Another Delay for the Senior Center
Last week, Gossips reported that a vote in the Common Council to proceed with plans to build a senior center as an addition to the Youth Center would be postponed until a special meeting scheduled for March 6. Today, the Register-Star reports that the March 6 special meeting has been cancelled. Council President Don Moore, who announced the cancellation, was not specific about when the Council would vote on the senior center, but he indicated that the discovery that the existing and proposed buildings were in a State and National Register-listed historic district (and have been since 1985) made the project, by law, a Type I action requiring the SEQR long form, and this was taking additional time.
When Mr. Moore involves himself in any aspect of any SEQR review, he never misses an opportunity to become the review's autocratic and quasi-official explainer. He becomes the priest who reserves all authority to guide an ignorant public through the Holy Writ.
ReplyDeletePay no attention to the fact that he is often, even usually, incorrect. This is because he focuses on goals, which is opposite in spirit and intent to the consequence-driven concerns of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).
But his minions are quick to point out that he has actually read the law! (it is not long), which seems to satisfy the 99% who have not read it and subsequently don't have to.
The public must educate itself to defend against explainers like Mr. Moore, officials who are often already on one side or another of an issue which involves distributing our resources for us.