.... Let's look at The Last Attempt To Form A Heritage Conservation District in the Forest Street Area.......I believe it took place in the early 1990's ......... but before looking at some of the most Vocal Opponents of this plan....we should look at the circumstances and details leading up to the formation Of Our Present Steering Committee.................First a quote from the hand book issued by the Dept. of Tourism ..Culture..and...Heritage..............''Objectors to the District designation can voice their concerns and present objecting arguments at the Public Hearing.''....................Following are the ex-chairwoman's comments.........''Are we going to re-pipe all the houses which used locally generated methane to cook and illuminate their homes?''..........''I'd give my right arm for curbing. And anyone who would oppose that just isn't living in my real world''..............''I would like also to find an affordable way to re-tree our whole area.'' .................''One of the people on the fringe of the proposed district says he'd never wanted to live in a museum and that if people wanted to make a museum out of the area, he'd like the Town to buy his property and he'd be glad to rent''....... ''I think you know that I am extremely ambivalent regarding this project''.........''If you feel that this is a useless activity, then you must decide whether you want to continue the exercise''..........''Why anyone would want to freeze an area to a time when polio, meningitis and TB were often deadly, racial and gender prejudice was rampant and many of the most beautiful homes hid secrets of domestic abuse which were carefully ignored''...........'' I have spoken to Two Realtors, their comments were Extremely Negative''..........''We Don't Want outsiders..this is a Yarmouth Plan''..........''Are we to dress up in Period Costumes''......''Are we going to have dirt roads again''.......''I am speaking for the Widows...the Orphans...the Pensioners....the Poor''......''Are we going to have to use kerosene lamps''.......''Where will we get the coal for the fireplaces'' .......Do these sound like the words of someone who has joined a steering committee in hopes of forming a Heritage Conservation District..............Or do these sound like the comments of a person widely seen as... responsible for the collapse of the efforts in the early 1990's..... to form a heritage conservation district......In the Forest Street Area ........Let's Try To connect the dots........it's getting easier.......maybe we need a few more ..........Interviews..........................

	.....I would like to point out that at our first Committee meeting........... I asked that a newsletter be sent to the property owners after each steering committee meeting to ensure transparency...............I did not find out until yesterday.. Aug.14th.....that these newsletters... were and still are ...written by the Ex-Chairwoman ...featured above..........I then wrote ...To The Yarmouth Heritage Officer today Aug.15.2007................. The Newsletter sent to the residents of the proposed district, I do not believe should be written by someone who is opposed to having a heritage district implemented....................... The Response From The Yarmouth Heritage Officer Aug.15.2007........................ For your information, the person who is writing the newsletters volunteered to do so in order to keep the rest of the property owners informed, and is probably the most objective person, therefore the most qualified to do so, on the Committee........................ .....maybe we need a few more ..Interviews.........................I would also like to point out that during discussions.... at a recent committee meeting ...The Yarmouth Heritage Officer was asked... by me... to offer her opinion as to the importance ...to this proposed heritage conservation district of the Town Owned Land...The Intact Victorian Streetscape..Service Infrastructure and the Original Trees.....her answer.... ''I have No Comment'' ....completely surprised I said ......''But you are the Heritage Officer You must have an opinion.''........her answer...... '' No Comment'' .......................Why ....seems to be my Favorite Question ..closely followed by...Who................What In the world is going on in this Town......Now don't forget all the facts on these pages are backed up by hard evidence.........who's running the show....the side-show..........where is the Ring Master..........

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	..........The Intact Victorian Streetscape...Original Service Infrastructure with Virtually every Tree Planted in The Nineteenth Century still standing ......All on Town Owned Public Land ....The Steering Committee felt that this was important enough to pass Chapter 5 ... through with a vote of 5 in favor and 1 opposing.............. Leaving out the young Reporter.......why are these people.. featured above ..acting as they are....is there a common link....a common goal......as far as I can tell from the evidence that has surfaced.......Two Town Councilors....One Heritage Officer...One Mayor...two Steering Committee Members [including the ex-chairwoman] do not what This Unique Part Of Our Town's Cultural Landscape and Heritage Protected.......And Two Cabinet Ministers Don't Care............................I need to go out and find a very important person to Interview.......can you smell that......................I did get a great Interview with Charlie the old Prison Guard from the Old Yarmouth County Jail.....I heard some great stories most involving... Hack-Saws..........Charlie is going to record these stories.............Tourism Product Development........Good Old Yarmouth......Fog In A Can............Or Tour Groups...Take Them out to the Bush...and try and spot Three-Toed Woodpeckers..............Show them Our Wal-Mart.......................................................................................Took a walk this morning in the fog...could not see the Rainbow but I think I found A Big Pot Of Gold............It was ...what I call the Castle.......New Fortifications are being quickly built...a moot being dug..........excitement in the air ............ And I managed to conduct A Prized .... . . . ....INTERVIEW.....with the.... King

..SWSDA....The South West Shore Development Authority........

