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© St. Petersburg Times, published August 13, 2002
Editor: I've been here five years and the changes are drastic.
On U.S. 19, all the older businesses have to close their doors because the super stores are taking over. We need no more Eckerds, Walgreens, gas stations or signs on U.S. 19.
These new structures are destroying the area. They leave one building to move across the street to a new, bigger building. Meanwhile, the old building is empty for years. These corporations are ruining this area. Little and Rowan roads are looking like U.S. 19 now.
I wish for a greener Pasco County in the future. Too much sprawl is taking away our natural areas and the animals, plants and trees that belong there.
We need politicians who care.
-- Mary B. Moser, Port Richey
Editor: So they are finally cracking down on road rage and rude, crude, arrogant, aggressive drivers. I say good. It's about time.
While we're about it, we need to crack down on the things that cause it. Road rage is caused by stress. High on every vehicle operator's stress list is idiot traffic lights.
There are too many of them. Their timing is inappropriate. They often make orderly flow worse instead of better.
A good example is Cross Bayou in New Port Richey. It's primary function is to allow Kmart traffic to exit left onto U.S. 19. You can be certain, before 9 a.m., there is no traffic exiting Kmart. But this signal continues to blink away, constipating 12 miles of commuter traffic.
Immediately south is Gulf Boulevard then Marine Parkway and so on. These lights are sequenced so you hit every one. The regular commuter traffic knows you can beat these lights if you can get up to about 80 mph if nothing important gets in the way.
Add to the above the convoy of huge trucks that can pass everything: defensive, law-abiding drivers, local cross traffic, road construction, school buses, left turn lanes that are too short, left and right lanes that end abruptly, and drivers talking on cell phones.
I am amazed that more people are not rammed, shot or beat to death.
An obvious solution is traffic signal synchronization. The technology exists to have electronically posted speed limits that would advise vehicle operators the best speed to catch the next signal green.
A flashing red left turn signal could help in many intersections. How often have you had to wait and wait when nothing was coming?
-- James C. Reynolds, New Port Richey
Editor: The bike path is coming, the bike path is coming.
After two years of meetings and negotiations, the trail head and bike path at the Concourse on State Road 52 will open Aug. 17. A ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for 10:30 a.m.
Area residents are invited to share in this important event. The bike path will provide a safe way for bikers to access the Suncoast Bike Trail. Since the Suncoast Bike Path opened, citizens have been parking along State Road 52. Besides providing safe access to the Suncoast Trail, the bike path will be an added tourist attraction for Pasco County.
Working on this project for two years were: Jim Wilcox, president of the Concourse; Pasco County's Parks and Recreation's staff; the Florida Department of Transportation's staff; and Development Services staff.
In addition to the ribbon cutting, many activities are planned. There will be tours of Safety Town, and the sheriff's community police and crime prevention unit will be present. Many Pasco County departments -- Fire Rescue, Parks and Recreation, Libraries, Recycling, Pedestrian Safety Team and Animal Control -- will have displays and items to be given away.
Staff from the Supervisor of Elections Office will demonstrate the new voting machines.
Parky, our Parks and Recreation mascot, will be on hand to greet the kids. Light refreshments will be served and door prizes will be given. It is a day of fun for all the family. Remember: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 17. Hope to see you there.
-- Pat Mulieri, county commissioner
Editor: We are a working-class family, and have lived in Pasco County since 1989. Recently, we moved from a subdivision near Darlington Road in Holiday to Beacon Square. The house we moved into was "an investor/handyman special" in which we invested plenty of elbow grease. It has come a long way.
I wish to inquire about the funds that were to flow into this community. We moved into our home three weeks ago after several months of working on it. One day, as we were in the front area of this home, we watched the road become a river during a heavy rainstorm.
The road drains are within 100 feet of our home, but are not functioning. The county sent trucks, but the only actual work we were able to view was men patching the drains.
There was another severe rainstorm over the weekend of Aug 2-4, and two cars were stuck in front of our home. We were out of town, but when we arrived back home, we were notified by neighbors that the drains are still not functioning, and there is standing water.
-- We need help and soon.
Susan Esposito, Holiday
Editor: Recently, my wallet was stolen from my purse where I work as a volunteer. My purse was on the floor behind the counter. It was taken when I waited on a customer in another area of the shop.
You will know who you are. Enjoy the ill-gotten purchases you made with my credit card at Wal-Mart and Citgo. You never gave a thought of what this senior citizen had to go through to replace my identification, namely Medicare card, insurance cards, Social Security, driver's license and to cancel all my credit card services. Never mind the cost. The culprit also got my grandchildren's pictures and mementos.
I hope you are caught soon and jailed. You deserve no better.
-- Theresa Worden, New Port Richey
Editor: Why is it that dads are always talked about as being the bad guys?
I have full custody of my kids and work hard so they can play sports, have clothes to wear and food to eat. As for their mother -- she thinks women should not pay child support.
Where is the system for the dads? If she had the kids, I would be paying $1,950 a month. You can make a bet that if I was behind in child support, the system would nail me. It's funny how the system works for a woman but not the man.
-- Roger Bratcher, New Port Richey
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