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Letters to the EditorsPort Richey council needs to end its antics
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 18, 2000 Editor: Well, well, well, here we go again. The City Council of Port Richey, once again is in a turmoil; council member Tom Brown, elected about six months ago, quit. Why? I have read about the council, watched it in action. Deplorable. It is so one-sided. Look at the way they act toward the newly elected mayor, Eloise Taylor. Where is their sworn civic duty? Oh yes! There was one big change; they switched from Denny's to Seaside. In all honesty, whom can we blame for the antics? A big, I mean big, blame falls upon, the "I don't care" voters. They shrug their shoulders, and murmur, "What can I do about it?" They can do plenty. Port Richey is a small city. Get involved. Not so very long ago, Sen. Jack Latvala, had an idea. He wanted to know whether Port Richey would join forces with New Port Richey. From what I see now, in our City Council, would it really have been a bad idea? Unless the people of Port Richey wake up and do their civic duty, we will always have what we have now. Port Richey voters, think about it.
New Port Richey persists with another unwanted parkEditor: Does the city of New Port Richey not understand English? The residents of this area clearly stated they do not want a park. What else are the residents supposed to do to get their message across?The Parks and Recreation Board admits that it cannot afford to staff the park, yet it is willing to proceed with the building of the park. It will be a waste of money, just like Cavalier Park. It cost more than $300,000 to build this park, and it is never used. The city doesn't even turn the water on! We have enough parks in New Port Richey and the surrounding areas. Maybe we should rename New Port Richey, Park City, Florida. It would be more fitting. Location, function of natural gas refinery should cause alarmEditor: Community outrage regarding the gas pipeline proposed for Pasco County often forgets to include the natural gas refinery to be placed adjacent to the Anclote Power plant. I am positive that many Pasco County residents unfamiliar with our neck of the woods visualize a power plant located in an industrial area, but nothing could be further from reality. The power plant sits on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, surrounded by residential and recreational areas. To the north are the county fishing pier and Key Vista Nature Preserve; to the east are existing homes and agricultural land being considered for 1,600 home sites; to the south are the residential community of Anclote and the county Anclote River Park; and to the west are the Intracoastal Waterway and Anclote Key State Park. In the middle of this beauty, Buccaneer wants to build a $42-million liquids separation facility, which is a euphemism for a dangerous, polluting, unsightly refinery designed to extract volatile gases and liquids from the natural gas when it reaches our shores after crossing the Gulf of Mexico from Alabama. The best-case scenario has the plant operating a few weeks yearly, but unexpected malfunctions in Alabama would require this refinery to work more. Guaranteed is the release of carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and volatile organic compounds as the refinery burns away unwanted contaminants. The remainder will be stored in two four-story tanks, with each holding more than 400,000 gallons of volatile fuel, and coils of above-ground pipes that can hold an additional 400,000 gallons of volatile fuels under high pressure. This facility represents an environmental disaster if an explosion or leak occurs. Please remember that Tampa Bay is the lightning capital of the world and that these tanks do not have federal or state regulatory agencies to oversee their proper design, construction and maintenance. The proposal calls for convoys of tank trucks to carry the volatiles off-site along winding residential roadways barely 18 feet wide and legally undersized for the proposed use. In an article printed in the Oct. 13 St. Petersburg Times, Craig Pittman does not mention the refinery, and the map of the pipeline with the article does not include this facility. Most maps posted in the papers during the past year have never shown this facility. Pittman correctly states that the pipeline makes landfall at the mouth of the Anclote River. In an article in the Pasco Times on Oct. 5, the author claims that the pipeline is to run ashore at Baillie's Bluff! The location of Bailey's Bluff, a community of 100 homes about a mile north of the Anclote landfall, has little meaning for most residents of Pasco County and adds confusion when clarity is essential.
Provost deserves better from community collegeEditor: After reading the articles regarding provost Mike Rom -- and being a former PHCC employee myself -- I felt compelled to write. I can fully understand why the students of east campus are upset. In my 14 years at Pasco-Hernando Community College, I had the pleasure of working with him on his short stay at west campus. Students, as well as faculty and staff, were upset when he suddenly was sent back to Dade City. "Things were so upbeat" and "Never ran as smoothly" were some of the comments I remember. People actually enjoyed working with him and for him. Although President Robert Judson states, "It's not a demotion," the paper also says Rom will no longer be a member of the President's Cabinet or a member of the executive administration, with the finale of, "his benefits and pay will remain the same for the time being." We all know what this means -- believe me. I just want to wish the east campus students good luck and wish Mike Rom all the best. He has made it 22 years. I hope to read shortly about the success of the new adult education program.
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