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Dear Editor:
I was shocked to read that the Parks Department had requested Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputies to be present at their last meeting fearing protesters from the “stop the quarry at Potters Woods” movement.
Who did they think was coming? Terrorists? These folks protesting the gravel pit are your neighbors, your co-workers, your friends. None of the protests have been violent, none have been out of line, just folks who are asking the Common Council to hear their voice. You need police protection for this?
I am also very disappointed with the Parks Department for the “out of sight” way this deal has been negotiated with Beaver. The Parks Department is a public entity supported by taxpayer dollars – that’s us, the taxpayers, the protesters, the affected homeowners and park users. We had a right to know how our natural resources were to be governed and to know every step of the way.
Then I ask again the final question: Why is this gravel pit even still in consideration? The pit will create no new jobs for Noblesville residents, no new tax monies, no educational opportunities, benefit no one except Beaver Materials, destroy our peaceful park and its wildlife, endanger our children, destroy the roads over which 30 additional 60-ton dump trucks will travel Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., minimally.
I see no advantage for the taxpayers and lots of potential expenses for road repairs and clean up.
I agree with the editorial, as taxpayers we have a right to full transparency from our elected officials, from the Parks Department, and from Beaver Materials.
This project so affects our entire community that as a citizen, I would call for a referendum vote. It is not just a business deal between the land owner and Beaver and the Parks Department, it’s a project that will affect thousands of residents for a decade or longer.
I call on our Common Council to pause and put this on a referendum vote for the public response.
Pamela Wind
Noblesville