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Maine residents block massive border building plans; 16 million for 6 cars a day!
Topic Started: Sep 10 2011, 07:55 AM (272 Views)
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Maine residents block massive border building plans
U.S. changes plans for a $16M building at a crossing that averages 6 vehicles daily

People in a small U.S. community close to the New Brunswick border say they've scored a victory against what they viewed as out-of-control spending on national security, after a proposed customs building was dramatically downsized.

Americans are preparing to honour the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. In the decade since the attacks on the U.S., there has been a construction boom along the Canada-U.S. border.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which was created in the aftermath of the attacks, is still building expensive new customs buildings along the boundary between Canada and the United States. The new facilities are even popping up in remote communities along the border.

Forest City, Maine, is directly across the St. Croix River from Forest City, N.B., and the two communities have a year-round population of about 15 people. Forest City is in western New Brunswick, roughly 70 kilometres south of Woodstock.

Canadians and Americans living in the border communities were used to walking across the bridge to meet each other, and if the local customs guard was not in the office, Forest City residents would walk over and visit his house.

When the Department of Homeland Security decided to beef up its facilities along the border, Forest City was slated for a new building.

The department originally planned for a new $16-million office at the Forest City border crossing, which sees roughly six cars pass by each day.

The initial plans were put into flux when a protest among local residents erupted....

Eventually, the Department of Homeland Security scaled back the designs to a $5-million project and there will be no expropriation required.

As for Parker, he said the idea of building major customs buildings along the border are a waste of money.

Parker said people who threaten the United States will not try to enter at official border crossings.

"Anybody who wants to come in and do us any harm is not going to try to come through the border, whether they're open or closed at the customs agency down here,” Parker said.

"They're going to walk across right here. Or they're going to get in a boat up there and come across the river."

Parker said it would make more sense to spend money on increased patrols on remote areas of the border, such as on lakes and on rivers.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2011/09/08/nb-forest-city-border-641.html?cmp=rss


Good for the citizens. How many more of these govt boondoggles go on? This is what happens when you give the Govt a blank check to stimulate the economy.

However $5 Million for a building to watch 6 cars a day. Have they ever heard of a mobile trailer?

This is our govt at work.
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kbp

I think we have a few extra trailers leftover from Katrina.
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