Dirtbags at the gate

August 14, 2007
By Billy Dennis

C. J. is all over the issue of whether the hoity-toity new subdivision The Coves at Charter Oak (man, what a pretentious name) should allowed to place a gate at what would be the entrance to their community from the far, far less pretentious Vinton Highlands subdivision.

Bear in mind that I have no objection to completely private developments gating themselves off — provided all the streets are privately owned and privately maintained. Sure, it’s a sign that society is going to Hell, but private property is private property.

But C.J. writes that the road in question would have to be vacated into private hands, and it would very well block access into Vinton Highlands by police and fire vehicles. So, I’m opposed. I opposed for the very same damn reason I’m opposed to those freaking traffic barriers the city put up in the west bluff to keep people like ME from driving on roads I paid taxes to maintain (they went up back when I still lived in the city).

If the city thinks it’s a wonderful idea to vacate that road, then I say the city ought to vacate Ellis avenue into hands of the appropriate neighborhood association. Then, they ought to build a 10-foot-high fence around the entire neighborhood, and limit acess only to the people to live there.

Back when I lived in the 1100 block of Ellis, the people who drove into the neighborhood to buy drugs were folks who lived out in north Peoria and Dunlap, or across the river in Morton, Washington, Germantown Hills, Metamora, etc. These are the same out of towners who get busted all the time trying to pay desperate drug addicted women for sex in the North Valley neighborhoods of Peoria.

Maybe the city ought to put up gates there, to keep the Tazewell and Wood county riff-raff out before they can cross the river into Peoria.

This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.

5 Responses to “ Dirtbags at the gate ”

  1. C. J. Summers on August 14, 2007 at 8:02 am

    It’s worse than that, Billy — I said that if they wanted to put up a gate, they *should* vacate the road, but in fact that’s not in the council request. It appears they’re going to put a gate across a *public* roadway! Now that’s outrageous.

  2. vonster on August 14, 2007 at 8:36 am

    Hell, they K-railed all the roads intersecting Russell…and that was social engineering, BTW.

  3. Seth Ben-Ezra on August 14, 2007 at 1:48 pm

    As someone who lives in University East neighborhood, I’m glad that those barriers are in place. I would not have moved into the area and purchased a house there if they had not been in place.

    Also, their removal would be one of the few things that would make me consider moving.

    So, just a datapoint for you.

  4. Peo Proud on August 14, 2007 at 2:58 pm

    The closing of the road would in theory limit access to Vinton Highlands — only because when the road was put in it gave a second access route. However, they have been served well for police and fire protection for years without that second access. Had the Council not required the road to be connected in the first place, this would be an issue now. But as I recall, they required the developer to connect to the other road

  5. vonster on August 14, 2007 at 4:10 pm

    Seth: So they ARE a form of social engineering.