So, they use fear and rumor. They have employees tell us that this is a “done deal” and that the “equipment has already been bought.” They spread rumors about de-annexation to Lake in the Hills or Algonquin. Don’t be fooled. This is a scare tactic designed to get support for their proposal and to make us think that we cannot get a better deal.
But we can get a better deal. And the better deal would be NO PIT.
To Meyer, this is a matter of profit: the materials under the ground could get them upwards of $100 million. So they try to sell a plan to the people of Cary and to the Cary Village Board so that they can make that profit. They try to portray themselves as benefactors who will bequeath to Cary land that will be more valuable once they are done mining. They show us beautiful designs of a park and a lake. They discuss landscaping and park access. This, they say, will be Meyer’s “gift” to Cary.
This is a façade. One need only to look at the current pit on Klasen Road. The new pit will merely be an extension of the old. That pit is not beautiful. There are steep, dangerous cliffs. The land surrounding the pit, including the berms that were established to shield the pit from Fox Trails residents are overgrown with weeds and not maintained.And, there is no "lake." Look carefully at that pit. Next time you drive down Klasen, slow down and look at Cary's future. The water that sits at the bottom is not a lake that can be used. If there is no usable lake in the current pit, one can surmise that there will not be much of a lake when this pit is expanded. It is that simple.
So Meyer is getting desperate. They made an offer to “protect” home values in Fox Trails. However, like so much of what Meyer has promised, this proposal is empty and does not at all protect property values. What it does is makes Meyer a controlling party in the home selling process; a dangerous idea to say the least.
As for the rumors in regard to de-annexation? Although this is something that theoretically can happen, a lawyer has told us that the probability of it succeeding is almost zero. Why? If that land is de-annexed, that would leave parts of Cary no longer connected to Cary. And that makes the probability of success for Meyer very slim.
So Meyer is desperate. They are throwing proposals around to try and hook potential votes on the board and to sway public opinion in their direction. The Mayor submits his own plan that allows Meyer to mine but forces some minor concessions on Meyer. Again we are made to think that this may be the best we can get. The Mayor’s plan may be nothing more than a behind-the-scenes deal with Meyer from the beginning. It is smoke and mirrors. The Mayor is Meyer's biggest salesman.
The fact remains that Meyer needs 5 votes to get the Chally Farm agreement changed.
That means that only 3 votes can defeat Meyer.
Only three votes stand between the people of Cary and an ugly, harmful pit.
It is hoped that three people on the Village board have the courage to stand up to Meyer and simply say “no.”
For that is the right thing to do.
