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Area's ruin predates Hickory Hill

Hickory Hill will ruin rural way of life we enjoy, Sept. 12 letter to the editor:

Let's face the facts: How can the proposed Hickory Hill development make the Spring Lake area any worse then it already is?

We've lived in the Spring Lake area all our lives and even went to school in Spring Lake. And, yes, at one time this was a great place to live and raise a family. Now all I hear is how a development is going to ruin your way of life. Let's take a look at this.

I once was surrounded by orange groves and woods and fields. Now all the woods and groves are being cleared; house after house is popping up all around. I once could travel down Hickory Hill Road and never meet another vehicle, and when I did they understood that, this being a one-lane road, we had to share. Not any more. Now no one wants to get their vehicle off the pavement so we can pass safely.

I used to be able to keep my property unfenced. Not any more; now we have people trying to use our drive to get to their property with no concern that the extra traffic will ruin my driveway.

I used to be able to use my trash bin that I am paying for my own use. Not any more; now everyone wants me to foot the bill while they get an easy way to dump their trash.

I used to be able to travel the roads around Spring Lake and feel fairly safe. Not any more; now we have the motorcycle maniacs using these roads as their weekend race tracks and, if that's not bad enough, you have the bicyclists - hundreds of them - impeding traffic on the hills and curves in the area. God forbid, they pull over and let you by! Aren't there bike trails elsewhere in Hernando County?

Now we have all these special people who have moved in from the Tampa and Orlando areas who still work in these towns, and who have no time to waste getting to their jobs. They tailgate, pass in no-passing zones including hills, curves and even the turn lanes at intersections. We have people who, all of a sudden, are concerned about the groundwater in the area when the golf courses are put in. Where were these people when, for the past 30-plus years, all the fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides were, and are still being, used on the ranches and groves? Will a golf course use more?

So, what will the development bring? More houses? They're still being built. More people? They're still coming. More traffic? Look around.

Everyone has his opinion; mine is neutral. I don't care either way. But I do oppose one person from the Spring Lake area speaking on my behalf.

You say this development is going change your way of life? Well, you've already changed mine.

Richard Myers, Brooksville

Doctor was outstanding specialist, person

 'He just made everybody feel better,' Sept 11 Times:

All of us are greatly saddened by the untimely departure of Dr. Sadras N. Shanmugham, a deeply caring and talented physician, an outstanding pulmonary specialist, a great colleague and a loving family man.

Dr. Shanmugham was only the second pulmonary specialist in Hernando county when he arrived some 20 years ago. And he came at a time when the county badly needed such trained specialists, and the field was in its infancy in this rural area. He brought a lot his expertise and enthusiasm into the profession, and much collegiality among fellow physicians, as well as hospital staff.

By working closely with all the area hospitals and other doctors, he was able to bring many new innovations that helped to promote the cause of the patients with chronic lung disease and expand the horizons in the specialty in Hernando County.

Having known Dr. Shanmugham ever since he joined the staff of Oak Hill Hospital, I can easily say he was truly one of the eminent doctors, always oriented toward the patient's perspectives and needs. Many a time, I saw him sitting at the edge of the bed of a frail old patient holding his bony hand and comforting him in a soft voice, a rarity these days.

Always smiling and gentle in demeanor, he was ready to work round-the-clock, be it seeing an emergency consultation in the ICU or discussing a difficult patient with the referring doctor in the middle of the night, or simply giving his learned opinion on sociocultural issues in this county. He seemed to have inexhaustible energy when it came to patient care and certainly made Hernando County a better place for pulmonary patients to live.

Life is so evanescent and we have to live with the sudden loss of this great human being. He will be truly missed. However, the memories of him will be a source of joy and stimulus for his colleagues to continue in their chosen pathways.

We wish comfort and peace of mind for Dr. Shanmugham's loving family. While Dr. Shanmugham may be gone, his noble ways live on in all those he touched.

M.P. Ravindra Nathan, MD, FACC Brooksville

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[Last modified September 17, 2006, 07:13:22]