Charlotte

Hayward: I honestly felt some of Rob's comments about me were mean-spirited, but perhaps you didn't. At any rate, if my comments offended, I apologize; I was trying to get my point across that some of the facts just weren't true. I pay flood insurance of $500 a year on top of my homeowner's insurance of $480 a year, so my total to protect my home is about a $1,000 a year. I don't see how the flood insurance can increase - we have no losses. In the 14 years I have lived in my home, I have made one claim of $489. That was for renting a pump, buying gas, and providing labor during the Flood of January 2005. During that flood, the City had not perfected its use of a clay dike and pumps, so my neighbor and I chipped in to rent a large pump and ran it 24/7 for several days. This is what I have continually tried to impress upon the City and others - that while the flooding is a nuisance, those impacted do not have losses worth much at all. I have never lost any furniture, appliances, clothing, or anything. The homes that have garages backed onto Thieme Drive may lose a couple of hundred dollars of items stored in their garages, but as to actual structural damage from a flood, it just doesn't happen. The steep slopes from east to west on Berry and south to north on Nelson keep the water in the small area that Rob has shown in his pictures. I am never prevented from getting in and out of my home because I park at the back and go in. I have always used that entrance. As to the cost to the City, this was the first year the City took a stab at estimating what it cost. The estimate was around $100,000 - that figure was from a city worker, and he did not have figures to back it up. It could also have included work on other areas in West Central.

Well, I just found this site. I would like to correct some - actually many - inaccuracies by the poster called "Rob" who writes about the First Flood of 2009 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is one of the problems with the internet. People can spread any kind of lies and misinformation they want to. I am the woman that he continues to malign for no reason. So let me get started to let you know what is really going on and how he has manipulated and lied about the situation on Thieme Drive to try to impress all of you with his bravado. 1. The West Central Neighborhood Association - not just me - voted to oppose the building of a concrete 10-foot wall along Thieme Drive. No one - save Mr. Pence - wanted a concrete wall in the neighborhood. He blames me because I didn't want a wall, and I took action. Nothing wrong with that. The neighborhood association agreed with me, and voted to let the City know we did not want the wall. In a number of meetings held by the City, other residents appeared and also let the City know they did not want the wall. I do not have as much power as Mr. Pence would have you believe, but the association does, and they agreed with me. 2. Mr. Pence does not live near the area that he is talking about. He lives at least the equivalent of three blocks away, so when he tries to make it sound like he is flooding and the river is right on top of him, he is flat out lying. So to that person who is worried about him, don't. He lives a good distance from the area that irks him. 3. Here is my blog, and you can check out a picture of my house - which he has labeled as the worst looking one on the street. http://berrystreetbeacon.wordpress.com. Does it need some work? Of course. Old homes in old neighborhoods require upkeep. I do a lot of the work myself, and it takes me time since I have a physical disability. During the summer months, neighbors and people walking around the neighborhood tell me how beautiful my home is with my flowers out front. 4. I have never opposed the work at his end of the street, and I have never opposed the cutting down of the weed trees (Trees of Heaven). Neither has anyone else in the neighborhood as far as I know. The Corps undertook a Section 14 CAP Study several years ago. Mr. Pence blames me for the Corps not following through with the repairs at his location. Here is the fact sheet for the repair work, and, as you can see, there simply was no funding for the project - the notion that I have the power to stop such a project is ridiculous. Here is the link to the Corps' site and the fact sheet which shows no funding (sorry Robert, I am just not that powerful that I can pull the plug on federal funding): http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/_kd/Items/actions.cfm?action=Show&item_id=5069&destination=ShowItem If all of you want to keep on believing Mr. Pence, that is up to you. He knows he is exaggerating and lying about what is going on. Furthermore, he is not impacted by flooding. For some reason he has decided to carry out a campaign of lies and misinformation about me and the Thieme Drive situation. I hope the Corps does repair his area which is blocks from me. Thieme Drive is an historical drive in an historical neighborhood. It was named after Theodore Thieme, one of Fort Wayne's leading entrepreneurs and benefactors. He built a small park overlook at the end opposite to Mr. Pence's location. The Drive is protected by the National Registry of Historical Places because it was designed by one of the country's premier landscape architects, George Kessler. Mr. Kessler's designs from the early 1900s are prized and protected all across this country. I admit I love the environment and history. To me, protecting and beautifying this stretch of the River Greenway is important. It is one of the few river drives left in Fort Wayne that isn't hidden behind levees and walls. I continue to stand by my position to protect Thieme Drive, but I think that Mr. Pence should at least be honest about the information he puts out.