Re: Mobile home owners lose storm shelter, story, June 17.
I recently returned from a visit with my mom and dad in their mobile home at Blue Jay Estates in Palm Harbor. My parents have lived there for the past 25 years and have always used the Blue Jay Estates clubhouse as a safe shelter during storms.
Since I live in New Jersey, I am not close enough to offer them a safe place to stay, so now I have the burden of worrying about where my parents will be able to find safe shelter during a storm.
I have always had peace of mind knowing they were among friends and that they were in a safer place staying at the clubhouse rather than in their mobile home.
I understand that one of the members of the board of directors at a recent meeting suggested that the residents go across Curlew Road and make friends with someone in that neighborhood and ask if they could stay with them during a storm.
My question to those members of the board of directors who voted to close the clubhouse is, "Can you guarantee the safety of my parents in the house across the road, or can you guarantee the safety of my parents in a shelter?" I doubt that they could answer that with a "yes."
If the residents of Blue Jay Estates sign a waiver releasing the association and the association insurance company of any and all liability, why can't they stay in their own safe clubhouse?
After all, the residents own the clubhouse, not the board of directors.
-- Gail Carpenter, Hackettstown, N.J.
Additional cars in Dunedin won't be so quaint
Re: Dunedin looking back to look ahead, story, June 19.
When I first came to live in Dunedin in 1994, I was captivated by the charm of downtown. It reminded me of the beautiful village of East Hampton, N.Y., where I lived during my salad days.
While I certainly agree that replacing tacky motels and derelict buildings can further beautify our lovely little village, I am bothered that condos are part of that effort.
Condos mean people, and people mean cars. There are reportedly at least 75 condos planned for just two of the complexes. At the risk of sounding sarcastic, will the parking spaces for all those cars be quaint and nicely fit in with the atmosphere like the buildings?
Commenting on the increase of traffic, Dunedin City Commissioner Bob Hackworth said, "Get those people to walk, bike, use mass transit..." Yeah, right. How do you tell "those people," new owners of $400,000 (minimum) condos, that they cannot drive, that they must buy a bike? Good luck.
The only "mass transit" around here, by the way, is a lot of cars on a lot of roads.
Economic Development director Bob Ironsmith added that the purpose of these centers is to encourage more walking. Excuse me? Maybe it's a hoped-for byproduct, but please.
It is understandable that the city is willing to cater to developers for future tax revenue that can improve the lives of its citizens. But a project that adds cars and traffic to generate that money contaminates an otherwise good intention.
Sad to say, sometimes it takes adults to raze a village. Please, beautification can happen without condos. If they build them, they will come ... in their cars.
-- Jack Bray, Dunedin
[Last modified July 3, 2005, 02:00:20]
