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© St. Petersburg Times, published May 28, 2002
Editor: When I recently drove into Oakstead to show my 5-year-old daughter the development we've been arguing against for nearly three years, we saw a young deer barely escape being run over as she ran into the white board fence in front of the property. She turned and ran back across State Road 54 as cars in both directions slammed on their brakes.
When Devco's developers and attorneys made the settlement agreement with Citizens for Sanity, they turned both Pasco County's government and the residents living on rural properties adjacent to Oakstead into their laughing stock. Isn't it amazing that they obtained their $50-million bond money the very next day to create their so called Community Development District for Oakstead? It should more aptly be called the "Community Destruction District" for the rural and pristine heart of Land O'Lakes.
The Oakstead property is being developed on top of aquifer recharge areas that should never have had dense development approved. The property used to turn with abundant varieties of wildlife.
But Devco's biologist stood in the middle of the hotly debated commissioners' hearing on Sept. 28, 1999, and swore that there had been a thorough wildlife study and they had seen two squirrels and a turtle on the property, but the turtle was at the edge of the property so maybe it belonged on the adjoining property.
I have seen Oakstead's aerial map with the excuse of a wildlife corridor drawn in. It runs across a busy intersection along busy roads and bike trails and cuts through the middle of residential development and now it cuts across the potential school sites. There are solid concrete walls running along many roads in Oakstead and heaven forbid if an animal makes a wrong turn, better put up some direction signs and turn signals for the wildlife.
And for one last twist, how about the new Oakstead promotional brochures urging new residents to come see the deer and the hawks that Devco's biologist swore were not there in the past?
-- Debra Moore, Land O'Lakes
Editor: I will be there to answer all of your calls, I will be there for Pasco County residents, owners and such. I will only use a phone recorder if I have a doctor's appointment or court appearance.
Can Peter Altman do this? No, his practice is more important than serving the people of Pasco County. I did not vote for him. I didn't want to see Pasco County painted pink.
I've had two of my four kids hit by cars on Zimmerman Road. I've lost friends on U.S. 19. The speed in residential areas is too fast. It should be lowered. State Road 52 and Summertree has a traffic signal after two women were killed there, but Zimmerman Road doesn't. We've had two women killed there 100 feet apart. Over the last 10 years, 12 kids have been hit on Zimmerman Road.
I even started a petition to lower the speed to 20 mph or add speed bumps, a four-way caution light, a four-way stop, but I've been told the road doesn't meet state guidelines.
We need to wake up. This county is growing fast. We need people in office to help us, not leave a message and not even return calls. We need a trauma center here and quit sending out money to Tampa or St. Petersburg. We need to keep our hospitals here.
We need business to come in and put jobs here, keep our homes and businesses nice and keep our water here.
-- David W. Franke, Port Richey
Editor: It is a touch of Americana. Barbershop harmony is a form of music that originated in North America. One of its many attractions is that it permits four men (or women) with average voices to produce exciting four-part harmony.
It is a sound that appeals to all ages, from teens to senior citizen, and from all walks of life. Standing next to each other on the risers may be a doctor, a plumber, a lawyer, a truck driver, an assembly line worker and a salesman. How they earn a living is not important; the only thing that matters is that they enjoy singing a part in a four-part chord.
Barbershop quartets and choruses provide entertainment for businesses and conventions, for service clubs and at civic gatherings. They bring a smile to shut-ins, people at rest homes and hospitals, they bring enjoyment to senior citizens and they raise funds for worthy causes. Your local barbershop chapter is a service organization. Its members get involved in community projects that make our city and neighborhood a better place to live.
Each year, barbershop singing groups meet to compete musically at their local division, at district, and at international conventions. Each of these events provides an opportunity for you to meet men who love harmonizing, from other parts of the nation and world. You'll enjoy meeting them, making new friends and joining them in a song.
Visit one of the world's happiest organizations, a society for men who enjoy singing. Barbershoppers by the thousands meet each week to create that unique sound barbershop harmony. Try it, and you'll find that there's nothing like an evening of harmonious vocalizing to chase away the cares of the day.
Never mind the lack of a trained voice. Barbershop is for the average guy with an average voice, who enjoys singing a song and would like to know more about harmonizing.
Give it a try, you just might like it. We meet every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at King of Kings Lutheran Church, 10337 U.S. 19, just south of Jasmine Boulevard on the west side of the street. This is about 1 mile north of Gulf View Square mall on U.S. 19, Port Richey.
-- Bob Holm, Hudson