HomeMy Public PortalAbout2021.05.31 Correspondence D GallipoliFrom: gallipolifish@gmail.com
Date: May 31, 2021 at 7:51:31 AM MDT
To: Erin Greaves <egreaves@mccall.id.us>
Subject: Report a Compliment or Service Concern - New Form Submission for McCall Idaho
Reply-To: gallipolifish@gmail.com
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A new submission has been received for Report a Compliment or Service Concern
at 05/31/2021 7:51 AM
First Name: David
Last Name: Gallipoli
Email Address: gallipolifish@gmail.com
Phone: 12033141377
Address: 200 Scott St
City: McCall
State/Province: ID
Zip Code: 83638
Describe Your
Concern:
Please support all the opposition groups and individuals to Alec Williams/Trident
proposal for endowment land in McCall. Convince the IDL a Trident plan has nothing
to do with preservation. Thank you. Alec Williams recent "Setting the record straight
about Preserve McCall" in the Star-News, May 27th continues to be disingenuous.
The word Preserve is defined as maintaining (something) in its original or existing
state. Alec Williams's comments conflict with that definition. The 20,000-acre
exchange of endowment land in McCall for private timberland is land Trident doesn't
own. And the claim that the timberland will make the state four million dollars has
not been verified by an independent firm. If Trident's proposal were to be accepted,
how would planting houses on 2500 acres preserve the land as it is now? It would
only fragment the land, which would impact the wildlife and watershed. We also do
not need Alec Williams to donate 17,000 acres to Ponderosa State Park. The IDL can
do that independently. We have seen developers' promises of providing more public
access only to be disappointed after a project is finished; the result is less access to
the public. Alec Williams's proposal is nothing more than another grotesque land
grab to exploit our archaic state law to obtain irreplaceable endowment land. Alec is
dismissive about the groups and individuals, too many to name, in opposition to his
facts. He makes no mention of who his investors are or what the investors expect for
a return on their investment and how they would achieve that goal. The public needs
to know what is in Trident's investor prospectus. There has been little transparency
or details from Alec Williams other than his rough set of concepts and an ever-
changing proposal to gain support that he does not have in our community. Alec
Williams also continues with his efforts to lobby individuals, groups, and businesses
in McCall. What does Alec Williams promise them? Alec Williams has failed to
purchase other properties (see Drew Dodson's reporting in the Star-News April 8th)
in McCall, which raises many questions about his motives and plans for McCall. Alec
Williams is playing a monopoly game, not a preservation game. Any consideration by
the IDL would be making a devil's bargain with his four Trident LLCs, one registered in
Maryland. Alec Williams has no experience in development; he denies and ignores
the science of what more human impact on our ecosystem would mean.
Environment, ecosystem, wildlife, habitat, and watershed are not in Alec Williams or
Trident's vocabulary. Alec Williams's promise of "legally binding contracts" means
absolutely nothing when developers declare bankruptcy or sell to other parties, and I
imagine a Trident document of small print with enough loopholes to cancel whatever
oral promises Alec Williams is making. Alec Williams mentions adding to the "much-
needed housing a range of options from modestly priced, local housing, a community
recreation center, and some middle and higher-end homes targeted to Idahoans to
help pay for the park while also solving the area's housing shortage." Really? What
price? Where are the specific details? The median home price in McCall is now at
four-hundred thousand dollars. Alec Williams's proposals continue to change not
because he listens to anyone but because he needs to adjust to unanimous
opposition of his proposals. Would Trident investors want a substantial return on
their investment? It is unlikely the development will meet investors' goals by building
affordable housing or middle-end homes. A higher probability outcome will be
higher-end housing and more second homes that will be short-term rentals, not for
Idahoans struggling to find housing in McCall and more shoreline closed to the public.
But Alec Williams's proposal avoids the most crucial goal of any preservation plan:
addressing the environmental impact on the ecosystem from increased human
development. The IDL is exempt from environmental impact studies, which is
irresponsible when considering the land and water issues we face in the 21st century.
It is strange not to hear any mention of environmental impact studies from Alec
Williams, especially considering his use and lack of understanding of what Preserve
means. Developing without knowing the impact on an already compromised
ecosystem is thoughtless and a crime against the environment and place we live. Are
we to trust Alec Williams's vague plans or the IDL who ignores our history of
destruction in the West? If the IDL only considers the profit for a few, we all lose
what is irreplaceable to the many who oppose Alec Williams and Trident. Alec
Williams also claims that his proposal "is a large-scale plan that brings certainty to
the fate of endowment lands in Valley County. The only certainty is that a transfer of
land to Trident or a developer like Trident would set the first-time precedent to
transfer endowment land to a private company for development. It would be the
beginning of a land grab by private developers, threatening all 2.3 million acres of
endowment land accessible to the public: State endowment land that borders Nez
Perce land, BLM and National Forest land, and many watersheds. Ecosystems and
wildlife corridors do not know boundaries, and continued fragmentation of land will
impact all species. We have a moral obligation not to continue the trend of
destroying the environment. There are other options and solutions to fund education
than making a deal with Alec Williams. Education is about ethical values, critical
thinking, and an attitude of giving back. We do not want future generations asking,
Why did they do that? What were they thinking? We must demand environmental
justice for our environment from those who only think about extracting profit from
the land. Our history begs us not to make the same mistakes of the past and protect
and preserve what remains. Science provides the solutions we need to protect and
preserve wildlife, land, and water from destructive proposals of companies like
Trident. Nothing in the history of the West suggests that the states have adequately
protected the environment. We must join forces to stop Alec Williams and demand
the IDL think of endowment land as more than just a commodity to exploit for the
profits of a few and say no to Alec Williams.