Fairhope Railroad - Fly Creek Part 2

Fairhope Railroad - Fly Creek Part 2
12.04.2015

Freaky Friday Dec. 04, 2015
the Ripp Report Part 2

FAIRHOPE RAILROAD

The mayor is railroading Fairhope and the main train terminal is the Publix site. The Fly Creek Planned Unit Development, PUD, which includes Publix’s, was suppose to be a village concept that was to include high end townhomes, not apartments. To hear the property owner and developer one would think this was going to be a first class project, it has ended up as a strip center, never fully occupied.

From the time that they cranked up the earth movers the whole project took on a completely different complexion.

This project is directly related to the triangle lawsuit, which resulted in an 11.5 million dollar settlement that cost us millions in legal fees. It also resulted in another lawsuit involving the project related to the creek and right of ways and buffer areas, another 3 or 4 hundred thousand. The yacht Club and fly creek marina also spent thousands on dredging. The sewer lines along fly creek have been exposed due to creek damage, costing 50 thousand plus dollars. The navigation in the creek has limited property owners with boats, as well as eroded their property. The creek and the wetlands have been severely damaged; estimates to clean out the creek from damage resulting from the project are approximately 10 million. All of this is being ignored by the mayor and planning and zoning, P&Z. Why? Because this is the ultimate good ole boy deal between the mayor and his long term political contributor, who does not live in the city, Mr. Arthur Corte. This is greed, favoritism, corruption and betrayal of public trust.

This, sadly is the norm in Fauxhope, the mayor has a strangle hold on our local government, his monopolistic control is costing us million while he favors the same contractors, developers, attorneys and engineers who all contribute to his campaign, securing future contracts. Fauxhope maintains a municipal contract with our representing State Senator Tripp Pittman, who also received 636,000 dollars in a BP contract. The mayor also favors Mr George Robards of planning and zoning with side walk contracts, while the P&Z director Lee Turner also heads the Single Tax Colony, a conflict of interest. The soccer field that started at 3.5 million grew to 5 million and now estimates are that it will take 7 million to complete. The soccer field deal was corrupt from purchase; a forensic audit of the property will produce contractors who are county commissioners and relatives to council members. These are just a FEW examples of corruption; you also need to understand that there is no finance committee, no checks and balances. The mayor has the check book, which has NEVER been forensically audited by an independent accounting firm.

Let’s get back to the Publix project and the change of zoning and what happened to all those grandiose plans. First the development cleared the entire property removing every living thing, every blade of grass. This was a direct violation of the plans, however the city ignored it. They removed 1 million worth of trees, assessed by the tree committee, and never collected a dime, while other violators in the city were forced to pay fines. Then they altered the plans, without public knowledge, and removed the county right of way on parker road as well as the designated buffer. Improvements to Parker road never happened, despite the additional traffic. The project now stripped and covered with red fill, experienced heavy rains. These rains poured millions of gallons of red mud and fill into Fly Creek, where it remains today. The building was supposed to have an elevation that would be attractive; instead it was located in a hole exposing the roof to the neighborhood. The entrances were moved to locations that create a traffic problem, and direct all traffic to and from Publix to one intersection, 98 and parker. The new plan will add approximately 1000 more cars and trucks to the same intersection. A fire station was to be located on the corner of parker and 98, instead that location was sold to a bank, and the fire station moved to a dead end street.

Did the mayor direct public works and planning, and all related city departments to ignore all violations? The comprehensive plan? The master plan? The approved PUD? The environmental committee? The tree committee? Because that’s what happened!

Now to add insult to injury the mayor goes along with the change of location of the fire station to a dead end street. This is against our comprehensive plan and master plan; however it is contiguous to the proposed apartments and will allow future connectivity to Rock Creek, not to mention that the property owner can now claim to have a fire station on site. What else is needed for an apartment complex? A new sewer lift station, located above fly creek contiguous to the proposed apartments. That’s right folks the taxpayers spent several hundred thousand dollars to install a sewer lift station in the exact location necessary to tie into the apartments. Now the property owner has a new sewer lift station and fire station that benefits him in his sale of the land. No developer, prior to this, has ever had such amenities paid for by the city.

  1. Environmental impact study
  2. Comprehensive traffic study
  3. Allow Mobile bay National Estuary Program [NEAP] to develop a watershed management plan, they have been PREVENTED from doing so in the past by the property owner, the plan should be contingent to the development.
  4. A bond must be posted that will cover any future damage to the creek by said development, estimated at approximately 10 million.
  5. That the property owner, contractors and sub-contractors are NOT “LEGALLY INSULATED” from any damage claims related to the project.