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Beautiful Lavon Lake, Collin County, Texas |
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Comments from the
SaveLakeLavon Folks: Permission
was given to print each comment.
**** My husband and I picked Princeton for a reason, well many reasons actually. We have 4 children that we didn't want to raise in the city. Princeton was awesome. When we moved out here years ago it was small, quiet, and had the great small town feeling. Lake Lavon has provided us with so much fun. We love boating all summer and winter long. We love fishing, hiking, and just enjoying the quiet beauty without having to worry so much about the "big city atmosphere". We already have enough construction going on as it is. 982 was devastating to us! We wouldn't have moved here if we wanted change. We like having to travel to get anywhere. That is what keeps this town grounded. A bridge will take away all of this and just bring us crime, over population (like Wylie, look at that city now compared to just 5 years ago), destruction of habitats, and most importantly will crush our dream of country living. More so for my children than myself, this bridge would be horrible! **** If the county has enough money for a project such as this, they need to put it on Hwy 380 between lake Lavon and Farmersville. That road is AWFUL, and I am embarrassed to think that visitors to our great state are driving over it!! ****
I am an engineer by trade and like to
use logical reasoning when I think. Since I cannot use logic to
understand why the county would put a bridge so close to the south
end of the lake when there is already Parker Road going to Hwy 78, I
have to assume the reason to go ahead with this boondoggle would
have to be political. Politics and logic are mutually exclusive!
If the county absolutely positively has to have their wet dream of a
bridge and road across the lake, they could just extend FM 982
across the east arm of the lake from the peninsula and save millions
of dollars since they have already replaced the bridge there.
An even more logical location to put the road
would be to extend Stacy road past the NTMWD wastewater treatment
plant and cross the lake at that point: This would give the sludge
trucks easy access to the plant without them having to take Orr
Road. I think the money could be better spent, however, by:
It is
possible there are some sweetheart deals (politically motivated)
going on between Realty Capital and some of the other developers
(Lavon 593 Investment Partners, LP maybe?) so they can get their
ingress/egress issues sorted out before developing the Southwest
area of the lake. Anyway, I seem to be unclouded by political
motivations at this point so the priorities seem clear to me.
**** The meeting last night was great......standing room only!! The result was a resounding NO BRIDGE!! We think the commissioners were a bit surprised by the turn out. There were people who spoke facts against the bridge to try to change their minds, there were folks who spoke from their hearts pleading with them .....please do not take our tranquility and please don't take our land!! Time will tell ......there is an organization, TURF, who started out as a small group of residents against the Trans Texas Corridor!! And as of yesterday they were VICTORIOUS for the rest of the landowners in the state who would have lost their land to eminent domain for this purposed monstrosity of the Trans Texas Corridor!! YAY for the people!! We are hopeful to become as victorious against the "big city" commissioners moving their 'big city" plans into our quiet, beautiful, lake!! We just want to preserve our lake, in hopes that it may be the only lake in the entire state that is left to the pristine condition and nature reserve it was meant to be. **** My feelings? - NO BRIDGE!!!!
