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Perfect lawn takes a terrible toll

The American people are suffering from the incurable "Keeping Up with the Joneses" syndrome.

Lawns - yes, lawns: millions of acres of lawns, serving no useful purpose except to assuage the egos and vanity of the growers. They use millions of tons of fertilizers and pesticides, costing billions of dollars, to keep up with their fellow clones.

They pollute the air with their noisy gas-powered mowers and leaf blowers. The pesticides and fertilizers are leeching into the water tables and draining into storm sewers and then into other bodies of water. The United States is probably the only country in the world suffering from this obsession.

There is nothing pretty about lawns when they all look alike. I predict that by the year 2040, lawns will be outlawed except in parks and around city buildings and hospitals, and possibly a few other places by permit only. Instead, homeowners will grow vegetables, fruit, flowers, trees, bushes and even exotic weeds. They will be grown not just on flat ground but in terraces, pyramids and other shapes. Contests may be held, with recognition going to the winners in categories such as "prettiest" and "most original."

No longer will we have to listen to the noisy gas-powered mowers, edgers and leaf blowers doing their thing from dawn to dusk. The blowers should be outlawed immediately and replaced by vacuums.

They blow not only the lawn debris into the atmosphere, but also dried animal feces, dust, dried sputum and who knows what else in the way of viruses, bacteria, pollen and other unsavory stuff.

I quit washing my car. All it takes is a leaf blower going by and a fine film of gritty dust settles on the car. Just rubbing a finger on the surface of the car, one can see and feel the grit.

Joseph Welch, St. Petersburg

Ballfields don't belong in Brooker Creek

Re: Ballfield is not "passive recreation," editorial, Oct. 4.

By signing a lease and providing grant money for ballfields within Brooker Creek Preserve, it appears the county has overlooked its own definitions, zoning and land use categories.

Definitions for "passive" and "active" recreation are found in Pinellas County's Comprehensive Plan and, according to the existing zoning and land use covering Brooker Creek Preserve, only "passive" recreation is permitted. Sports requiring ballfields are not passive recreation, per the county's own definition.

The ballfields are just one example of the projects being considered or planned for the preserve. In recent months, the county position has been that the various projects are okay because they would be on land "owned" by the Utilities Department.

The county has also stated that the existing zoning and land use designations on the property could not be changed to "Preservation" because outstanding bonds used to finance the purchase of the land would not allow it.

Recently, the county has stepped back from these positions and has acknowledged that the Utilities Department does not own any Brooker Creek Preserve land and the bonds that once existed have been paid off. The county now says that it was always "intended" or "understood" that the preserve land purchased with Utilities Department revenue (more than 40 percent of the area) could be used for whatever purpose it chose.

If this was the case, wouldn't this unusual and significant concept have been clearly documented in writing? While it is recognized that revenue generated by the Utilities Department purchased much of the land in the preserve, hundreds of pages of the most important preserve-related documents do not provide evidence of an "understanding" or "intention" that those lands could then be used for whatever the Utilities Department chooses.

There is certainly a need for additional active recreation facilities in North Pinellas, and there will be even more pressure in the future to use "environmental lands" for other worthy but incompatible purposes. However, Brooker Creek Preserve should not be used for ballfields and should not be considered by the county as a land bank for its desired projects.

The Brooker Creek Preserve is a preserve and should be treated as such so all citizens in Pinellas County can continue to benefit from its existence.

Steve Poling, Palm Harbor

Strangers stopped, cared

On Sept. 25 I was riding my bicycle in St. Petersburg on First Avenue S at about 31st Street; it was a few minutes after 8 a.m. I was struck and knocked off my bike. The driver stopped. The sun is brutal when you're going north at that time of the morning, and I was in her blind spot. Accidents happen.

Three other people stopped - two ladies in nurses' scrubs and an off-duty police officer. I do remember that one of the ladies was a registered nurse from All Children's Hospital.

I don't know these people, but I'd like to thank them. They took time out of their day to help a stranger in distress. Too often we read that no one stopped, no one cared. Not in my case. Thanks a million times. The paramedics and police also responded quickly and did a great job. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank all these strangers who made a traumatic experience almost enjoyable.

Tracy Waters, St. Petersburg

Library book math makes no sense

Perhaps St. Petersburg's Purchasing Department could trim some costs if it would find cheaper vendors. Lower costs might translate into lower taxes.

A small example is that when I returned a book to the South Branch Library, the librarian said I had damaged the book and written in it. Hence, I would have to pay for a new one. (A prior patron had written a phone number on the inside cover and the paperback's cover was dog-eared as it was when I checked it out.)

A cursory look online showed that the book could be replaced (including shipping) for one-third less than what the librarian was going to have me pay. The librarian would not allow me to purchase a book from my source and give it to the library. She told me, "We have a contract for buying books and all books have to come through that vendor."

In my opinion, the only justification for the city paying this much more for books is if it was buying them from a locally owned store, in which case there is a good argument for supporting a community business. The city could be more prudent in spending our money.

Joan Gnagy Campbell, St. Petersburg

Take the bite out of bromeliads

Re: Bromeliads, the mosquito's friend.

I read the Oct. 1 letter about pulling up bromeliads to stop pesky mosquitoes. There is another way to get rid of the mosquitoes without destroying those pretty plants that are so easy to grow.

There is a product called "Mosquito Dunks." They are shaped like a doughnut.

I take one disk and crumble it in a bag and then sprinkle a little of the crumbles in each center cone of the bromeliad. It stops the mosquito production and saves the plants, too.

These can be purchased at nurseries or probably lawn and garden centers. Applying some of the crumbles once a month is all that is required.

Debbie Alter, St. Petersburg

[Last modified October 11, 2006, 07:01:09]