Saturday, March 12, 2011

"THE BEAR ....AND NOW THE REST OF THE STORY"

In conversations with the Bear I have learned an interesting twist to this ongoing story of rabbit burrows. I have always assumed that the river flooded over the embankment and flooded the burrows. The Bear told me that was just an opinion. I, in my wisdom, had to bite... what are you talking about? "Well," the Bear told me, "did you ever notice how the wall leans towards the river now?" Yeah, so what? Well, he told me the rest of the story. The water flooded the burrows from behind... not from overflow of the river. I asked what caused this?
He reminded me that at the same time of the flood, the Wizard from Columbus had decided to build a new bridge over the river, where the Walnut trees street crosses the river. While the Beavers were building the new bridge, they kept the old bridge up and filled in the embankment and funnelled the river water through two 8 foot culverts.
When the big rain came, the culverts were blocked by tree limbs, and along with the rain water, acted as a dam. Soon, the rain waters backed up, building tremendous force on the culverts, so much that even Beaver heavy equipment tumbled into the river.
Finally, the culverts blew out, causing a torrential wall of water to come down the river. By the time the water got to Millstone, there was so much it came in behind the burrows.
Don't believe this? Call 'Lion EL' [Don't panic he's legal] at the NS railroad and ask how close they came to losing that trestle over the river.
The Bear also admitted to a lunch date at the Elk's house to discuss his property that is attached to the Millstone property. He also informed me that a certain title company had done an appraisal of his property for the Queen. Funny how no one at the castle 'knows' anything. The Bear asked me what alphabet agency deemed the condos unrepairable? Or was it just the Queen in her wisdom (or her opinion)?
The Bear mentioned that any Kingdom would love to have a river in it. It is considered the most valuable. Check it out. The most desirable rabbit burrows are always on the waterfront. Yet our Queen deems the best use for riverfront burrow land is to turn it back to Mother Nature?
What about the other rabbits that live down in the Queen's Valley? Why not include them also? Did they have proper insurance? Did the Great FEMA give them money, no strings attached?
Someone please explain how a forgiveness of interest on a loan to the Wizard in Columbus over a waste treatment plant ever got involved in this... or is it the main reason the Queen involved herself.... and not for the welfare of the rabbits?
The Bear understands the rabbits' plight and only asks for the same thing they ask for: pre-flood value for his property. He can rebuild the burrows and risk his own jars of honey.... or pay him for what is his and let him move on.
I don't know the Bear well but am very glad he was willing to sit down with me and tell his side of this tale. I would really like the opportunity to hear from any rabbit as well. Funny, he and I both agree that now that the sharks have their teeth in the honey jar fight...it will drag on for a long time.
All this drama in the valley could have been avoided if the proper insurance was carried. Honey Jar Insurance, not Lemon Insurance!

Like I mentioned above before you get the idea that I am an advocate for the Bear, I would really like to here the rabbits side of the story. This is an open offer to anyone in the association or homeowners. I would love to have "Lemon" Insurance explained, along with who reached out to the city or did the city reach out to them?

41 Comments:

At March 13, 2011 at 12:39 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I remember, there was a dam under the Main Street bridge. Who was responsible for removing it? And, did the removal of the dam have any thing to do with the extreme flooding, of the area?

 
At March 13, 2011 at 12:53 PM , Anonymous ALEX said...

for a city to receive federal and state mitigation funds,they would have to have a natural disaster. according to the BEARS story,this wasn't a natural disaster, it was a man-made disaster, through a construction project. it is very interesting that no-one on council has questioned this! CALL THIS NUMBER,614-889-7150, the office of EMA (EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY) and ask how painesville city received 4million dollars for a non-natural disaster? GOOD QUESTION, HUH?????

 
At March 13, 2011 at 3:18 PM , Anonymous Kathy Sak said...

Holy smokes Batman!! Who's the Joker to be held responsible?

 
At March 13, 2011 at 3:55 PM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

12:39 The Bear blew the Dam. More information why? He owned it. Yes somehow the Bear owned the Dam as well as the land under the water. Now by the dam being gone what has happened? Ask a fisherman and even city officials what that did to impove fishing on the river.
It was a natural disaster exacerbated by the construction along the river. INTERESTING FACT, HUH?????

 
At March 13, 2011 at 5:48 PM , Anonymous Kathy Sak said...

Old reporter saying - "When your mother says she loves you, check it out."

 
At March 13, 2011 at 6:04 PM , Anonymous ALEX. said...

CLEVELAND MAGAZINE STATED best steel head fishing in NORTHEAST OHIO. the grand river in our city. SINCE THE DAM WAS REMOVED TO LET MOTHER NATURE DO WHAT IS NATURAL FOR THE STEEL HEAD TROUT. remarkable. ALEX. PS. this would be a nice vacation area for out of area fishermen. hotel along the river e.t.c. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.

 
At March 14, 2011 at 12:03 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

OMG Term, you are one of the biggest suckers ever.

 
At March 14, 2011 at 5:09 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thats cool.. You can blow up damn in Painesville, but poor Osborne gets in trouble for removing dirt from a river (he owns) in Kirtland. so how much is Mr270 property worth pre flood value? If his property was worth so much why did it take so long to build on his property that is in the river?