**** I think the East side of Lake Lavon is the perfect balance of quiet country living and closeness to a major metropolitan area. I was happy to find it and buy property there. I expected growth to come, but thought it would take a while to spill around the top and bottom of the lake. Even so, the center east shore would stay quiet for a long time. Putting the bridge it would allow growth to jump the lake, but I believe it would remain a secondary location bringing no value not found better elsewhere. Plus, it would ruin the lives and living conditions of everyone who has picked this area **** My husband and I are landowners on a country road directly affected by this bridge, we have cattle and horses. We bought this land in 2001 to get away from the City. We own a house in Wylie as well however it is nothing like it was in 1989 when we bought our home we wanted to raise our family in a small town. The idea of a bridge going over our property and worse actually cutting into our property makes us feel like all of our hard work was for nothing. We built the facilities at our land as a family, often in the mud, rain, cold or 100+ degree heat we worked. I am not sure why it’s necessary to have this bridge nor am I thrilled about $400,000 being spent to investigate its importance. If the county has money to spend why isn’t Highway 78 being widened from Wylie to 380? Why is 1378 still a 2 lane road as it was in 1989 when the population was less than 9,000 people? Why wasn’t our road mowed 2 weeks ago rather than spraying weed killer and potentially endangering our livestock’s health? We are absolutely not in favor of the “Lake Lavon Bridge Crossing" project. **** I think the East side of Lake Lavon is the perfect balance of quiet country living and closeness to a major metropolitan area. I was happy to find it and buy property there. I expected growth to come, but thought it would take a while to spill around the top and bottom of the lake. Even so, the center east shore would stay quiet for a long time. Putting the bridge it would allow growth to jump the lake, but I believe it would remain a secondary location bringing no value not found better elsewhere. Plus, it would ruin the lives and living conditions of everyone who has picked this area for the value it now has. ****
I do not want to see this bridge come to fruition....
"As you travel through
life,
choose your destinations well, but do not hurry there. Avoid the shortcuts… wander the back roads… enjoy the scenery. And remember that the true worth of your travels lies not in the destination but in who you come to be along the way" **** Is there nothing we won't sacrifice for "progress"? I moved to the peninsula for the rural life, good and bad. Nothing is convenient, but that's fine when I can hear crickets or frogs at night. Princeton is the closest town and it's 10 miles away, that's just fine with me. My commute doubled, and I'm ok with that. Heck, a bridge in the proposed route would BENEFIT my commute, and I do NOT want it. It's very hard to un-ring the bell of development, and at some point, we will all be very sorry for how much urban sprawl has devastated this country and the world). **** I do NOT think the bridge is a good idea, we tax payers cannot afford it nor do we need it. **** I do not want to see a bridge over Lake Lavon, the County needs to focus on the streets that they have rather than building a bridge that we don’t need. **** We have a boat on Lake Lavon and do NOT want a bridge ruining the fishing, boating and overall beauty of the lake. People live out there because they want the seclusion and not the big city life. ****
I chose to live in Lucas because I wanted to have a
little acreage, some peace and quiet and enjoy my neighborhood without
alley ways and neighborhood traffic. I knew that the restaurants, video
rental and grocery stores were all going to be remote to some degree.
Knowingly, I knew that where I lived would have some small
inconvenience's that would require me to put forth a little more effort
to get the day to day tasks accomplished. My point is simple, if you
live remote and enjoy the benefits of quietness and serenity, there is
going to be a price that you will need to pay for that. To build a
bridge that will create a convenience for some, will create more
problems and invade privacy and create turmoil for others! **** Did anyone ASK Collin County to put yet another bridge in? We live out here for a reason, and all of the citizens in this area have no complaints of the commute. We are used to it! My family and I moved out to this area a little over years ago. My husband is in the military and after being over seas for a few years we decided to come back "home" to set some roots down for our kids. Dreams of our grandkids growing up in this area. Thinking that we would never have to move again after my husband served 20 years in the military. Right now we live in a manufactured home, and recently had our dreams shattered by this bridge. Dreams of a custom built home whose plans have been halted since receiving the news of this bridge. Collin County-be prepared for the fight
