Your Backyard? Surprise! Not Anymore!

The State of Maryland sent letters to 350 residents a couple weeks ago, informing them that the state will seize portions of their properties for construction of the Intercounty Connector (ICC). Unlike the residents whose homes will be demolished by the state, who were notified back in November of 2005, many of these residents had no idea the state was even considering the taking of their property.

According to today's Washington Post, Melanie Peter, director of the ICC project, said "We made every effort we could to keep people informed of the project." David Buck, a spokesman for the state highway administration, tried to pin the blame for the lack of notice on residents, saying in the same WaPo article, "it was incumbent on those folks to go out to the community meetings and see if their property would be affected."

Many of the residents dispute that, saying that they did indeed attend the community meetings and briefings held by the state officials.

Regardless of your stand on the ICC itself (a $3 billion, environment-destroying, 6+ lane, $7 a day, boondoggle of a toll road - oops, did I say that?), that is certainly no way to treat residents of Maryland.