by Matt Ankney
Ste. Genevieve County does not have any zoning laws around Hawn State Park; this makes it really easy to install a mine in the scenic, pastoral Highway 32 corridor.
I recently returned from Boulder, Colorado, an amazing city where people really want to live for several reasons. What makes this city extremely livable are the rules the community made and enforces. Once those rules were in place, the surrounding property values skyrocketed. Skilled professionals and their families flocked there to live and do business in a model American city.
It is fascinating how the wealthy love zoning laws in the communities where they reside. In nearby St. Louis, the rich and powerful control almost all aspects of their municipalities of Ladue, Town & Country, Wildwood, etc.. A McDonald’s sign is tiny, parking lot lights cannot be too bright, new construction and remodeling on homes requires permits, noise laws are enforced, residential zones are honored, tickets are written. This is no different in places like Beverly Hills, West Palm Beach, Aspen, Long Island, Connecticut, suburban Dallas, The Villages in Florida, wealthy enclaves of Atlanta, and other exotic American locales.
Photo by Matt Ankney
If you have a favorite park in Missouri somewhere in a county like Ste. Genevieve, then a good idea is to go into that community, find out what type of zoning regulations they have, and start organizing for the local government to make laws protecting parks and surrounding residences. This is just common-sense easy stuff people can do before more parks are destroyed.
If it can happen to Hawn and Hickory Canyons, it can happen to any park or town in the state.
For more information about our anti-mine group SAVE HAWN!, find us on Facebook.
KSGM News Director Don Pritchard interviewed Matt Ankney about his latest project, a short film showing the wonder that is rural Ste. Genevieve County.
Here it is:
https://soundcloud.com/angie-sancho/save-hawn-radio-interview-7