Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Library will keep current schedule

Re: Closing community center, library on weekends bad idea, letter, Sept. 15.

We all have the right to have our opinions and to openly voice those opinions, but then we should also have the responsibility to be accurate in the facts.

A recent letter to the editor contained inaccurate information which has caused numerous Dunedin residents to become unnecessarily concerned about the access hours for our Dunedin Library.

It was stated in this letter that it was a consideration to "reduce hours or close the Dunedin Library on the weekend." Let me reassure the readers that not one of our city commissioners, including myself, ever considered closing the library on the weekends.

At a recent City Commission meeting, the city manager suggested that the only way staff would be able to achieve a 7.5 percent millage rate reduction was to close facilities on the weekends, an idea he did not support. Not one commissioner supported this alternative and, in fact, a clear message was sent to the city manager (and all citizens watching) that cost-cutting measures should not impact the level of services to Dunedin residents.

It also was stated in this letter that I supported "closing the new Dunedin Community Center on weekends" and making "deep cuts in the Leisure Services Department budget." The "deep cuts" that the writer speaks about are my opposition to the hiring of three new employees for the Leisure Services Department. I have not supported "cutting" the department budget, but I do think it is fiscally irresponsible to be hiring more people at this time.

I believe the responsible action in operating our beautiful new Community Center is to maintain the services that we now offer (open on Saturdays but not open on Sundays).

Let us proceed carefully and learn about the demand for Sunday accessibility. If the demand for Sunday use is there, then I believe we can be creative and reorient times and staff to accommodate the new hours with the people we now have on staff. If we do, we'll be doing exactly what we did when we went to Sunday hours at the library.

Dave Eggers, Dunedin vice mayor

Revived recycling system should be thrown in trash

Let's face it, Largo's recycling program is a farce and soon to become a very expensive farce.

The Times reports if the program were to be eliminated, which it was supposed to be, it would have saved us Largonians more than $300,000 per year, but what is not mentioned is now that the program has been re-engaged, what are the new costs going to be?

Again, we have Largo city business as usual, because the city did not mention that the new recycling trucks cost more than $150,000 each and this does not count personnel, maintenance, fuel and insurance.

Not only have we not saved $300,000, we've increased Largo's operating costs substantially!

More than 75 percent of Largonians do not participate in the recycling program, but our now-anointed-by-God City Commission is going to change that behavior by hiring (more cost) a recycling manager. You must be kidding me! In my neighborhood,I'm the only household that even has the blue recycling bin, much less uses it, but the city fathers are going to modify this behavior. Sure.

We would have been way ahead of the game by donating the saved $300,000 to the county incinerator. With that money, they could have expanded the recoverable sorting system for everyone in the county. That would have been a win-win for all, but alas, as usual, Largo now has more overhead. Increased fees are coming because of another ill-thought-through, feel-good program that will get more and more expensive.

Be careful who you vote for.

Curtis A. Holmes, Largo

Businessman didn't pinch any pennies for election

Re: No charges for voting in Largo, story, Aug. 30.

Surely there are many shades of gray that span between the starkness of black and white. However, I find it rather shady that Pinch-A-Penny founder Fred Thomas won't be facing any criminal charges for voting in Largo while still claiming to be a Belleair resident. I doubt that the average resident would get away with such a flagrant act. But, as the saying goes, "Money talks."

I also find it difficult not to conclude that Thomas was looking out for his own best interest when he voted in Largo's city elections on March 7. After donating $27,500 to former Mayor Bob Jackson and two other City Commission candidates in hopes of relocating his headquarters, my assumption is that he was basically trying to protect his own personal investment. And judging by Thomas' generosity, he certainly didn't pinch any pennies to maneuver a duality of his legal residence.

JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater

YOUR VOICE COUNTS

We invite readers to write letters for publication. To send a letter from your computer, go to www.sptimes.com/letters. If you prefer, you may instead fax your letter to us at (727) 445-4119, or mail it to Letter to the Editor, St. Petersburg Times, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756.

Letters should be brief and must include the writer's name, city of residence, mailing address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.

[Last modified September 20, 2006, 07:13:40]