We see a lot more traffic since industry is creeping into our once-quiet, agricultural neighborhood. With that "progress", the noise and littering has dramatically increased with cars, trucks and semi-tractors traveling the streets at all hours. I can't imagine how that would improve with a so-called faster route to the city." ***
"Sounds like many folks, like us, were
hoping to make this their retirement home in the country. We also built
our house with sacrifice and hard work while commuting the long distance
to our city jobs for years. We did so willingly for the benefits of
seeing road runners in our yard and eagles in the sky. (Regarding new developments between Lake Lavon and Hwy 78).... truck loads of concrete poured and trees uprooted; seen the wildlife that were killed on the road when their homes were destroyed. Progress? We've watched our property taxes more than quadruple over the years. So now someone can spend these dollars for concrete over our beautiful lake while we sit in traffic on an underdeveloped H78? Wow. I keep hearing Joni Mitchell's "Paved Paradise and put up a parking lot" song in my head." *** "I generally feel that we don't need a bridge. The people that moved out here or have been here for sometime knew that if they commuted to work on the west side of the lake then it would be a long drive. To me it's about the quality of life out here, not growth! First the bridge, then tract homes, then strip malls with dry cleaners, donuts, and gas stations, then more pavement and water robbing manicured lawns! What about the wildlife? Not much chance of co-existence. I was hoping that the economic situation would stifle the expansion however when there's new tax revenue to be made we won't be able to slow things down. To these people pavement equals progress! If I wanted to live within 10 feet of my neighbor in a large house I'd move to Plano!" ***
We all pay our overly inflated taxes
to the county yet we reap none of the benefits. Now the county wants to
destroy the night sky, increase noise and crime and spoil the rural
environment we all choose by living here. We have grown to expect our
electrical service to go out at any time and the daily brown outs have
become the rule rather than the exception. We suffer through dial up
internet service.. why … because we like to walk out on our patios and
porches and not look into the neighbor’s bathroom window. We like to
hear the birds not the sound of semi- trucks barreling across the lake
all day and night. This area will not benefit from a bridge across the
lake… we have no city to increase police or fire protection. We won’t
see any new parks or recreation areas … most of the parks we now have
are closed because they can’t be patrolled. We are the ones who will
lose. *** We found our land and built our home 10 years ago because it was the country, because we have grandchildren and we wanted to be in a safe place for them to play. Whatever we need to do to absolutely not have this road built out in front of our place we will do. We are in our 50's and waited a long time to build our dream home in the country without the noise and congestion of traffic. We are on board to stop the bridge building. There has to be another route they can take that wouldn't affect the property value and the "life in the country" we have. *** "My family and I have lived in the area for many years. We stay here because we love the way living is in our little Community. The problem is that the bridge is going to take away from our Eden. We are losing the peace and serenity of our country living. It is as simple as that." *** "My husband and I ... built our home (with our own hands) 10 years ago with the intent of it staying in our family for generations to come. Trust me when I say we are not excited about a six lane highway running in front of our property, never mind the impact on the value of our home. Our home is not a tract or mobile home and we put a lot of hard work into it. We are in our 50's and have no desire to start over!!!!" *** "They need to widen 78 first, geez. They should start by widening 78 and then do another traffic study to determine the need for a bridge." *** "Sounds like Collin County's very own 'Bridge to Nowhere' We live near [the lake]. We do enjoy the sailboats and the tranquility. I am not completely opposed to a bridge, but I do not understand why it needs to cut straight across the heart of the lake! Why can't the existing bridge to the north be improved (which I hear is going to happen) and then extended to complete the connection towards Farmersville? That would be less destructive to the lake. The current blue line will forever change the lake and impact one of its long set charters: recreation." *** "I found out with dismay the plans for building a bridge over Lake Lavon earlier this year. The first thing I thought of was how interstate 30 affected Ray Hubbard and the noise impact it has on that part of the lake. And this crosses just the north end of the lake! Can you imagine what a bridge cutting Lake Lavon in half is going to do? I have sailed on Lavon for over 10 years now, and I have always cherished being able to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life while sailing