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“DOUBLE TAP” IMPACT

The phrase ‘double tap’ came out of mafia movies and television shows wherein the screenwriters had no experience at all in assassinating anyone in real life.  More of the current mythology about this kind of movie feed garbage has gone along continuing into the present day.  There’s no need for a second shot if you are shooting someone at close range in the head.  Double ‘tapping’ would be wasteful and just silly.  However, when it comes to the development of property for building homes, condominiums, and apartment buildings it’s applicable.

Builders come in with the first ‘tap’ to the community.  They have paid no impact fees for things like open space, parks, traffic lights and so much more.  Thanks to the sad political actions of one past mayor in Lake Geneva, those impact fees were waived for years.  Two of the modern developments that have profited from this lousy community-punishing result of a rotten decision are called Stone Ridge and Symphony Bay.  Incidentally, Stone Ridge is not built on or of stone and Symphony Bay isn’t near any water.  Both developments made promises they did not keep, which isn’t even the second tap.

Stone Ridge never built the second access road to and from the development and nobody seemed to care except the people who bought houses up there.  Symphony Bay built many of its houses too close together and got away with it…at least until some later day when astute buyers may decide that purchasing homes that weren’t properly inspected might cost them a bundle.  How does a new owner move the foundation of a house about a foot or so to meet codes?  No, the second tap of the double tap is being fired right now.  The backstreets of both developments are being considered and then voted upon to have their privately built streets moved into public ownership.

What does that mean?  It means that Lake Geneva, the citizens, will now become responsible for upkeep and liability.  Oh, the developers are paying some pittance as their ‘fair share’ of the inherent cost of making this change or rather shifting the cost.  Just as, back in the day, years ago, Mayor Jim Conners was able to exempt new builders from impact fees, the current leadership, before the coming elections in April, will likely move ahead (or behind) to make those streets public.  Police and fire departments will, upon the successful passage of this agreement, now must provide police and fire services as a requirement, and not like before, when they responded out of safety and courtesy to everyone.  The police and fire department personnel and leadership both are among the most courteous in the nation.  They’ve both given free backup services to the Town of Linn property located over on Snake Road for many years.

The ‘beat goes on’ isn’t just a lyrical phrase from a Sonny and Cher song of long ago, it’s also how things are and have continued for so long in Lake Geneva.  The wealthy developers are fully favored, forgiven for everything, basically uninspected, and continue to use subterfuge and lie to market their products.  Stone Ridge’s access road is too steep for winter and has promoted reckless driving in summer.  Many driveways of the homes are too steep for vehicles with snow and ice accumulations.  Symphony Bay was going to be for couples aged 55 and older, with no children allowed.  Today, anybody can buy there, and children are welcome.

Too bad for the people who bought in at an earlier time. The city council voted to go ahead and make the  Stone Ridge and Symphony Bay private streets public, thereby having the other citizens of the city pick up a tab their developer should have paid.