 
At March 14, 2011 at 8:09 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Are you allowed to use dynomite in Pvll for demolition purpose? did he get a permit?

 
At March 14, 2011 at 12:11 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

TERM>> said...

12:39 The Bear blew the Dam. More information why? He owned it.>>


How did the Bear get to own a dam? Who did he buy it from and how can one own property under a state river? The fact is, as I been told, the bear just went ahead and blew the dam, without permission from, anyone. He (the bear) has been known to do whatever he wants and if anyone complains, he sues. Term, do know of the incident off of Madison Ave., years ago. A lady complained to the Bear, about a problem with the house he built for her. Well, he chased her with a front end loader! And, while your at it, check out his home on Johnnycake Ridge. The Bear is not a very nice bear!

 
At March 14, 2011 at 12:21 PM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

At the time he blew the Dam the State of Ohio recognized "Ripirian Rights" look it up.

 
At March 14, 2011 at 12:49 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

That is BS.

Ducks Unlimited sued to have the dams removed as it inhibited steelhead spawning.
They won.
ODNR approved the removal of several damns in NE. OH. as they $$$ in sport fishing more than mills and hydro plants.

Next problem it allowed the lamprey eels access up river and other nasty species from the lake.

the bear had little to do with removing the Painesville damn.

 
At March 14, 2011 at 3:51 PM , Anonymous Adam said...

5:09, don't forget that Osborne got in trouble for the river work he did, but EVEN STILL, has finished what he started...and leaves things looking nice when they're finished.

Now I've confessed before that I don't know the Bear at all, other than hearing him "roar" some pretty offensive things at Silvestros...so my opinion of him is obviously less than favorable. So I have to give an atta-boy to what 12:11 said - look at his property on Rt. 84, or look at the eyesore industrial park on N. Ridge by Calamity Curve. The dude isn't doing the Painesville area any favors.

 
At March 14, 2011 at 6:26 PM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

Adam, Are you telling me that only non-offensive people should be treated fairly? I agree with you about his personality, but The city and the Condo Association won't come forward. Why?
He's not asking for a favor.

 
At March 14, 2011 at 6:30 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Term, You are saying a owner of land next to a river can blow up a dam using Riparian rights? How about the landowner on the other side of the dam. Do they have a say in the decision?

 
At March 14, 2011 at 8:26 PM , Anonymous Adam said...

No, that's not what I'm saying.

I mention these things so that your readers will know that admittedly, my viewpoint of the Bear is biased. As such, I personally his credibility rating is kinda low, and so I have to take anything he says with a grain of salt - including this business about the condos.

Even if I had never encountered him (and before I ever met him), when I looked at his properties in and around the greater Painesville area, I never felt that he was good ambassador for our city.

And it's not like "he" is asking for a favor; "he" is not asking for anything. Or at least he made the News-Herald think that he wasn't affiliated with 270 Main St......

 
At March 15, 2011 at 6:08 AM , Anonymous ALEX. said...

I watched the council meeting, Joe Hada informed John Murphy, the law director Joe Gurley would be handling the Millstone buy-out. TIME IS 6 MONTHS TILL AGREEMENT WITH F.E.M.A. EXPIRES. closeure is coming soon OCT 2011.

 
At March 15, 2011 at 8:21 AM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

ALEX. Law director Gurley would be handling the Millstone buy-out? Great and the city isn't even involved with the lawsuit. Little fact the city manager failed to mentioned? The grant money is set aside, right but if it's not settled by the October date the Chicago FEMA office transfers it to the Washington D.C. FEMA office, have been told they have different rules. Time will tell.
B.S. 12:49 What it wasn't the Bear? It was the Ducks? new players in this story.
Went to the FEMA site and it seems the whole area is in a flood plain including the homes on Main St. Grand River Ave. Steele Ave. funny the city is only concerned with Gristmill, Millstone.
Also noted on the map Jack Britt Stadium is also listed in the flood plain on the map?

 
At March 15, 2011 at 12:42 PM , Anonymous Goldilocks said...

Not a nice bear? I was hoping he was looking for a nice honeypot.

 
At March 15, 2011 at 1:42 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

ok now the real story 270 main st bought the land the dam was on and the dam wasnt blown up it was pushed over but the best part is who didnt want to buy the dam property . the city of painesville.and yes 270 owns the land under the water in the river and all around the condos,so how is the city going to acsess the millstone property when 270 owns the entrance.

 
At March 15, 2011 at 4:41 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Boy, this plot just keeps on getting thicker and thicker, doesn't it.

P.S. Thanks for the laugh, Goldilocks.

 
At March 16, 2011 at 6:28 AM , Anonymous TONY. said...

ocme to council meeting MON MARCH 21 2011 and ask why the city and not the condo group got involved in appling for a F.E.M.A. monies. ITS INTERESTING ALL THE OTHER HOMEOWNERS IN THE AREA ARE HAPPY. tony.

 
At March 16, 2011 at 6:58 AM , Anonymous INTERESTING. said...

