Fees would cut into seniors' enjoyment of parks

Re: Parkgoers mixed on fees idea, story, April 20.

I am not in favor of the county commissioners charging parkgoers a fee to use the parks in Pinellas County. At least not to enter the parks.

This would make it difficult for a lot of seniors in the communities to use the parks, as a lot of them use them to walk and to enjoy the beauty of each park. Also, parents and grandparents take their grandchildren to enjoy a day at the park. We also enjoy the park when the groups get together for their country-western music.

I'm sure the county commissioners could come up with another way to make money and meet expenses. There are so few things left for the people of Pinellas County to do that are not charging a fee.

Invite vendors to parks to raise money

Re: Parkgoers mixed on fees idea, story, April 20.

I read that the county is looking for ways to raise revenue in order to support the parks system, which is one of the finest in the state.

Options are many, from an overall admission charge, which is not going to be too popular, to charging ramp fees for boat launching (again, not too popular an idea). Boaters should not be singled out, just as someone who goes to a park to enjoy it should not be charged an admission fee.

An idea for the county to consider would be to open the parks for concessions. Let private individuals bid for the right to operate either a concession stand and/or boat rentals (nonmotorized canoes, kayaks and rowboats). Establish minimum standards for the operators, like hours of operation, insurance, etc. The service provider pays for the right to be there either with a fee, percentage of sales or combination of both.

It seems to me that parkgoers would appreciate such a service instead of having to pay twice for the park, once in Penny for Pinellas and the other via an admission fee.

Dispute over library policy warrants suit

Re: Library community rooms should be open to all of us, editorial, March 12.

I would like to write a brief note explaining to the city of Dunedin and City Attorney John Hubbard why the Liberty Counsel did not threaten to sue before initiating the suit.

Part of the answer was found within the editorial itself. When Americans United for Separation of Church and State threatened to sue the city of Tarpon Springs for the same constitutional discrimination that the Liberty Counsel encountered in Dunedin, what did Tarpon Springs officials do?

Did they realize the error of their ways and decide to treat their patrons in a constitutionally nondiscriminatory manner? Did they realize that their interpretation of "separation of church and state" (a phrase not found in the U.S. Constitution, by the way) was erroneous and seek to understand that government entities could not constitutionally discriminate against religious or political speech (we are guaranteed freedom of religion, not freedom from religion)?

Did they go back and read past issues of nationally distributed library publications directed to library administrators explaining that such policies and practices were unconstitutional? Did they contact other Pinellas County libraries, such as the St. Petersburg Public Library, which offer their meeting rooms on a nondiscriminatory basis, in order to initiate a similar policy in Tarpon Springs?

No! Instead, they closed the community meeting room completely. The City of Tarpon Springs would rather not have a community meeting room than have a community meeting room open to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. The City of Dunedin was not given that choice, thanks to the Liberty Counsel and a federal court.

Signs would make widened U.S. 19 safer

Everyone is concerned about the fourth lane of U.S. 19 and all the hazards that accompany it. It's even more dangerous for drivers who must cross four lanes to get to the "fifth lane."

For instance, when leaving Anderson Park in Tarpon Springs and attempting to cross four lanes of traffic in order to reach the fifth lane (the U-turn lane for southbound traffic) our lives and those of others are at risk. Once you do reach the fifth lane, you must sit and wait for four lanes of traffic to disappear before attempting to make a turn ... and then make it quickly.

What happened to the "Slower traffic keep right" signs? Big trucks, as a courtesy, were in that slower traffic lane, and drivers looking for an address or a business drove in the fourth lane. Faster traffic was in the first (inside) lane. And those who didn't speed as much as others drive in the second and third lanes.

But what about the fifth lane? Naming only one particular instance where danger prevails, let's go to Anderson Park in Tarpon Springs. Ask the engineers who devised this new system without arrows to attempt to exit the park hauling a boat and trailer, cross four lanes of traffic and reach the fifth lane in order to make a southbound turn.

Also, those who now use the fourth lane as a race track are suddenly shocked when out of the blue they see before them a sign that reads, "Right Turn Only," ahead, then look out! Everyone in the fourth lane cuts in front of traffic in the third lane, and all brakes can be heard.

Let's get it right, guys. Put the right-turn-only arrows back on the fourth lane and reinstall the slower traffic signs.

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