how green was our beautiful city !
is this magnificent stand of greenery to fade ? the answer is YES !
Can you imagine removing 953 trees from 9.1 acres? The City can !
The tract of land below is now before the Commission for development.
update -- look what happened to the below pristine forested area -- click [here]
( Also found on the above page link is a reader's view point in a special email link at the bottom of the page. )
The trees and forest growth of the above, and next picture below, will soon fall. City Manager McLemore says - "developers don't like to work around trees" - so all must go under the blades of the bulldozers. This is one of the last remaining areas of pure undeveloped land left in the City of Winter Springs which skirts the wetlands and sanctuaries of the wild.
(this stand of luscious growth is now being destroyed !)
NOTE: There was a very clever observation of the type of developments of Central Florida in the Editorial of the June 17th Orlando Sentinel, which referred to the current developments in our area. It is quoted as follows --
" That's not particularly surprising, considering the zeal of elected officials continually to approve sterile, cookie-cutter subdivisions devoid of trees and other natural habitat."
(Previously, the Sentinel called the 10 million-dollar Winter Springs "TownCenter" nothing more than
"a glorified strip-mall" )
Think about it! Is this not the current Winter Springs Commission/City Manager game plan?
(this area of trees has now been decimated !)
The green growth, pictured above, will soon become part of a multi-density development of condos reaching skyward above the landscape. Your City Commission and City Manager have forced this upon the land in the City for economical reasons. They must meet their staggering budgets, bond debts, ten-million-dollar "TownCenter", and escalating payrolls. Even water rates are increasing over 22 per cent. Power, phone, PCS, cable, and water utility taxes are increasing along with your property taxes!
NOTE: June 15th, Orlando Sentinel confirms the gigantic water rate increases --- needed for "new development". Not only drinking water, but they are going to charge customers a flow-rate on the reclaimed "garbage" water usage. This is water the City dumps onto spray fields not suitable for insertion into the St. Johns water management systems.
( The City Commission soaked its citizens with outrageous new water rates on June 24th ! )
Could this mean the City is going to use current spray fields for development? Remember they wanted to put the "Grizzlies" football teams on spray fields. The City needs ALL the land they can find for development to increase their much needed tax base.
Every piece of taxable property within the boundaries of the City of Winter Springs will pay $622.57, just to cover the payroll of City employees, which is the highest in the history of the City. Was the economical strain on the City the cause for the City's bond ratings to dip? Who knows? They use their "Insider" for publishing the "great accomplishments (?) and propaganda" of the City, but not the hidden financial facts or figures.
the future homes of your city commission/city manager concrete concourses!
With the "horrendous TownCenter building codes" being forced upon developers and builders, the City Commission/City Manager give impact fee concessions, in hopes of attracting a future tax base to stabilize a shaky financial structure. They allow developers to pay a fee for not having to build parks and recreational areas, which allows for more condos and housing.
So, when you see the destruction of trees, green pastures, and the abundance of lush green foliage disappearing, it is done in the name of the economical need to increase the tax base. The entrance signs coming into the City showing the "Tree City" logo should be replaced with a logo of a concrete block and renamed the "asphalt jungle".
[ continued ]
more land stripped bare --- [ eastward ho ! ]