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Re: Pact allows townhomes to proceed, story, April 16.
We live next to the planned townhomes on Louden Avenue now approved by the City of Dunedin. We share the concerns of traffic and pedestrian safety that were expressed by the Boy Scouts and the Scottish American Society.
We are very upset that the plan to widen Louden Avenue will remove the existing sidewalk and place the edge of the road 6 inches from our fence. There remains a sight and movement conflict between the developer's driveway and ours that is still unresolved. We question the tortured and twisted logic of the city that by doing so, "the health, safety and general welfare of the existing and new townhome residents will be protected."
All the affected parties on Louden Avenue have strongly voiced the preference that the new townhome development's entrance/exit be moved to the adjacent Milwaukee Avenue right-of-way that the city had previously sold as surplus and has recently repurchased. This alternative would have absolutely no additional impact upon Louden Avenue. The sidewalk could remain and the Boy Scout site could continue to be located at the dead end of the street where through-traffic is not a threat to the children's safety.
We question why the city rejected the common-sense solution that could have truly been the "win-win" and "good fit" for everyone that Economic Development Director Bob Ironsmith referred to in the article.
This should be a warning to other Dunedin downtown homeowners: When redevelopment comes your way, you will have little or no say.
Question: What are two signs you will never see in the state of Florida?
Answer: Keep right except to pass. Slower traffic stay in right-hand lanes.
This is the cause of many problems in Tampa Bay and other places. You can legally drive 40 mph in a motor home, pulling an SUV behind you, in the far left lane on any road or freeway. People who want to drive the speed limit or more are doing it in the right lane, making leaving or entering the freeway dangerous. When is Florida going to get a passing lane on the left as every state and nation has had for decades?
I wish the Republican governor and the Republican House and Senate were more concerned with driving safety than making sure the wealthy get more tax breaks.
Re: Drug suspect killed as he sped at Largo police, story, April 10.
The recent Largo police shooting, while probably technically justified, raises this question: How did the situation get to where there are shootings in public over drugs? The Largo Police Department knew the guy and could probably have picked him up quietly some other time. This shows at least a management and/or training problem.
A police department the size of Largo's is just not appropriate in these times. Largo has a mutual aid agreement with Clearwater because they need help, plus the Largo department is spending millions on a new, separate computer system and separate staff to support it. They rely on the sheriff for major incident investigative support. The department's history shows it can't even manage its Explorer Scout unit.
The jurisdiction boundaries are blurred in built-up Pinellas County, which is now basically one large metropolitan area. In the age of increasing terrorism and sophisticated crime, what's needed are the economies of scale provided by a larger department like the accredited Pinellas County Sheriff's Office with its coordinated communications, professional command and control, established computer/dispatch, training resources, maintenance facilities, property/evidence control, investigators, etc.
Largo should save the taxpayers' money, reduce liability and contract with the sheriff like many other Pinellas cities have done.
Other government services in the county also should be consolidated to save money. I'm tired of wasted tax dollars and everyone else should be, too.
Re: April 20 editorial on condominium project proposed for Edgewater Drive in Clearwater.
It was with great dismay and anger that I read your editorial. From the glib tone, I, as a neighborhood resident, found that the most positive aspect of the project was your negative warning, "It could be worse." Furthermore, it is quite misleading of you to state that two-story buildings have existed for decades along Edgewater Drive with the direct inference that a seven-story condominium would blend in just fine. This monstrosity would be the architectural equivalent of Gulliver among the Lilliputians.
Finally, I question the timing of this editorial. By printing it on the day of the meeting, you render any opposing opinions moot as the decision will have been made already. As a dedicated reader of the Times for 24 years, I am disappointed in you.
Re: Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge.
We as citizens can't allow the faulty bridge to be the main topic of the beautiful and wonderful place where we live. Just as Tampa had to deal with the desalination plant, so shall Clearwater deal with this bridge.
The only solution is to fire the current contractor and have them make up the damages. They will have to pay the next contractor to rebuild the new bridge 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To have the bridge open about a year from now is just not acceptable. It needs to be finished by this September.
I have seen similar bridges in other areas of Florida, especially the ones at Daytona Beach, and they are an asset to their community. The bridge will not answer all of our problems with Clearwater Beach, but at this time in our history, it does not need to be the focus of one of the top 10 beaches in the world.
For Clearwater Christian College, producing and performing the musical Fiddler on the Roof five times in four days was a daunting task, though CCC had produced it eight years ago.
We invited back Ronald Billingsley, a great baritone and voice teacher from St. Petersburg College and our original Tevye, to reprise the role. He spent a month rehearsing with our cast of 36 and a 21-piece orchestra.
We opened with a great Wednesday morning show for nearly 600 excited visiting schoolchildren. Thursday was a big day with two shows, morning and night, both sold out. At 7 a.m., Ron's wife called me with the bad news that Ron had a case of swollen vocal folds. Short version, Ron did the show without his songs, trouper that he is. The production got a standing ovation from the schoolchildren, who didn't realize Tevye was supposed to sing or enjoyed it without the music.
While the show was running Thursday morning, I was on the phone, wondering if we were going to have to close the run. Within three phone calls, I was talking to Michael Schwartzberg, a local criminal defense attorney who spends his free time as president of the St. Petersburg Little Theater. Michael came that evening for one rehearsal - we had postponed that evening's performance. He had not performed Tevye for three years but did not drop six lines! Michael did the show for us the next two nights as if he had been rehearsing with our cast for a month. The production got standing ovations both nights. He saved two performances for over 1,200 guests who came to see Fiddler.
Michael and I both saw the irony - as he told his mother, a Jewish man playing a Jewish character in a Christian college producing Fiddler. I would add that finding Michael at such short notice, and his being available, was divine providence.
We ended up with five performances of Fiddler on the Roof and two marvelous Tevyes who deserve public thanks. Ron Billingsley, who did recover sufficiently, finished the postponed performance. And Michael Schwartzberg, coming at a moment's notice, filled in when we needed him most. Here is a great example of our community working together for the benefit of the arts and education. Thanks to all who helped in any way with the production.