Washblog

 Douglas County finally was forced into improving the road. Before they got around to closing the deal Calvin White stepped in and bought the land needed for the new road out from under the county. Knowing full well what the county's plans were.

After several months of haggling and leaving property owners living in Fancher Heights using a substandard and dangerous road the county and White seemingly come to an agreement.

In March of 2006 Douglas County Commissioner Ken Stanton makes a public statement that an agreement had been reached with Calvin White on the Fancher Height access road. They are purchasing 19 acres of property with apparently no other deals besides the purchase price of over double what it would have originally cost them.

In May 2006 Calvin White is told that there might be easement issues with his proposed Bridle Trails development along with water issues.  
In July he puts the application on hold. After county declines it due to
NO WATER (See Huge Rezone near Pangborn Airport)

NO EASEMENT

SEPTEMBER 19th 2006 White and the commissioners sign the agreement on the county access road 6 months after Stanton said the county was purchasing 19 acres and two months after the county had started roadwork on White's property. In that agreement the county give White 10 feet of county property that runs along part of the length of his access road so that he will have legal width for road access to the (P06-03) Bridle Trails Development.  Bridle Trails is no where near Fanchier Heights and has absolutely no connection or affiliation with it at all.

The numbers don't add up. Did they amend the original agreement to accommodate White after it was finalized? For sure they were allowing him to add in goodies months after they had supposable made an agreement.

 In August of 2006 I hear from a friend that White was working a deal with the county to get an easement from the county for Bridle Trails. My friend was hoping it would not happen but wasn't sure of details or what they would wind up doing.  My friend also said that it would be good if citizens started attending commissioners meetings and actually seeing what was happening.

This conversation is important because it tell me that 5 or 6 weeks before September 19th there was no deal for an easement. So either the county trusted White enough to start putting roads through his property before the deal closed or they re-did the original deal to accommodate him. It doesn't seem that 6 months after Stanton said they had worked out an agreement they would still be adding stuff in for White if it is on the up and up. Especially when the easement is something White didn't realize he even needed until May at the earliest and July at the latest.

The final question is this. If anyone but Calvin White had purchased that property knowing full well that the county had earmarked it for a needed road would the county had dealt so kindly with them? Would the county have instead condemned the need property and declared eminent domain?

Anyone that wants a copy of the "final" agreement with White and the county can email me and I will send it to them.