Editor,
Why is a Master Plan for White Rock and Los Alamos being considered at this time? Somehow it seems like major decisions are being made while everyone is suppose to “Stay Home” and “Wear A Mask”. Anyone who has tried to follow a Zoom meeting knows they are frustrating since you can’t always tell who is talking and sometimes have difficulty staying connected. So why can’t we just wait until the lock down is over and then talk about a Master Plan?
Looking at the last seven months, we have lost our theater, our department store, Bealls, some small businesses, two of our four lanes on Trinity and we have a huge and expensive emblem that another outside consulting firm said was a really good idea that is now wearing off the road and looks really tacky right in the middle of town.
Add in the low income housing that is being built on DP Road over land that people in haz-mat suits were checking for radiation. No mention has been made regarding how all these people are suppose to get onto Trinity Drive. That’s a trick even when there isn’t Lab traffic.
Have our council representatives forgotten who foots the bill for all these “improvements” and who voted them in to represent us? There are people here in town who are struggling with finances, kids not in school, working from home, staying connected on their computers, breathing through a mask to mention just a few of their hurdles. Our restaurants and bars are coming into the cold weather when outdoor dining and drinking will no longer be feasible and so far they are still restricted to only 25 percent inside.
People who live here are being forced to jump through hoops (Unquarked for example) and outside interests are being catered to. Lots of behind the scenes maneuvering. Now the county is being taken to court over their actions and we will be paying for their defense and possible settlement costs.
I would really like to see our council and our county administrators slow down on the major planning and big spending. Would it be possible to just put things on hold until we know what kind of town we are going to have when all the current restrictions are lifted?
LINDA BATES
Los Alamos