Author: paulinemasson

By Pauline Masson – Barbara Alt’s surprise “keep your enemies closer,” speech at the September 20 board of aldermen meeting may have turned the tide for residents of Candlewick Lane, who for the past three months – and for the most part – have opposed her family’s request to rezone their property. Facing the board of aldermen as they considered a measure crucial to her family’s future but opposed by her neighbors, Barb Alt made an astonishing request that may … Continue reading “Surprise Petitioner’s Speech May Have Turned the Tide On Candlewick Lane Gate“

By Pauline Masson – In a four-three vote, with the mayor breaking a tie, aldermen Andy Nemeth, Jerry Eversmeyer and Rick Presley voted to deny a request from new alderman Scott Lesh for a quarterly report on city revenue and expenditures. The action took place at the Oct. 4 board of aldermen meeting, with perhaps half a dozen persons in attendance. Lesh said he needed the information because he feels uninformed when he is asked to approve a large expenditure … Continue reading “Mayor Breaks First Tie to Shut Out New Alderman’s Request for Quarterly Financial Report”

By Pauline Masson – Fairytale and folk lore aficionados may recall the whimsical Danish tale The Emperor’s New Clothes. In the Hans Christian Anderson story, a narcissistic emperor is promised a magnificent, albeit invisible, set clothes by a pair of swindlers. As the emperor stands perfectly still while his dressers pretend to slide new articles of clothing onto his body, the hoaxers exclaims how magnificent the emperor looks in his new suit. As a result the vain emperor blissfully parades … Continue reading “Homeless in Pacific ~ The Emperor’s New Clothes”

By Pauline Masson –  In their lists of Civil War battles, mainstream historians left no record of a Battle of Pacific. But three generations of Pacific families hold onto the stories their grandparents told of the Civil War soldiers who came here to guard the Pacific Railroad, form military regiments, train, recover from wounds in military hospital – and – on October 1, 1864, to fight. In the early morning hours of that day a rag tag horde of poorly … Continue reading “Battle of Pacific, October 1, 1864 / Kept Alive in Stories Told by Grandparents”

By Pauline Masson – Who knew that a battle over rezoning a piece of land that had everybody questioning everybody else’s motives would morph into an appeal for help for rezoning opponents and for Pacific’s most unconnected residents – the homeless? Barb Alt caught everybody off guard at the Sept. 20 board of aldermen meeting. In a brief but heartfelt appeal she argued that a little compassion could bring out the best in city leaders. Why not do the right … Continue reading “Bringing Out the Best / Candlewick Residents & Homeless Get Help from Unexpected Corner“

By Pauline Masson – Citing “probable” zoning violations on a property at 313 East Orleans, owned by local builder Ray Gullet, Police Chief Scott Melies asked aldermen to deny Gullet a permit to build a new storage building on a different property. In an unusual series of events Melies made the request at the September 20 board meeting as aldermen considered Gullet’s application for a conditional use permit to construct a storage building at 210 South Third Street. Before addressing … Continue reading “Police Chief Targets Builder / Tries to Squash Building Permit / Cites “Probable” Violations on Another Property”

By Pauline Masson – Property owner Barbara Alt said my previous blog on the attempt to rezone her property located off Industrial Drive from non urban to light industrial got one word wrong. It was an important word. I quoted her as saying in the public participation of the board of aldermen meeting that she had tried for twelve years to develop the property. What she said was she had tried for twelve years to divide the property, which was … Continue reading “Alt Property Preserves Glimmers of Pacific History / Amateur Athletics and Industrial Development”

By Pauline Masson – Police Chief Scott Melies is trying to convince Pacific aldermen to make it illegal for anyone to reside in housing not connected to city water and sewers in Pacific. No tents, campers, RVs,  etc.  He is so invested in his view that he forcefully debated the issue with aldermen during an aldermanic discussion at the Sept. 7 meeting. Make no mistake, the chief went beyond offering his professional view and pushed back repeatedly – arguing his … Continue reading “Homeless in Pacific / Police Chief’s Call to Criminalize Homeless Raises Alarm Bells”

By Pauline Masson – A rezoning request to allow an industrial park to be established on a 48-acre parcel located off Industrial Drive got a bit personal Tuesday evening as opponents and proponents of the proposed development challenged each other’s motives. A measure to rezone the property for a proposed ten-lot industrial park has been tabled on the Board meeting agenda for the past three meetings, as Candlewick Lane residents asked the City to ban tractor trailer traffic from their … Continue reading “City Side Steps Traffic Study and Surface Water Concerns for Alt Property Rezoning Issue”

By Pauline Masson – Candlewick Lane. The name conjures up images of a storybook place of hospitable homes and happy residents. But the residents here say their happiness is hampered by tractor trailers using Candlewick Lane as a thoroughfare to the industrial plants to the east. For more than a decade, the residents have petitioned the city to deter big rigs from entering their residential street. Now, they say is the right time for the City to take definitive measures … Continue reading “Candlewick Residents Want Relief From Tractor Trailer Traffic Through Their Storybook Lane”