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Quiet zones not priority for county

I am a concerned tax paying resident of Hillsborough County. I am upset with these 2,000 residents who are fighting to have quiet zones implemented. These people built their houses near the tracks (the tracks were there first) and are now asking the majority of county residents to pay for these quiet zones because they cannot sleep.

Why did they build their houses so close to the railroad in the first place? I cannot believe that Robert Bron has fully done his homework. He is wondering why the commissioners are focusing on the high-end estimates instead of going with the low-end estimate.

Look at the Crosstown Expressway extension, look at the Clearwater Causeway bridge, look at the desalination plant. Fact is that the low-end bid is not always the safest or most realistic estimate and can lead to extra costs in the future. As well, the commissioners' job is to review the studies that they request and then inform the public of ALL the results.

I am furious that the commissioners would even consider paying the low-end bid of $871,000 on this issue. There are so many other things that are NECESSARY (not a comfort thing), like more teachers, school class size, road improvements, support staff for road upkeep and traffic lights, drinking water, the list could go on. Money could be better spent on any one of these above items.

I agree with Rhonda Storms "safety comes first," not comfort like these 2,000 residents are asking for. Please don't waste my tax dollars on something that, if implemented, might then lead to an increase in accidents. Even the possibility of this happening makes me say no. Life is more important than sleep. These 2,000 residents should have thought before they bought.

Fairgrounds would create noise, congestion

I read Letitia Stein's story about "Compromise Site selected for fair."

The last paragraph interested and saddened me. All the people who made the decision have finally located a site that no large contingent can complain about.

"I am amazed that they can come into our little community and change our lives like this," said Darlene Bartlett, 65, of Dover Road. Of course they can when the county land use and BOCC are comprised mostly of people who probably never have been to that area before.

The fairgrounds is fine in that location since they could not find any other place with constituents who will take it. So many residents who lived in this area for generations are suddenly inundated with the crowds of people who also live elsewhere.

Similar to the noise problem created by the Ford Amphitheatre, the same noise and congestion will change the lives of everyone living in this area. Pollution of noise, air, water, ground won't bother these "fair" people because they do not live there.

Once again we see the problems caused by people making land use and county decisions who live elsewhere. The home rule charter concept that is our Hillsborough County Constitution does not apparently apply to unincorporated county residents where home rule is not for locals. Forget that they have no road improvements east, west north or south to handle this added burden of traffic; all the people of Brandon, and Valrico, Dover, and Seffner will suffer from poor growth management and minimum local representation to support these residents.

Roads already over burdened running all collector roads through Brandon residential and congesting the area will now add the thousands of cars going to the fair site. Our county Charter Review Board is presently reviewing as it does every five years for possible changes needed. The time the Charter was created in its present form was about 20 years ago with a population in the county of about 350,000 vs. 1.2-million residents today.

We still have not changed our representation or structure. Our federal and state government increases representation with population increase. These are the problems that should be reviewed in government structure and representation and how to stop them or no one is safe from similar disaster to your community.

To date, in the Charter Review, I have not heard any complaints or need to review representation for the thousands of new unincorporated county citizens.

I am amazed that we did not have a rebellion of citizens to reject this ill-advised fair location. Or do we have to wait till it impacts each of us directly and then it is too late for any favorable solutions?

[Last modified June 23, 2005, 01:01:07]