We will get back to you.” None of us have heard a word. We should have heard from you by now if you were acting in good faith. If you think that this is unfair, write us, call us or email us and we will get back to you. |
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We have little confidence in the plans for the project when we are told “Prior to real estate acquisition, the staging area will be re-drawn to reflect the final anticipated flood stages throughout the project area”.
The plan does not have the “final anticipated flood stages” determined by now? or they have not gotten around to figuring it out.
The cost and impacts must be of little concequence to the Corps or the DA