Patterson Irrigator

A letter to the editor from Burta Herger.

EDITOR,
I experienced the best lesson in circumlocution in my whole life last week while attending a meeting to learn why West Park’s proposal will benefit our West Side.

According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, circumlocution is “a roundabout way of saying something.” If I could change the word “something” to “nothing,” that would fit the presentation perfectly.

The 6 p.m. meeting started at 6:20 and was to end at 8 p.m. Lawyer Cathy Hallinan said this was to be a dialogue between the presenter and the audience. She told us to speak one at a time and not to make disruptive comments. The audience listened intently and obeyed her instructions. However, the main presenter, developer Gerry Kamilos, either didn’t hear her say it was to be a discussion or he didn’t understand what a discussion is.

Mr. Kamilos said the project would produce 37,000 jobs; have a hospital, a school for high school dropouts, an airport for small airplanes and a state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection station; and haul farm goods trucked in from as far away as Bakersfield among other features. You want it, he will see that it is in the project.

Only a few questions were asked, because there was no time left for more. Mr. Kamilos did not answer any question directly but rambled extensively. I’m sure the lady concerned about truck pollution still doesn’t know what will be done about it.

When asked how the project will be financed, the only point he was clear on during the evening was the money won’t come from China. When asked where water would come from, he said he had worked in development for 17 years, and his development group was always able to settle that question.

West Park’s brochure said the project would take up only 0.5 percent of Stanislaus County’s land, but Mr. Kamilos could not say what percentage of prime farmland his plan would use.

The meeting was a complete waste of time and an insult to the intelligence of attendees.

The meeting’s style and presentation of material is counterproductive to our gaining knowledge. He doesn’t need to be clear and fair with us. He already has three county supervisors in his pocket.

I do not want my children and grandchildren to contend with 37,000 workers getting to and from work daily, Highway 33 widened to four lanes, trains taking two minutes to cross a given point with no consideration of traffic backup and top agricultural land turned into blacktop and warehouses.

— Burta Herger, Patterson

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