The Southwest Voice

All > News
Southwest residents gather for ‘No Courthouse’ meeting
Topics:
Anonymous user Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 242 times
0 responses 0 comments A local organization — www.nocourthouse.com — had its first community meeting on April 6 at Ronald Reagan Elementary.
Approximately 105 residents were in attendance, as well as several elected officials. 
Following a PowerPoint presentation by Southwest courthouse opponent Bill Descary, City Manager Alan Tandy participated in a Q&A session. 
The primary purpose of the meeting was to provide a public forum for concerned residents to obtain information and learn how they can become involved in our efforts supporting locating the federal courthouse downtown.
Hundreds of residents in the communities of River Oaks, Seven Oaks and Grand Island Estates are concerned about the safety and welfare of their families, and feel a courthouse in close proximity to an elementary school and residences certainly puts all of us at risk, as exhibited by the numerous courthouse incidents which have recently occurred nationwide. (Please refer to “Facts of Interest” and select “Related Articles” on our Web site: www.nocourthouse.com) 
After paying a premium to live in a master planned community, residents are totally outraged to find out after the fact that a federal courthouse is going to be constructed in the middle of a primarily residential community. 
Several residents currently have homes under construction, and there was never any mention of a federal courthouse disclosed to them prior to, or after, they purchased their property.
If the developer and/or GSA had given any consideration to the residents and advised them of their intentions, we could have voiced our concerns early on and avoided the current controversy. 
Additionally, locating the federal courthouse downtown is vital to the continued revitalization of the downtown area. Over the last decade, many people have worked diligently to improve downtown Bakersfield.
At the close of the meeting, copies of our petition were available and residents were encouraged to circulate these throughout the city and county.
Subsequently, all community volunteer meetings will be held Thursday nights at 7 p.m. at the BPD Westside Substation at 1301 Buena Vista Road.

Editor’s Note: On April 11, the General Services Administration reaffirmed its decision to build the city’s new federal courthouse in southwest Bakersfield. City Manager Alan Tandy said that there is a further appeal SDA can choose to pursue with the federal General Accounting Office.

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation