The Department of Environmental Quality (wheeze) has set what strikes me as an arbitrary, even premature, deadline of March 17 to end public comment about granting a new and revised operating permit for C&H Hog Farms, operating in our fragile Buffalo National River watershed.
Oddly enough, the date comes a week shy of our National Park Service providing a pertinent document to what I expect will be the Department of Environmental Quality's rubber-stamped final decision that officially approves the new C&H permit. No surprise there, considering the agency so quickly and quietly approved C&H's initial permit in 2012 without hearing much, if any, relevant public comment.
The document in question represents the report on what might prove to be a highly relevant 2016 National Park Service-sponsored study by hydrologist Dave Mott.
Mott was working under contract with the Park Service to complete his report assessing the permitted concentrated animal feeding operation near the Buffalo National River.
Gordon Watkins, president of the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance, told me his group and others already tried without success to review Mott's report.
"The findings have a direct bearing on the C&H permit and should be part of the record during this crucial comment period," he said. "But ... the Buffalo National River folks, and/or their higher ups, apparently have embargoed the document."
Watkins said he and the alliance believe Mott's findings should have been made public even before the Department of Environmental Quality's designated period for public comments.
"Several folks, including us, have submitted FOIA requests for the report. We were told it will be provided by March 24."
I join those in hoping the National Park Service bureaucracy will submit Mott's significant report during the state's officially designated opportunity for public input.
Appreciating Shafawnda
I've always believed any business ultimately is only as effective and successful as the quality of those it employs. It's also rare that I happen across an employee in the service industry that genuinely recognizes customers' needs.
So today I applaud a waitress named Shafawnda who could well be the most capable waitress I've encountered over the decades of experiencing the best and the worst.
From the moment she approached our table in the River Cane Cafe and Buffet at the Cherokee Hotel and Casino in West Siloam Springs, this young woman seemed focused solely on us, although she had several tables of customers.
Her engaging smile, sparkling eyes and a cheerful willingness to listen and make helpful suggestions revealed her intent to please customers.
"Can't have hash browns? Well, why don't I bring you some fresh sliced tomatoes, or maybe a nice fruit cup? Let me get you more water. You're running a little low. You might want to consider one of our omelets. They really are delicious, as are the pancakes. Before you leave, can I bring you a cup of coffee to take along?"
And so her concerns went for 45 minutes, this woman in her mid-20s being helpful without being intrusive or pushy.
To the restaurant management I offer sincere congrats for employing such an asset to your fine restaurant.
P.S. Bet she'd make a fine trainer for any wait staff, too.
Exposing saboteurs
In an intriguing yet relatively meaningless effort to discover what makes me tick after seven decades , I took a little test designed to reveal my personality's so-called "saboteurs" of life.
Oh well, better way late than never, I suppose, considering any self-respecting personal saboteurs have darn near run their course by now.
Base on findings in the book, Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20 percent of Individuals and Teams Achieve Their Full Potential, by Shirzad Charmine, who also lectures on positive intelligence at Stanford University, the analysis of test results found my greatest saboteurs appear to be trying too hard to please others and being a "hyper-achiever."
Hmmm. Never saw those qualities as accomplices to sabotaging my life or career. But Charmine assures me I apparently have been a lot like, well, a one-eyed, hyper-achievin', flyin' purple people pleaser.
Things could have been worse, I suppose. I might have scored high in being a "victim," or as a "controller" or a "stickler" or even an "avoider."
Want to know what traits Charmine believes have been most sabotaging you for a lifetime? The five-minute test is at www.positiveintelligence.com.
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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial on 03/14/2017