TONY POST 6;28 the other home owners in the area had GOOD coverage on their dwellings. The condo group did not listen to the advice of the insurance co , when the change was made in 2003. They were warned in 2003 the coverage they are changing would not be good enough if a flood occured. very interesting.

 
At March 16, 2011 at 2:19 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

6:28 and 6:58: Do you two know who all knew about the decision to get inadequate flood insurance coverage? Was it all the condo owners, or just the condo association?

 
At March 16, 2011 at 3:53 PM , Anonymous Unicorn said...

A Bear, rabbits, sharks, skunks, beavers, and now ducks. This is one great story.

 
At March 16, 2011 at 7:32 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can't find the article at this moment, but wasn't there a recent article in The News-Herald featuring the Condo Association President expressing his distress over the fact that his daughter had not yet received any money for her Millstone condo? If he was the President, then surely he was either in on and/or knew about the lack of proper flood insurance, no?

 
At March 16, 2011 at 8:40 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why does my mortgage lender require me to buy flood insurance?
Under federal law, the purchase of flood insurance is mandatory for all federal or federally related financial assistance for the acquisition and/or construction of buildings in high-risk flood areas (Special Flood Hazard Areas or SFHAs).

The amount of flood insurance coverage required by the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, as amended by the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994, is the lesser of the following:

1.The maximum amount of NFIP coverage available for the particular property type,
2.The outstanding principal balance of the loan, or
3.The insurable value of the structure.
If the property is not in a high-risk area, but instead in a moderate-to-low risk area, federal law does not require flood insurance; however, a lender can still require it. It is also recommended since historically about one-in-four flood claims come from these moderate-to-low risk areas. Note that if during the life of the loan the maps are revised and the property is now in the high-risk area, your lender will notify you that you must purchase flood insurance.

This is from the web site floodsmart.gov. And on this web site you will see Painesville does participate in the National Flood Insurance program. All along I have thought this whole mess should have gone to civil court for a judge to decide whose fault it was that these homeowners didn't have enough insurance. It's a sneaky way for Painesville to grab land for their own purposes while making themselves out to be "the good guys." truth is these property owners would have done better to sue in court. once they take the little amount offered them they can't.

 
At March 16, 2011 at 9:54 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

There's some really good info coming up on this blog. Does anyone know if these condos were in a high-risk or moderate-to-low risk zone?

 
At March 17, 2011 at 8:03 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

To give you information to think about:
At one time deeds were given on property to the center line of a river, the bear holds origional deeds to his properties showing that he owns to the middle of the river. He owned prooperty on both sides of the river facing each other. IE, he owns the property under the river, so technically any dam was on his property. Think about that before passing judgement.

 
At March 17, 2011 at 12:48 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

To 8:03: I don't know enough about the water/damn part of this to have any actual opinions on what was right or wrong, nor do I propose to actually know what happened to the damn and if it was a good or bad thing. Having said that, however, it seems to me that if you own something like a damn and it can impact any property besides your own, then its probably not wise to just treat it as your own. Again, I'm not necessarily talking about what the Bear did or did not do, because I don't know, I'm just saying ...

 
At March 17, 2011 at 1:04 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

To: 8:03 AM

So, the present bridge is also, on his property. Can he remove the bridge too?

 
At March 17, 2011 at 1:41 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The bride is suspended in the air with property owned by the state on each bank.

 
At March 17, 2011 at 2:11 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is 12:48. Just realized I spelled "dam" as "damn." Don't know what to say except that that is the kind of day I am having. How funny. Well, you guys knew what I meant, right?

 
At March 17, 2011 at 10:23 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

To 1:41 PM

The bridge is on property owned by the state, but the dam's property, was own by a private citizen? This doesn't compute!

 
At March 18, 2011 at 6:41 AM , Anonymous ALEX. said...

IT IS WHAT IT IS. come to council meeting.[mon march 21 2011,7;30 pm, c u i hope. 10;23 all your questions can be answered. ALEX.

 
At March 19, 2011 at 3:56 PM , Anonymous Sunshine said...

To those of you that believe what you read here, I urge you to Go to City Hall and find out the truth for yourself.Anonymous March 16, 9:54 PM sais "there's some really good information..." Seriously, go out and learn for yourself the real truth.

 
At March 19, 2011 at 4:53 PM , Anonymous TERM>> said...

Sunshine, could you get someone at city hall to tell us the truth at a council meeting?
Seriously, go out and get them to please tell us the truth.

 
At March 19, 2011 at 5:21 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

To Sunshine 3:56: Yeah, Sunshine, I'm with Term. I DARE you to go get someone at city hall to tell us the whole truth ABOUT ANYTHING.

 
At March 19, 2011 at 6:30 PM , Anonymous city emp. said...

I BET SUNSHINE IS NOT LIVING IN THE CITY OF PAINESVILLE. he or she is a person who think,s painesville is going to become a little CHICAGO. another city employ

 
At March 19, 2011 at 8:54 PM , Anonymous wishicouldmove said...

Painesville isn't going to become a little Chicago. It is very close to being a little Mexico.

 
At March 22, 2011 at 6:22 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

SI

 

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