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© St. Petersburg Times, published April 17, 2002
As so many residents of St. Petersburg are upset over the proposed conversion of our one-way street system, I wish to submit the following: Don't let this happen!
We were shocked to learn that the city was planning to make both Eighth and Ninth streets two-way at a cost of millions of dollars. Then we learned of a new plan to convert most of our one-way streets to two ways at an unknown cost. Judging from these reports, we are well aware that our administration has been led to believe that the rapidly developing downtown section would benefit from the conversions.
A longtime friend, a traffic engineer in a large city, emphatically disagrees and claims the plans are costing money that could be far better spent elsewhere. Many others firmly agree. The conversion, he says, would create a fishbowl effect, making entering and departing from the area most difficult. He thinks that many would choose to shop outside the area, thereby damaging future development plans.
I vividly recall Doc Webb saying, "Had the miserable two-way streets not been replaced with the one-way streets, the downtown area would have never survived." Are we tempting fate by changing our one-way system?
In this rapidly changing world, the city must be prepared for the questionable future and must plan for the continued safe movement of traffic in the event of a severe hurricane, tornado, a plane crash, a large fire, a terrorist attack or even a missile attack.
Should the boom continue, and should the breathtaking plan for Albert Whitted Airport and Bayfront arena be completed, imagine the traffic we would have to deal with. Regardless of the future, the one-way system would definitely better serve the public, as it has done through the years. Just consider how much safer it is for a pedestrian or driver to cross a one-way street than a two-way. And making a left turn from a one-way is far easier and safer.
We sincerely hope our administration will realize how a new traffic plan, costing $12-million, completely failed in Clearwater. No one benefited and driving conditions have become far worse with an increase in accidents, injuries and property damage.
Please don't let this occur in St. Petersburg. Hopefully there is still time to reconsider and cancel the proposed two-way street plans and allow the proven and paid for one-way streets to remain as they are.
-- Don Saxer, St. Petersburg
I would like to express my support for the designation of a portion of Fort De Soto Park to be clothing-optional.
I have been a naturist all of my adult life and only travel to those destinations that offer me clothing-optional recreation as a possibility. My three-week winter vacation this year took me to the Miami Beach area. Most days were spent at Haulover Beach, a clothing-optional county park with 5,000 to 7,000 people on a sunny weekend day. The place has to be seen -- locals from Miami, tourists from all over the United States and overseas, either wearing swimsuits or not. That's the idea of a clothing-optional beach: all the people doing what is comfortable for them. County lifeguards watch over the beach and the police patrol regularly. A bonus has been that the hotels and restaurants adjoining Haulover have seen an increase in business since the designation as clothing-optional.
The Tampa/St. Petersburg region eagerly seeks more tourists, as does any resort destination, especially since last September. By adding one more recreational option for your prospective tourists and locals, you make yourselves more competitive.
Increasing numbers of Americans are discovering they like clothing-optional recreation, something Europeans and Australians have enjoyed for decades.
There are many choices out there for travelers, so it makes good business sense to offer something that not everyone has. Certainly many who go to Haulover now will want to visit Fort De Soto if the designation is approved. I certainly will.
-- Richard Spacer, Nantucket Island, Mass.
Re: Lifeguard's quick action revives teen, March 30.
On Friday, March 29, about 1:30 p.m., 14-year-old Emmanuel Holland's life was in serious peril. If not for the immediate actions of two lifeguards and staff, it could have been lost. Tracy Bryant and Amy Williams were doing the job they were trained to do that afternoon, one that is practiced and yet rarely put to the test of a real life-and-death struggle.
To be employed by the city of St. Petersburg as a lifeguard one must complete 28 hours of training and pass a comprehensive written and skills test administered through the American Red Cross. Once hired, a lifeguard practices the skills weekly. A lifeguard's job is 98 percent prevention; the remaining 2 percent is saving a life, when all this hard work pays dividends hundreds of times over.
Emmanuel had just jumped off the diving board and panicked once he realized he had underestimated the depth. As he panicked, he inhaled water and immediately fell unconscious. Tracy Bryant notified her fellow workers of an impending crisis and dived in to rescue Emmanuel from the bottom of the pool. She retrieved the unconscious victim and brought him to the side. Tracy positioned herself to begin rescue breathing and Amy Williams positioned herself to begin chest compressions; 911 had already been called.
Tracy blew in two breaths of air and then Amy did 15 chest compressions. The CPR continued on for several cycles of two to three minutes before the victim regained his pulse. Tracy continued rescue breathing, one breath every five seconds, until Emmanuel began to breathe on his own. Paramedics arrived and brought a breathing and talking Emmanuel to the hospital for further tests before he could go home.
Although Tracy and Amy are lifeguards certified by the American Red Cross, this was the first time either one had ever performed CPR to save someone's life. Tracy and Amy performed flawlessly and without hesitation, giving inspiration to their fellow lifeguards, knowing that if called upon they, too, can perform under the fire of a life-and-death situation.
-- Mario L. Abadal, recreations supervisor II North Shore Pool, St. Petersburg
Re: Living proof by Deborah Hirsch, April 7.
That was a warm and wonderful story about the 20-year-old woman who looked up and personally thanked the paramedics who saved her life when she was 16 months old. Such a thank-you was well deserved. This woman was very thoughtful.
Paramedics safeguard our existence and aggressively serve the public. Nationwide, these people brave the sun's heat and snowstorms to reach people in dire need. Like firefighters and police, paramedics can be true heroes. It is one profession that should be paid handsomely with frequent merit raises.
To recognize real heroes gives the voice of our conscience true character.
-- Robert B. Fleming, St. Petersburg