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Letters to the EditorsMoving would solve woman's quest for quiet neighborhood© St. Petersburg Times published December 21, 2001 Re: A quest for silence disquiets lives, story, Dec. 16. What a sad story. The Chamblins are trying to raise a child in a nice neighborhood; and from the sound of everything I read, they are doing all the right things. It's a shame Ms. Eileen Nece is such an unhappy woman. Most neighborhoods have pets; and dogs do bark, and birds do sing, and it is great we have the freedom to enjoy these pets. Ms. Nece should live in a nice home on a big piece of land where she has no neighbors. Sounds as if she does need peace and quiet and should move where she can find it, not in a neighborhood.
Birds chirping? Dogs barking? Sounds normalRe: A quest for silence disquiets lives, story, Dec. 16. This article about this woman's plight really grabbed my attention. As the piece goes on to say that she is sensitive to medications and uses hypnosis to calm her, I think someone better take a lot closer look at this woman. Birds chirping, dogs barking and such are everyday natural occurrences.
Sounds are just a part of everyday livingRe: A quest for silence disquiets lives, story, Dec. 16. Eileen, we are born to embrace and even enjoy the sounds of life. In about 20 years you'll wish you had better hearing. For sleep, try ear plugs.
If you must build parking lot, leave Mini Mart aloneRe: Beach projects top city's agenda, story, Dec. 11. Does it look like we really need a parking lot in Clearwater Beach right now? You could shoot a cannon down Gulfview Boulevard and probably not hit a car. We only need parking at peak times of the year. Three-quarters of the time, the lots sit empty -- except for Pier 60, which is city-owned. We, the owners of the Anchor Mini Mart on Coronado Drive, are sick and tired of constantly being under siege by the city of Clearwater threatening to squeeze us out of business. We like working and living here, and don't want to sell out and move. We provide a service to tourists here and have had the same customers from around the world coming in our small store for the past 15 years. Many of our neighbors are ready to sell and leave town and let the city pave over their motels, but we're here for the long run. I have another 10 years to work, and I don't want to work for anyone but myself -- you know, the American dream. We have been hanging in here waiting for the upswing in business to happen. Since 1995 Clearwater Beach has been stagnant and on a steady decline. We're hopeful that things will change, but when? I feel like a goldfish in a pool with sharks circling around us, and the stress is starting to affect us physically. If you want to build a parking lot, do so; but please leave us alone. If they have to have a parking garage on Coronado Drive, just build around us.
Government should have bilingual personnelOn a recent day I was just arriving at the YMCA building in the High Point area. Across from the YMCA is a residential area. I was flagged down to come by and join city of Largo and Pinellas County personnel to assist them in translating to Spanish for one of the residents who did not speak English. The scenario was that this family of four, two adults and two children, had a minor fire in their kitchen the week before due to poor wiring and the condition of appliances. The tenants contacted Deputy Elvin Ortiz, whom they had met through the community policing activities months earlier. Deputy Ortiz and his supervisor investigated and inspected this dwelling, revealing slum conditions that this family was living in due to an unscrupulous landlord. There were multiple safety violations, such as electrical wires exposed on walls and ceiling, extension cords running all over the floors, a toilet flushing water on the floor, damp carpeting and rotting wood. Personnel were mobilized from the Largo Fire Department and Code Enforcement Department and Pinellas County environmental office, as well as Ortiz, a bilingual deputy, and George Garcia from the YMCA, who assisted in translating in Spanish, as well. A quick response from the Sheriff's Office averted a tragedy and found new quarters for this family and a safe place to stay on the same day. It just shows how important it is to get bilingual personnel in government to cope with migrants' needs. Most important, it shows that a sensitive and caring government employing bilingual personnel is a tremendous positive approach by our county government to address some of the problems facing the Hispanic community.
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