A Retraction..(of sorts)

When I started this blogsite it was for the purpose of having some fun and ascertaining whether or not people really read these things. As time went on, it became a way for me to express my views about a myriad of subjects that had been bottleted up inside in some cases for years.

It has now evolved into a vehicle in which I can not only do the above, but also help sort thru the volumes of information, misinformation, and speculations concerning our hometown issues right here in New Albany/Floyd County. The goal here being to get others involved in the conversation and hopefully the process of improving the lives of all New Albanians present and future.

This is a lofty undertaking and one that requires me to sort thru fiction to get to fact. To do that I attempt to talk directly to those involved in a given issue before posting about it. One of my failings in this process is that at the time I'm speaking with an individual, he/ she may answer the question I ask but it may or may not be the right question. Unfortunately this often does not surface until after the fact and when it does, I try, try again until I get it right!

On my previous posting (Chodo Fights On!), there were some questions raised in the comments following that I didn't answer completely/correctly at the time. These errors have since been pointed out to me and herein I'll try again.

One was, and I paraphrase, "who is geting the fat from this project?" The answer is that no one in the Chodo organization is making a personal profit from this endeavor. It is a non-profit and it is audited six ways to Sunday on a regular basis. The staff gets a salary, and the contractors get paid for their services and wares. That's it! The board members are all volunteer and receive not a penny for it. By the way, I now sit on this board and I have not seen any financial information to lead me to believe otherwise.

As to the ownership of the property, the direct heirs of the decendent signed away all rights to the Indiana Highway Commision in 1962. As I understand it at this point, NONE of the people who are involved in the lawsuit are heirs to the former owner in question. This is just their last ditch effort to prevent this project from going forward for reasons of their own. To their concern that this lady's benevolence be disregarded, I still suggest that another greenspace within the city be named in her honor. That way her memory lives on and all benefit from it.

Now concerning the State's involvement in the project. I miss spoke, plain and simple, for I had not done all of my homework. The Executive Director of Indiana Housing (a republican, by the way) has been supportive of Linden Meadows since it began. In fact, as part of National Homeownership Month, she is going to be here to spotlight Linden Meadows on June 28, 2006!

Again, the city as a whole, has nothing to loose and everything to gain from this project's completion.

So what's the beef??