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Ironically, at the arbitration hearing, one of the
Tribe’s own expert
witnesses praised Havasu Palms’ management and development of the
resort, noting how they had maximized its earnings for the Tribe, in
spite of the limitations it had operated under. He actually seemed
surprised that we had done so well.
It left some wondering why the
Tribe had chosen to give a new lease to a new entity, rather than
rewarding Havasu Palms for its decades of hard work and effort in
developing the lease land.
Another one of the Tribe’s own witnesses gave surprising testimony. He
was an attorney, who had worked for the Tribe early on, and participated
in lease negotiations with Havasu palms, he testified that it was never
the Tribes intention to grant Havasu Palms a long term lease. This
contradicted the Tribe’s assertion that they had worked in good faith in
attempting to negotiate for a long term lease.
The Arbitration ruled in favor of Havasu Palms, and an settlement was
awarded. As of today, it has not been paid.
(sometime after this speech, Havasu Palms was
notified that the Federal Government was setting aside the judgment, as
it felt it was not in the best interest of the Tribe.)
My mother, Caroline Johnson, lives with my husband and I in Lake Havasu
City. Since the last mobile home was confiscated by the current
management, she has not been back to her former home of more than 30
years.
Occasionally I pass the park, via water. I can see some of the
changes. One of the most heartbreaking for me is the “landscaping”.
The hillside, from the restaurant, down the embankment to the road
leading to the marina, has been scraped clean of the natural flora
and fauna, brought to dirt and covered with colored rock. I
wonder, what in the world were they thinking?
They have removed the
intriguing natural rock, desert foliage, including sage, creosote,
Brittlebush, assorted flowering cactus, mesquite, and desert wild
flowers that bloomed throughout the years, a sight which delighted my
family for over three decades. Some plants, that are considered illegal
to transplant, much less destroy, are no longer there. It was a natural
desert habitat that provided home for desert creatures, while the human
visitors could relax nearby, and enjoy the spectacular desert landscape.
Across the lake, in Lake Havasu City, a homeowner will pay a
professional landscaper thousands of dollars to recreate what was once
on that hill. Several weeks ago we drove through the park for the
first time in over 5 years, and I noticed Mother nature must be agreeing
with me. With these recent rains she is already pushing aside the
colored rock, and bringing her desert foliage back to life. I
imagine it will take some time for the hill to regain its former beauty,
at this point it is a bit scraggly, like an untended yard with intruding
weeds.
But, we have many wonderful memories of our time there, and understand
that our future is now on this side of the lake. Today, My husband, Don,
and I are REALTORS with Coldwell Banker McCulloch Judd Realty.
(Today Don and Bobbi are with
Heirloom Realty,
where Don is the Designated Broker.)
Over the last few months we’ve read numerous letters to the editors in
our local newspaper, complaining about the winter visitors. I
imagine, in a few weeks the letters will shift, and someone will be
complaining about those darn Californians…and the summer visitors.
Personally, I believe each of those groups have played a historic role
in the growth of our city.
When Robert McCulloch began planning this community, Lake Havasu already
had a snowbird visitors population….they were the fishermen and retirees
that camped in places such as Roads End Camp, Black Meadows, Havasu
Landing or Havasu Springs. I remember some of those earlier
people…most have long since passed, yet their children still come to
Lake Havasu, as do their grandchildren. And many live here.
The same is true for the spring breakers… we meet so many people who
used to spend their spring break on Lake Havasu, and are now looking to
buy retirement homes here.
I know there will always be people who want to keep the snowbirds out…or
the spring breakers out…but the fact is, they, along with the
developers like my parents, early pioneer entrepreneurs who ventured to
both sides of lake Havasu, risked it all by bringing their families to
this remote wilderness in search of their dreams….those people, the
snowbirds, spring breakers, risk takers, adventurers…they are us….they
are what makes Havasu City unique.
Perhaps their
dreams were not as grandiose as a man who transported a
historic bridge across the ocean, they may have come with nothing more
than an Amway distributorship, a brand new teaching credential or a
willingness to build something new….collectively, they are what allowed
Robert McCulloch’s dream to become a reality…and without them... all of
them... we would not be here tonight.