there. Lavon's chief attraction is that it is not near an interstate, and, as a result, is an oasis of wildlife. I believe the bridge will go a long way in ruining this atmosphere. I find it ironic that you can have a Corps of Engineer Lake, where you can not build on the waterline, but you can have a bridge with heavy traffic bisecting it! I don't see that this is progress in any way. It is subjecting another wonderful outdoor area to the very things we are trying to get away from. I suppose this makes the surrounding towns more accessible to commercial and residential building, thus providing a greater tax base. But haven't we learned yet that the almighty dollar should not be the ultimate goal in every case? I sincerely hope this bridge does not go up for the good of the entire community there. It is time to stop the bridge." *** "I totally opposed the bridge. I live in Copeville, as does a large percentage of my immediate family. This is our home!! Leave us alone. If we wanted the Big City and all of the hustle and bustle, we would move to Dallas...I work in Plano and ___ works in Allen. We do not mind the commute. It is worth every minute, just to live in a rural area." *** "I cannot understand the need for cutting the lake in half! We live near Clear Lake park. It takes 4 minutes to go north on 982, to get up to the road that connects us to the new East Lucas Road Bridges. So, even if we were heading to the Lucas area, near Collins Marina, the total trip time would be cut maybe 8 minutes? I would rather drive a little bit longer and avoid dicing Lake Lavon into bits." *** "We are not asking for help with our traffic. We do not need massively expensive, 120 ft ROW bridge in the proposed location. It is ridiculous to spend that kind of money on so few people who are happy with the drive time they currently have." *** "The peninsula is centrally located, and we can get to where we need to go in very little time. A 10 to 35 minute drive gets us into Allan, Fairview, Anna, Plano, Murphy, McKinney, Lucas, Farmersville, Lavon, Copeville, Nevada, Sachse, Princeton and even North Garland and East Richardson. We do not need a bridge. Lake Lavon is not near as 'remote' as folks think. A bridge to 'help' us will destroy the reason we moved here in the first place. Had there been a busy network of roads, we would not have bought our property." *** "If the county wants to help the people in the cities who live around Lake Lavon, they can do that by making the improvements to the existing network of roads around the lake." *** "If they would open the dam back up people could go that way again to miss Hwy 78 traffic to a point."
"Just look at any bridge around here and you will see all the people that go out by bridges and leave their garbage...There goes my peaceful place."' *** "They just put in the new bridge...why do they not expand that road? It's six lanes in Allen, and it's (already) there." ***
"A lake should be a continuous body
of water."
"Lavon Lake has been here since 1954. The people who have recently moved to these outlying area's from towns/cities that were closer to their work - should realize that they moved out into the country." "The Lake will be the only thing left as a wildlife preserve or a country setting." ***
"A bridge across a lake ..... is
short sighted and will only solve the issue in the short term.
Road overcrowding has never really been solved by expanding roads.
Car's are the # 1 polluters in the area. Mass transit / Trains would
be a Green and advanced thought compared to the never ending
onslaught of polluting and crash prone autos. *** "We do not want the bridges. We just got two new bridges. Leave our beautiful lake alone." *** "As a county resident and frequent user of the Trinity Trail and Lake Lavon for fishing and paddle sports, I'm opposed to a bridge across the lake. It doesn't look like the proposed route will save that much time - 10 minutes, maybe? from Copeville to Lucas. What other options would we recommend? The county is already planning a 6 lane extension of Park Blvd. ... which will connect to 78 at Spring Creek by Wal-Mart. How many east-west thoroughfares do we need?"*** "In looking at the map this appears to run somewhat close to my neighborhood and I have lived in the area for 15+ years because of its obscurity. I love the area I live in but development will drive me out. I enjoy living out of the city where I don’t mind driving 20-30 minutes to the grocery store, or 45 minutes to the closest “shopping”. I knew that when I moved out there, before Hwy 78 was ever expanded coming out of Garland. I rented for years and then bought in the area. I don’t want to see this turn into a recreational lake. Fishing, Hunting and boating is fine but Lavon has too many obstacles and I don’t want to see it polluted with bridges and roadways." *** "I’m not convinced that a bridge is needed at all. I think the communities around the east side of the lake would be better served by expanding the lanes on Hwy 78 and building an additional bridge below the spillway."
FYI:
This is not a complete
list of comments from all the SaveLakeLavon folks.
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