These photos are from U.S. Highway 101 about four miles south of Crescent City in Del Norte County. The damaged lane was closed yesterday, and highway traffic is being managed with one-way traffic control.
We expect to have the roadway open later this week; our engineers have been working with a local contractor to get this section of roadway up and running again in a matter of days.
The pictures of the buckled road reminds me of the Community MEETING I RECENTLY ATTENDED!
I attended two transportation meetings to plan for future transportation needs of DNC (A
request for community input from the transportation District) At 4;30 P.M.(before most people get home from work) a large group of strangers poured into the already crowded (with supervisors,council people and other staff)Waist Water Treatment Plant meeting room for a NON-video taped COMMUNITY MEETING.
It became obvious what this large group of strangers had identified and prioritized the future transportation needs of Del Norte County at the first NON- video taped meeting.
It was unanimous, #1 is to permanently fix “LAST CHANCE”.
#2 is to permanently scrap any attempt to widen hwy 199 for the use of STAA extra large trucks.
HOW MANY FATAL ACCIDENTS HAVE HAPPENED? THERE ARE MORE PROBLEMS THAN 7 NARROW AREAS THAT NEED WIDENED. MY CAR WENT SPINNING INTO THE MOUNTAIN FROM OIL SPILLS. A GRANDMOTHER AND HER GRAND CHILDREN FLEW OVER THE MOUNTAIN INTO THE RIVER TO THEIR DEATHS WHEN THE CAR IN FRONT OF THEM FOLLOWED THE WINDING ROAD INTO A CRASHED CAR LANDING PERPENDICULAR TO THE HIGH WAY.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO ALLOW larger trucks on 199.
WHAT REASON DID THE SUPERVISORS WHO VOTED TO ALLOW WIDENING HIGH WAY 199 COME UP WITH THAT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LIVES OF OTHER HIGHWAY OCCUPANTS??
WHEN WAS THIS VOTE TAKEN?? WERE THEIR ANY CITIZENS OBSERVING THIS VOTE. DID THE VOTE MAKE IT TO VIDEO?? IF THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF “CARING ABOUT YOUR CONSTITUENTS” THEN THEIR IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE EMOTIONAL STABILITY OF THE SUPERVISORS WHO VOTED TO DISREGARD THE WELFARE OF ALL OTHER OCCUPANTS OF HIGHWAY 199.
DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHEN AND WHERE THIS VOTE WAS TAKEN.
IRONICALLY, A DEAD PERSON REMAINS TRAPPED IN A CAR THAT CRASHED INTO THE SMITH RIVER WEEKS PRIOR TO THIS MEETING “FUTURE DEL NORTE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION NEEDS”
THE RIVER IS SO DEEP AND FAST THAT RESCUING THE VICTIMS WAS AND CONTINUES TO BE TOO RISKY. IN VIEW OF THIS TRAGEDY, ALLOWING AN OVER SIZED STAA TRUCK ON THIS WINDING, NARROW LANED, SPLATTERED WITH LEAKING OIL, ROCKS AND BOULDERS THAT HAVE FALLEN FROM THE MOUNTAIN EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS WHEN ITS INCLUSION IS CONSIDERED A TRANSPORTATION NEED! YEP! IF 199 IS NOT A BIG ENOUGH OBSTACLE COURSE LET’S INCLUDE THE LARGEST CLASS OF TRUCKS THAT CAN ALMOST FIT IN THE LANES!
As Ms. Tamara Leighton gave it her all to direct the verbal traffic to the chalk board where a paid, professional had presented PROPAGANDA about the process of providing transportation needs:…that a guy from “over there” BLAH BLAH ..No money..BLAH BLAH voted NO…STAFF RECOMMENDED… and Supervisors voted yes!
That is why we GOT FUNDINGA and we are putting a cross walk on Cooper and widening HWY199/197.
No one from any where had included “Last Chance or Scrapping the 199 death trap.
People were desperate to explain their visions of family and neighbors falling through “Last Chance” to their deaths. Every citizen not involved with running the meeting or required to be at the meeting warned that as we speak “Last chance” is facing it’s demise, before our very eyes. Problem #2 is spending millions only to create another problem #1.
Spend the allocated money for 199 to begin to fix LAST CHANCE! Transportation experts say that is IMPOSSIBLE To Do! STAFF RECOMMENDED to spend millions of dollars on problem #2 and it is a GO! Last Chance is not even on the funding list. And you can not even begin to qualify for funds until you are on the list!
