Letters to the Editors

Bridge project should give way to greater needs

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 24, 2001

This plea is directed to Clearwater city commissioners.

Drastic times call for drastic measures and strong leaders. The subject is the proposed new Memorial Causeway bridge.

It is clear that our tax and other revenue sources have been severely impacted in the last few months. This is evident when businesses are postponing capital expenditures, airports are calling off expansions and consumers are severely reducing outlays.

Tourism is down, business travel is down and hotel business is off, which means a major segment of the Clearwater tax base is in decline with no indication when it will return.

We need to follow the example of prudent businessmen in view of this crisis. We need to cancel the building of the causeway bridge and reserve these funds for contingencies.

What if our Fire Department, police or health facilities needed sudden expansion? What about the cost of emergency vaccines or costs to guard water supplies? Add to this the probabilities that cost overruns could be 50 percent or higher.

You need to take a stand and cancel this bridge construction.
-- Skip Layton, Clearwater

Why stop at renaming only one Clearwater street?

Re: Group wants road named for Latin American, story, Oct. 12.

I say to Clearwater City Manager Bill Horne that I would not challenge naming a street, at some time, after former Mayor Gabe Cazares, who was in office when I first arrived in Clearwater. I say this because I respected Cazares, not because of the large illegal Hispanic population.

Since we are changing the names of streets, the next one should be named after former Mayor Rita Garvey, not only because we should have a street named after a woman, but because she was competent and very popular at the height of her career.

I would be remiss not mention the large population of Scientologists locally. Perhaps we could rename Fort Harrison Avenue to L. Ron Hubbard. Gabe would like that.

I could never agree to change the name of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard, which is appropriately named and attributed to no one.
-- Jack Bjornberg, Clearwater

Recreation programs come down to money

Re: Long Center needs to remember its public trust, editorial, Oct. 21.

The Long Center is a strong partnership between government and the business sector of the city. Also, it is a unique institution that combines the needs of the mentally challenged and recreation needs of the city and North Pinellas.

The issue is all about money. Has anyone complained about the salary of the school administrators from principals on up in the county? They all seem to have six-figure income benefit packages.

Does Mark Abdo, who has been state of Florida president of parks and recreation, board member of the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the Long Center, deserve less pay?

Parks and recreation in the city of Clearwater is rated tops in the state of Florida for cities of our size. The answer is to petition the County Commission to formulate a co-op. That approach has been adopted countywide by our library system. Spread funds to all cities for their recreation programs and facilities.

Clearwater taxpayers support recreation. We wish the county would help support it, too.
-- John Wiser, Clearwater

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