Getting caught up on some stuff, like recycling an entire van of electronics (thank you Best Buy) and getting speakers, 3 amps and a tuner in for repair, but of all the “normal” stuff, the best of all is getting the “new” buffet into the dining room, what a thrill.  Soon it will be up on the wall, and there’s a window behind it, behind the plaster … why plaster over a window?  Probably because it went into the attached garage that was added some time ago.  And it looks from that window like there was a buffet there.  I mean, this is a 4 square, it has the archway with the cabinets on the sides, and there’s no buffet!  What gives?  Well, folks, there is one now!  Soon it will be on the wall up to the ceiling, and we’ll have a “new” 12 foot long countertop, oak or marble, and we’re good to go!  The window… well, we’re pretending with the picture frame.  I’m not convinced we need to see the top of the van in the garage, but the jury is out…

Monday, November 18, 2013 @ 6 p.m.

Goodhue County PAC Meeting

Silica sand ordinance

The packet for this meeting wasn’t posted as of Friday, so county staff sent it right away.  Their system needs help, not only was the packet not on the county site, but on the “Events Calendar” it said the meeting time was 7 p.m.  NOT GOOD.

But on the other hand, the packet has some glimmers of hope.  It’s a hearing on the Save the Bluffs application for a Overlay District to protect natural resources.  Here’s the packet:

Agenda_11-18-2013

MSC Summary Report3

PAC Report_Save the Bluffs Zoning Amendment Request 11-18-13

What’s on the table is EVERYTHING and then some:

• The original Application: Save the Bluffs’ Application for Zoning Ordinance Amendment

• The “Four Points” as presented in the Aug. 11, 2013 PAC Packet:

            There are later versions of these points, as Alan “pointed” out (cut and pasted):

The MSC met on September 4, 2013 to discuss these requests. The Save the Bluffs representatives provided the following four items instead of the ones provided to the PAC:  [Alan’s emphasis added]

1.   1 mile setback from high population areas, such as cities, hamlets, and residential subdivisions;

2.   1 mile [setback?] from the high water mark of the Mississippi – which protects the Great River Road and related tourism;

3.   Prohibit the use of flocculants (or better yet, permit only dry processing); and

4.   Set harsh penalties (such as canceling the permit) for violations.” [The Staff Report uses the above language.]

The items called out in the PAC agenda (“public hearing”) for Monday are different still:

a.   No frac-sand operations (mining, processing, washing, trans-loading) within 1 mile of cities, R1 zoned districts, and campgrounds;

b.   No frac-sand operations (mining, processing, washing, trans-loading) within a mile of the high water mark of the Mississippi;

c.   Prohibit the use of flocculants in the washing and processing of frac-sand.(permit only dry processing so chemicals won’t get into surface or ground water and far less water is used), and;

d.   Set harsh penalties for mining, processing and trans-loading violations (such as canceling the permit). The means of these different version seem similar but not identical and some of the differences could be important.

• The MSC’s Recommendation (remember, they’re merely ADVISORY, as is the PAC):

MSC Summary Report3

•  Any combination you like, one from Column A, one from Column B… it’s wide open.

And I’m rather attached to that “Any combination you like, one from Column A, one from Column B…” option.  First, the map, above.  And there are more in the MSC Report.  Here’s a map showing Setbacks, but it’s only PART of Goodhue County, we need the whole County mapped:

Here’s a map with the StB “four points” 1 mile buffers (why is this map such poor quality?):

And this map, showing the green “Blufflands” Sub-Eco Classification:

And another showing public waters and blufflands (again, why is the quality of this map sooooo poor?):

So “Any combination you like, one from Column A, one from Column B…” to me means to take these maps, put them together, and what do you get?  Pretty good protections of the natural resources of our County!

This is a good start on the request of the original application.  Not the be-all and end-all, but a good start!

What’s up with Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary in Georgetown, Delaware?

Here’s a youtube before the shelter opened up:

 

State police were there today, animals carted off to who knows where.  The SPCA took it over, they were going down, down, down, but people were coming in to adopt animals prior to the December 1 closing and were turned away, locked out, and the police called!  Is this any way to run a rescue?

Youtube of facility under construction, nearly complete Marcy 7, 2012

Another youtube, pretty weird!

I first learned of the problems there about a year ago, and problems exacerbated last summer:

Keeping Safe Haven open goal of shelter’s restructured board

Other things online:

Animal shelter eyes east Dover location

On change.org there’s a 10 month old Petition to US Senate, Delaware A.G., IRS and Department of Agriculture to Investigate Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary for abuse/neglect of animals, misappropriation of funds and donations and prevent recurrence of prior wrongdoings.

This place is one of those weird stories that doesn’t add up.  The 2009-2011 IRS 990s are on file, and in 2009 they had a $300k+ bank note, same for 2010, and in 2011, a $2,300,000 million loan from USDA ostensibly to build their building.  And now they’re closed?  How does that happen?  Is there any plausible explanation?  What of the Board’s fiduciary duty?

2009 IRS 990 – Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary

2010 IRS 990 – Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary

2011 IRS 990 – Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary

Here’s the thing that looked like a big warning sign to anyone who bothered to look at their 990s:

WOW! No review by the Board, no availability to the public? WTF?

More to be posted as this develops, after today’s police presence, there will probably be more in the news tomorrow…

DOH!  It’s worth it just for this sentence:

Markets do not automatically provide competitive and efficient outcomes.

Here it is, with the full all-in-one option or separate sections:

3Q PJM State of the Market Report Page

Here’s the full version: 2013 3Q PJM State of the Market Report

And the short version, oh, how I love it when this happens:

The market design should permit market prices to reflect underlying supply and demand fundamentals. Significant factors that result in capacity market prices failing to reflect fundamentals should be addressed, including better LDA definitions, the effectiveness of the transmission interconnection queueprocess, the 2.5 percent reduction in demand that suppresses market prices, the continued inclusion of inferior demand side products that also suppress market prices and the role of imports.

Got that: … the 2.5 percent reduction in demand that suppresses market prices…

– 2.5%

Gee, sounds like we ought to pay to build some more power plants and transmission lines…

Krie, my second dog from the Humane Society of Goodhue County says:

A-ROOOOOOOOO! Today is Give to the Max day, and the Humane Society of Goodhue County is participating. Join this effort and multiply your dollars! Help dogs like me find our forever homes, and pay for our stays while we’re waiting for you! Help finance spays and neuters, and vet attention for our incoming animals!

Today’s the day!