I broke through my self restraint and asked out loud, “Who are these staff people”? Ms. Leighton introduced Heide and on and on. I have been hearing these names since I moved here. So, “STAFF RECOMMENDEDS” does exist. I’ll be darned. I figured they were a figment of someones imagination. Like a ghost writer. I know what we can do! We can recall Stupid “STAFF RECOMMENDS” or VOTE THEM OUT and elect a Smart “STAFF RECOMMENDS” from the COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT THIS MEETING WELL CRAP! How is this going to work
Ms. Leighton, “how long are “Staff” in office”? Ms. Leighton explains Staff is appointed by a supervisor to a job. If you work in this certain position you are required to become “STAFF RECOMMENDS”! I quickly ask “For how long”. Until you NO longer work in that position or the Supervisor is voted out”!
MY BRAIN ASKS ME, “What the hell did she say??” I think she said STAFF PRESENTS THE SUPERVISORS WITH THINGS THEY HAVE VOTED ON AND APPROVED FOR THE SUPERVISORS TO NOW VOTE ON. AND THE STAFF ARE THE PEOPLE THE SUPERVISORS PLACED INTO SPECIFIC POSITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT. THESE SPECIFIC POSITIONS REQUIRE THAT THE EMPLOYEE ALSO BE A STAFF MEMBER.
SO THE SUPERVISORS ARE APPOINTING THE STAFF MEMBERS WHO WILL BE REJECTING OR ACCEPTING THE ISSUES ON THE AGENDA THE SUPERVISORS WILL OR WILL NOT VOTE ON?
MY BRAIN IS DIZZY. WHAT DID SHE SAY?
She said,”You put the lime in the coconut and stir them all up” Not now Harry Nielson. We have the head of transportation in front of an intelligent group of eager, caring, creative people who refuse to allow any body to take their last breath at last chance.
I see a chess board floating in the middle of my cranium,(“hey where did my brain go?”)
There are lots of pawns running all over the place, something is blocking them. I’m in google earth looking down! Oh, if I move hear I see “STAFF RECOMMENDS”. There is Heide,she is a rook and the bishop is that transportation guy. Wow, the knight is Hemmingson. You will never guess who the QUEEN is. No, No it is not Martha! Martha is the KING. The QUEEN is Finnigan. There is Governor Brown. He is sitting in one of those shoe shine chairs drinking tea. Finnigan is adjusting his tiara by looking into the glossy shoe HE JUST BUFFED TO A MIRROR SHINE. He then RETURNS BROWN’S SHOES TO HIM. On the bottom of the left shoe is SOLES, on the bottom of the right, it says FOR SALE! Brown reaches into a box of gold coins and flips a couple to Finnigan. Finnigan is thrilled and moves into a position where 80% of the pawns are blocked. King Martha orders the bishop and rook to protect her back side. She orders the knight to take down Gittan and throw him in with the other captured pawns. Check mate she announces! KING MARTHA orders her remaining staff to dump the dead community players some where out of sight.
KING MARTHA, QUEEN FINNIGAN,and Brown walk hand in hand to Browns thrown,they pass Hemmingson in the closet with the Communities QUEEN,with BILL AND KEVIN.
Tamara thanks the community for attending the meeting.
“WHAT JUST HAPPENED”?, Asks the stunned community members.
In order to receive grant money for projects There must be a community meeting.
Del Norte County leaders held “THE COMMUNITY MEETING” as required.
What good is our opinion when everything has already been financed, and voted on?
I have several concerns about Transportation requesting community opinion after the 199 project has been signed, sealed and delivered. If these supervisors are truly representing the public there is no way they can vote yes on a controversial project that the public has loudly and widely protested from one end of Del Norte County to the other end of Del Norte County. Our opinions and concerns regarding the numerous fatalities that have already occurred on HWY 199 and the numerous negative declarations claimed by the proponents. They have claimed that no threats exist to the aquatic or floral life or their habitats. When at least 3 of the Supervisors voted yes to allow the 199 project they made a few things transparent. One is their incredible stupidity towards the needs of this beautiful and rare environment. Another is their willingness to stand behind their publicly displayed ignorance and lack of compassion towards the lives that have already been lost on 199 and their apathy towards the lives of future occupants of 199
by voting yes to allowing unsafe, over sized trucks who’s impact will increase injuries to fatalities. The public who spent their time to attend the transportation meetings realize they were merely being used to fulfilling the public meeting requirement where the public is encouraged to participate. One would hope that the “REQUIREMENT” for a public meetings (to qualify for PUBLIC TAX MONEY, IN THE FORM OF A GRANT) would be during the discussion phase of determining the community’s needs, not just prior to funding!
Further explanation is require for me to understand the metamorphosis from appointed employee to MANDATORY STAFF MEMBER. I would like to see the polices and procedures for employees that are also mandatory staff members.
This reeks of conflict of interest, and abuse of the public’s civil rights. The American Civil Liberties Union needs to investigate all of the “public meetings to qualify for grant money”. Especially since some supervisors go way out of their way to keep the public from being herd.
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