Letters to the Editors

Our polluted waterways need help

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 5, 2001

Editor: Is it due to neglect, the lack of political leadership, the underutilization of available services or all of the above? After 27 years in Port Richey, I am still looking for answers. Our waterways appear more polluted than ever.

We have been waiting for years for someone to revive the eyesore that had been the Port Richey Towne Centre. Wal-Mart has done a wonderful job of planting trees and grassy areas in its parking lot, but the surface water continues to run off into the swales down to Miller Bayou and coastal areas to the north. The settlement ponds do not appear to be sufficient, but our officials do not seem to be concerned.

Twenty years ago, I was told by the Department of Environmental Regulation that the primary source of the pollution was improper surface water control. After all this time we have destroyed most of the grassy bottom of our waterways and neglected to conserve water for our aquifer. When will we find someone who will do what is necessary, whether it be political leaders of the organizations employed to serve us (SWIFTMUD, DEP, Corps of Engineers, DOT)? Help is needed and now.
-- Patrick Raimond, Port Richey

Parochial school would help relieve crowding

Editor: Recently in a letter to the Pasco Times, the peripatetic Al Meyer touched on a planned high school in Pasco County. This particular high school is to be built under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Petersburg. Therefore, it will be a Catholic school. But as Mr. Meyer adroitly pointed out in his message, the student body will not be limited to members of that faith, and this new school will serve to relieve the fierce overcrowding of Pasco public high schools.

By law, and very properly so, tax revenues cannot be contributed to this most worthy cause, and all the necessary money must be raised by charitable contribution. In view of the fact that so much of the burden will be relieved for the commonwealth obligation when the school becomes operational, I suggest we find a way to make substantial financial assistance without necessarily contributing to the Catholic Church. If Mr. Meyer would establish a separate fund dedicated to only those parts of the campus that will be reserved for academic and/or sports purposes, perhaps many of the corporate potential not comfortable with contributing to the Catholic Church would be relieved of concern.

I know that many of our business establishments in the surrounding counties would want to get on board to see to it that this important educational facility is made operational as quickly as possible. I am sure that Mr. Meyer would be willing to see to the efficacy of the dedication of the fund. For a large majority of us his word would suffice.
-- James A. O'Connor, Hudson

Homeowners sacrifice, but builders get water

Editor: How dare anybody water that thirsty grass. Don't people realize it is more important that the developers have that water to pave over more of Pasco?

The current homeowners in Pasco should be happy to sacrifice their nurtured landscapes to build more houses. Our current and past county commissioners have deemed it so, no matter how irresponsible it is.

I will agree that some people abuse the water restrictions, and that we are in a serious drought, but does it make any sense to add to the problem by adding more water usage?

If we could go back in time, term limits for commissioners would have been a good idea. Maybe it still is.
-- Jon M. Kueny, New Port Richey

Will some one please fix this dangerous road?

Editor: Whose road is it, anyway?

Colt Way in Lakewood Acres, Hudson, is a two-block street that runs from Lakewood Drive to Circle Lake Drive. In 1998, I called the Department of Public Works to report major potholes on the street. It took about two weeks, but finally a crew from the county came out and filled the holes.

With all the traffic on the street including a school bus stop, garbage trucks, propane trucks and others, the temporary fix now needs to be redone. Some potholes are 2 to 3 feet across and a foot deep, which really presents a danger to drivers and vehicles. I was told that Colt Way was a private road and the county would not repair it. When I told them that the road was repaired in 1998, I was told that it was done by mistake.

Something about this situation just does not seem right.

I would really hate to see someone injured on this road because of the condition.
-- Jerry Newman, Hudson

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