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Approved 1/11/2016
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<br />OC Board of Adjustment – 11/9/15 Page 28 of 48
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<br />afternoon. So, having that in the evening was probably complicating to a strong inversion. There may have been some focusing 1
<br />going on. That’s the kind of thing, I was at another hearing a few weeks ago, about a quarry and the quarry applicant was saying 2
<br />we will not blast at 7 o’clock in the morning because of temperature inversion. Well, good. Are you going to start up the rest of your 3
<br />machinery at 7 o’clock in the morning? Another question. And, are you going to take care of it so that you can. Yes, the specifics 4
<br />that may have done a particularly bad evening with the fireworks. I just don’t know, I’ve been there, I have had somebody else 5
<br />mention it to me, I remember now. But, I don’t know whether they plan fireworks, it’s not been mentioned but, in a case where 6
<br />somebody’s not expecting it, particularly, I live in Raleigh, I know when the state fair is going on, there’s going to be fireworks. So if 7
<br />I hear a boom I know what it is, I know at 9:45 in the evening if I hear a boom I know what it is. But, if I was closer to it and it came 8
<br />as a sudden surprise it might be another matter. 9
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<br />Karen Barrows: Thank you. Okeydoke, thanks for your time. Do you have other...? 11
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<br />David Rooks: I do, at this point we would call Amanda Ekholm. 13
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<br />Amanda Ekholm: I’m Amanda Ekholm, and this is Michael Ekholm. We’ve both been sworn in. 15
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<br />Karen Barrows: Ok. 17
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<br />Amanda Ekholm: And we live at 1002 Map Ridge Drive. Which is on the map. Directly across the street. So, we are on the service 19
<br />entrance side as are these three houses, our neighbors are all right now. This is our house. Our yard goes all the way up to 20
<br />Millikan Road where our kids play in the yard right here and right across Millikan Road is the service entrance, the septic field and 21
<br />the barn. So, we are looking at it. It is right across the road from us. We are looking at it and our kids are playing next door to it. So 22
<br />that’s where we are on the map. We’ve heard a lot of testimony and official numbers and things like. This is our family that we’re 23
<br />talking about, and our neighbors’ families and we’re here to represent the families. This is something that will turn our lives upside 24
<br />down. This affects us all and we will all bear the burden of this irresponsible proposal. Like the other families here we have a lot to 25
<br />lose, we chose this area for a reason. We moved here ten years ago we were starting our family, we were living in Phoenix, 26
<br />Arizona and in Phoenix, Arizona the backyards were small, they were the size of a postage stamp, they were fenced in by 27
<br />cinderblocks, the houses were right close together, there was noise, traffic sirens, everything the city brings, crime. And, we knew 28
<br />when we started having kids that’s not where we wanted to raise our kids so, we looked everywhere. We looked high and low for 29
<br />where we wanted to move, where we could have a safe environment for the kids that was quiet and it was beautiful and it was safe 30
<br />and serene and we would have gone anywhere and we came out here and visited and fell in love, and decided to move out in the 31
<br />county so that we could have that experience for our kids. And we were told by the real estate agent at the time that Orange 32
<br />County really restricts its building and that that would most likely stay the way it is, that Orange County doesn’t build much and that 33
<br />we would be assured to have a serene area. So, we did, we chose it, we left family behind, my sisters behind, cousins behind. We 34
<br />did not move for a job, we did not move for family, we moved for this reason, we moved here for the reason for our kids to grow up 35
<br />in that area. So we’ve been there for 10 years now, in this quiet neighborhood that we love, and we would have never looked at 36
<br />that home if that center had been there. We would not have even gone out there with the realtor to see it, knowing it was there 37
<br />would have been enough for us to go look somewhere else and that’s something that concerns us for other people that are 38
<br />interested in that area, that they would be deterred to having to live next to an event center. Especially people with young kids. So 39
<br />we have been there for 10 years now and have been loving it. Our kids have grown. I have pictures I wanted to show you as well, 40
<br />of our yard. This is our view from our porch, it’s just more up close shot than the map is. So that’s looking off of our porch. 41
<br /> 42 Michael Harvey: Ma’am I’m sorry, are you intending to enter these into evidence? 43
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<br />Amanda Ekholm: Oh, so who do I give those to? 45
<br /> 46 Michael Harvey: Just go ahead and pass them around. 47
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<br />Amanda Ekholm: Ok, so, this is our daughter playing in the yard and across the road is where the septic field, service entrance 49
<br />and barn would be, right here. And this is where she plays. And this is our house in relation to Millikan Road. And these are the 50
<br />other homes that are next to us. This is the cul-de-sac, Map Ridge is like a little gravel drive. Millikan Road’s like right here. 51
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<br />Michael Harvey: For the record, the pictures are going to be listed as Op 2. 53
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