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Dangerous Labyrinth - Phoenixville circa 2008

Dangerous Labyrinth

One time when I was in Phoenixville there was a request from the Chester County Housing Authority to build a low income housing project to replace the one that was boarded up and ramshackled.  The fact they wanted a variance on the density to pack those low income people right on top of each other irritated me but that is another story.

This story involves the same person that later was fired, her appointment defined by me as nepotism.  Her flippedness with me was noted on a few occasions.  In these situations when a powerful Authority wants something and their goal attainment ids blocked they set out to attack the community on all sides.  The couldn't manage what they had let alone build new.

During the density debate in an effort to intimidate the locals the Housing Authority attempted to shoot an arrow in the heart of the Phoenixville Labyrinth...much to the chagrin of the Community Garden Manager Darlene.  The Community Garden was already in peril and now they were after the pagan spiritual hub of Phoenixville.  They tried to get me fired too but again that is part of another story.

So the controversy made the newspapers and the Housing Authority had stated that HUD representatives at the site and they declared the Labyrinth dangerous.  You can plainly see from the picture above that it is probably the most serine place around.  Spiritual, calming and made you want to one with nature.

Because i am a public sector trouble maker I kind of know the ropes.  I know that HUD does not declare anything dangerous without a study.  So I did a freedom of information act request for the study.  There was no study.  I did another freedom of information act request for any mention of the Labyrinth in Board Meetings and the like.  When there was no answer i gave it two extra days and re-requested the info in a letter which I copied the County Commissioners.  i got a terse on sentence reply that it was a casual comment.

That kind of set me off because how is an idle comment end up being the focal point of the attack.  At that point there was a retreat on the side of the Housing Authority in their attempt to destroy the labyrinth and it was saved for another day.

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