	..... ..... I asked first.....'' What significance does Forest Street Have in the Economic Development Scheme Of Things.''.......''What Significance Does Forest Street Hold For The Town Of Yarmouth Nova Scotia''..............The answer ''I don't know.''.....''It leads straight to the airport....no..no..it dead-ends at Pleasant Street.....no..no..it leads straight to the airport.'' .....''What's your point.''..............Of course I said ''Did you know that Forest Street has an Intact Victorian Streetscape, an Intact original Service Infrastructure and the Trees still intact that were Planted in the Nineteenth Century.''.............'' This may be the only surviving example in an Urban setting.'' ....''This is on Town Owned Land.'' The answer.....''No I didn't know that ....I don't know that....you know that.. you did research.'' ....... He then said...... ''So you asked the town to form this heritage district.''................I said...... ''No I didn't I had nothing to do with it, I received a letter from the Town advising that my property was included in a proposed Heritage District.''...................I asked...''Do you think Forest Street may be important from a Tourism Product Development perspective.''..............the answer....''Well we have a new tourism product development section.''................... I then explained the ''Undue Political Influence on A sitting Committee of Citizens.'' in a brief fashion.... and handed over my web site URL...............And of course I explained that Chapter 5 had been voted upon and passed and at this point.... the politicians stepped in.......................His parting comment, referring to The Yarmouth Town Council.........''Looks Like They have a Tiger by the Tail''............a very aware clever man...................my audience ended...... ..........

 

	..... ..... Forest Street Heritage Conservation District Steering Committee Meeting...Scheduled for Wed.Aug,22,2007. 7PM. canceled and postponed for another month.....Why ..........

	Just got this e-mail from ...... clawhammer_4@hotmail.com.........Frank Reeeves...........a likely story... ......He Writes......your credibility is circling the drain...Hi Rod Hemeon; who stuck the burr under your saddle? Many years ago an old sea captain said to me "one should never stand in the way of a person bent on making an ass of himself" so in sending this I am afraid that I may be breaking his good advice. I see that you have put many hours of work into a website and, for want of a better word, rant, about Yarmouth and all the things its management or lack thereof is doing wrong in your opinion. You present a lot of pictures to back up what you say, great pictures, but if you are so bent on getting your opinion across that you must alter photographs to emphasize your point, then your credibility goes out the window. Rumor has it that you have managed to alienate yourself with just about everybody in the town's bureaucracy and the folks who would try to make improvements. Perhaps you should consider trying a little common sense and diplomacy instead of getting in everybody's face and going on flights of fancy and tirades! Did no one ever tell you that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar?We already have far too many politicians and bureaucrats who create statistics, obfuscate truths and distort pictures. I very seldom say anything, but you "get my goat". I don't live in Yarmouth for which I am thankful. I'm a CFA and proud of it, with roots going as far as post Acadian roots go in the area. I never much cared for Yarmouth because I thought as a town it did most of its thinking with its head stuck somewhere dark and humid, but, half a century ago when I went to high school there, Yarmouth stank and not the smell of the fishing industry which has always been the smell of money, but the stink of a dirty harbor, raw sewage and garbage. I'm sure there are still problems but it is vastly better. The town generally looks a lot better in spite of "Mall blight" and "Slumlords". Yes there are rundown and unkempt buildings, but even there I see improvement. You nor anybody else nor any amount of legislation will get rid of those who simply don't care, be they landlord or tenant. Generally speaking well installed curbs and gutters manage run off water better than open ditches. Pavement and sidewalks are certainly more comfortable to use in all weather and probably more sanitary assuming proper drainage is installed. Yes; trees take a certain amount of abuse in some instances, but possibly no more from curbing and pavement or sidewalks than from acid rain. We don't have exactly the same atmosphere as folks did a century or two ago. Of course we could go into the fool's playground of "Global Warming" which is happening but which is more natural than man-made. If trees die off, then replant with trees which will tolerate the conditions. I think you are fixated on some Utopian concept which is impossible to attain and can't cope with reality .... Wake up! yours .... Frank Reeves ................................................ Now do you figure ...... ... this person ....... Probably has some relationship to the participants in our last story ............. as for the use of honey and not vinegar ........ There are already ...... far .. far too many people ..... here in Yarmouth .... attracting Flies ........... and..... Yes ........ I admit it ..... that photo with the Flying Pie .... I did insert two of those People ......... but One ... was already in the Pie when I took the Shot .................... .....

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	..... Some bizarre Utopian Concept ...... some unobtainable dream ....... Pie In The Sky ........ Each morning I walk out my door ..... to find .......... right there in front of me ...... an Intact Victorian Streetscape and Service Infrastructure... the 130 Year Old Trees..and....Woodpeckers.......... Let's hope the Minister for Tourism ... Culture ... and ... Heritage ...... can come on down to Yarmouth ... Nova ... Scotia ....... Have a Look At Forest Street ..... and give .. .. an ....... . . . ....INTERVIEW.....

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