http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2013/02/14/proposed-land-deal-between-caw-and-planning-commissioner-stirs-controversy Comments On: Proposed land deal between CAW and Planning chair stirs controversy by David Ramsey en-us Copyright 2013 Arkansas Times. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, Arkansas Times readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact Arkansas Times. robert@arktimes.com (Arkansas Times Webmaster) Sat, 25 May 2013 00:00:01 -0500 Sat, 25 May 2013 12:45:00 -0500 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by Mean Gene]]> Sat, 16 Feb 2013 07:24:01 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by Sound Policy]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 22:10:49 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by Mean Gene]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:10:04 -0600 Arkansas Times
I lost a horse because of him and their antics. I spent almost two years taking lessons from an unqualified instructor despite being told otherwise. I spent thousands of dollars with them and consider myself defrauded. It took thousands of dollars spent elsewhere to undo their poor training of myself and my mount.

So, feel free to hypothesize all you like, but my experience with him is very real. As I like to remind people, there are always consequences, if only social ones, for your bad deeds.

This sort of thing is just more of the same from a bunch of crooks.

The case was mentioned for that very reason---to show him as a bully and crook. Although, I actually believe the court should have sided with the Vogelpohls in this case. Our Supreme Court blew the case terribly. It's a rare case where I can delight in their failure.

And no one burns your barn down (google it if you care to) for no good reason.....

I adopted the name Mean Gene for blogging purposes in the equestrian world where I am not liked except by the honest few and the animals.

What is your relationship to these creeps SP?
Posted by Mean Gene]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:53:56 -0600 Arkansas Times
Looks to me like Mean Gene has become a business competitor of Vogelpohl, and a hostile one at that.

Mean Gene, that was an interesting case you linked. I can see arguments on both sides of that fence case as did the judges having to decide the case on appeal. My question to you is what relevance the case you linked has to this thread except to try and impugn Vogelpohl? 'Mean' Gene seems a most appropriate handle in this instance.

And I'm not sure what CAWC stands for. If it is the Central Arkansas Water Commission, Vogelpohl doesn't serve on that body. He serves on the Pulaski County Planning Board. You can look up their duties if you care to do so. Plus try to get your facts straight in the future.
Posted by Sound Policy]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:19:27 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by Mean Gene]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:52:53 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by mudturtle]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:50:30 -0600 Arkansas Times
Drive out there and see how the Vogelpohls rape their land. It's on the border of PuCo and Perry on Hwy 10. You can also see the back of their place if you hike the Ouachita trail.
Posted by Mean Gene]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:32:05 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by Joe Quimby]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 07:25:15 -0600 Arkansas Times
He's the last person you want on the CAWC.
Posted by Mean Gene]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 07:05:14 -0600 Arkansas Times
Mr. Villines,

I boarded at Diamond TR for two years. I have spent many hours with Ray trail riding and considered him a friend until things started to deteriorate at his business and we (my wife and I) started to leave. Because we left, they began a smear campaign against us that we are still recovering from. I now run my own horse business that plays by the laws of our land. I would expect our planning commissioners to play by the same rules, but like so many in business, they don't think the laws apply to them.

On their web site, they report to have "certified trainers" but I contacted the two certification institutes (Certified Horsemanship Association and American Riding Instructors Association) and their certifications lapsed years ago. Here is the page of their web site that falsely advertises their certifications. http://diamondtr.com/lessons.html (NOTE: this was true at the time of writing but has been changed now)

When I was there, Diamond TR used undocumented/illegal workers to clean stalls and I have heard from others this practice continued and likely still does.

Here is a case where they fought with their neighbors over less land than you can spit on. http://ar.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocVi… While I was a boarder, there were many incidents between them and the Boyettes, and yet I never saw the Boyette family do anything to disrupt their business or cause them harm.

..........................................
Posted by Mean Gene]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:58:00 -0600 Arkansas Times
1) The conservation easement being considered between Central Arkansas Water and Pulaski Co. Planning Board member, and periodic chair, Ray Vogelpohl has been in the works for roughly 5 years, several years before any county ordinances even started being considered. The consultant hired by Pulaski Co. which helped draft the ordinances was hired in January 2010, 3 years ago. Should Vogelpohl have had to resign just so he could keep talking to Central Arkansas Water about a potential conservation easement that includes roughly one mile of riparian zone, the Maumelle River, if such an easement helps protect water quality in Lake Maumelle? That's absurd on its face.

2) Conservation easements are part of the Lake Maumelle Watershed Management Plan (page 4-4) adopted by the Central Arkansas Water Commission in early 2007, 6 years ago. Maybe these landowners should get a copy- they're free!- and read it and quick whining about everything. Such crybabies! They've been complaining for years that nobody ever tells them anything when the record proves otherwise. They ignored multiple letters sent to every watershed property owner by Central Arkansas Water on numerous subjects, and then years later when things reach critical mass they show up at the eleventh hour and bitch and moan: "Nobody tells us anything."

3) Have any of the complaining landowners told Central Arkansas Water they would be willing to discuss conservation easements on their property? Or do they just feel good complaining about others who get things done instead of whining in public? And if they did offer their land for conservation easements, could I or others accuse them unfairly of cutting a special deal just like they have done with Vogelpohl? Even if it is not true? The answer is yes.

4) As I understand it, the discussion over the Vogelpohl easement is just that, a discussion, that may or may not result in a proposal that the Central Arkansas Water Commission would have to approve. Don't like it? Attend Central Arkansas Water commission meetings and explain intelligently to those 7 commissioners why it is or is not a good deal for the people paying the bills- Central Arkansas Water ratepayers, i.e. customers or water users- to pay for conservation easements as opposed to paying much more to buy the land outright. If it is much less costly and accomplishes the same level of protection for Lake Maumelle water quality, why not go the conservation easement route? I'm among those 400,000 people paying the bills. These malcontents are not. It's not their money, but they sure are free with their advice on how it should be spent.

5) The Pulaski Co. Planning Board (not 'Commission') has little control over the proposed county ordinances. Those are being fought over before the Quorum Court, not the Planning Board. That's where the authority resides. The Planning Board by statute did have to consider the ordinances and amendments to the ordinances at various times, but that was a formality and they acted like they were handling a hot potato. They were only too happy to send the ordinances back to the Quorum Court. The Quorum Court is the decider, not the Planning Board. To somehow imply that Vogelpohl is some sort of kingmaker regarding the ordinances shows a glaring ignorance of the process to date.

6) Finally, what is a 'conservation easement'? For those who don't know, it's when a property owner voluntarily (note: voluntarily) accepts payment in exchange for specified restrictions placed on their property. In the Vogelpohl case he and any future owner would not be able to build any houses on this property- forever! At some point it will be up to both the Central Arkansas Water Commission and Vogelpohl as to whether or not both parties see benefits to signing a conservation easement. And the public will have an opportunity to voice their opinions, pro or con, even the whiners.
Posted by Sound Policy]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:17:45 -0600 Arkansas Times Posted by radical centrist]]> Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:46:56 -0600 Arkansas Times