Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Today's Letters: Touching hearts on a tough night

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published October 10, 2007

On Friday evening, Oct. 5, our daughter was unable to leave Ruth Eckerd Hall after a rehearsal of the Miami City Ballet's Nutcracker.

It was the first rehearsal since the auditions. The children arriving for a 6:30-8 p.m. rehearsal were around 6 to 10 years old. An accident occurred shortly before 6:30 at the entrance road to Ruth Eckerd Hall. After the emergency workers arrived, McMullen-Booth Road and the only entrance to Ruth Eckerd were closed for the police investigation of the traffic fatality.

The staff of Ruth Eckerd called the parents to inform them of the road closure and the situation. After rehearsal, the children were unable to leave and parents who had dropped off their children were unable to pick them up. At that time, it was estimated the investigation wouldn't end until after midnight.

Through tragedy, kindness occurred. The children and a few parents were cared for by the staff and patrons of Ruth Eckerd Hall. Plates of food were sent over from another venue in the main building. Communication was excellent to those parents who were separated from their children. A shuttle was formed to reunite some of the children with their parents. And even the Clearwater police completed enough of their investigation to open a small opening to allow cars to leave Ruth Eckerd Hall a few hours ahead of schedule.

Our hearts are heavy. The compassion that was shown to our families really touched my heart. But I was very sad to learn about a young life that was lost while her loving boyfriend waited at Ruth Eckerd for her to arrive, the parents who lost their child that evening, and the children who were arriving to dance who witnessed the horrific accident.

My daughter and husband arrived on the scene just seconds after impact. It was pretty upsetting for both of them.

Our family enjoys Ruth Eckerd Hall so much we renewed and upgraded our membership this year. Thanks for all the love, kindness and respect that was shown to our children and the families.

Cheryl Brackett Schulz, Largo

Share the road with our golf carts

To all the folks who live around Highland Lakes in Palm Harbor and to those commuters who use it as a shortcut in the morning and at night, please be aware that on Aug. 7, Pinellas County commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance giving residents of Highland Lakes permission to drive our golf carts on our streets to get to our golf courses.

There are signs at all of our entrances to let you know that you will be encountering slow-moving golf carts as you come through our community and that we have been given the right to share the road. We would appreciate it if everyone - including our own residents - would observe the speed limit and drive carefully.

If you do come up on a golf cart, if you just slow down and give that cart driver time to get to a cross street, they can pull over and let you safely pass.

We are a community of retirees who want nothing more than to enjoy the amenities that we have here.

Who knows, in your golden years you may want to join us. Highland Lakes, with its fabulous amenities and low maintenance fees, is the best-kept secret in Pinellas County.

Linda Brown,Palm Harbor

Re: New route should ease outcry over Ironman editorial, Oct. 9

Route map will help with Plan B's

Thank you for the article. Glad you reminded the public of the Nov. 10 triathlon race. We would greatly appreciate it if you would print a route map in the newspaper near that date. It will be much simpler for the public to map out their own route, so we won't be inconvenienced again.

Irene Caputo, Clearwater

Your voice counts

You may submit a letter to the editor for possible publication through our Web site at www.tampabay.com/letters, or by faxing it to (727) 445-4119, or by mailing it to Letters, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. You must include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.

[Last modified October 10, 2007, 00:22:02]