- April 18, 2024
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+ Hidden costs, egos at play with Palm Coast landscaping contract
Dear Editor:
Recent articles about the pros and cons of hiring city workers for certain projects or contracting out the work seemed to miss two very large factors that are central to this decision.
The first is that any public employ measures much of his value by the size of the budget he/she controls and the number of employees that report to him/her. Make no mistake that egos of the department heads are at play here.
The second large factor is the long-term costs of adding public employees. Much was made of the dollars that might be saved in a given year by accomplishing tasks in-house with public employees. The big costs over the horizon are the lifelong costs of health care and retirement benefits. It is not clear that these costs have been adequately addressed.
Skipper Hanzel
Palm Coast
+ Do it the old-fashioned, all-American way: Pay for it yourselves
Dear Editor:
It was a pleasant surprise to read about the horseshoe club people building some pits. The pleasant part was that there was no mention of grant money, County Commission money, City Council money or pathetic-looking children going door-to-door selling bad candy to raise money. I am going to assume that they are doing this the old-fashioned, all-American way and are paying for the pits themselves. It’s so good to see a group of people who aren’t looking for some sort of government handout.
In case I have made a bad assumption, don’t let me know. There is very little to feel good about any more what with being $17 trillion in debt and the average IQ in Washington being 83 and going downhill rapidly. I have a hunch that George may be a little angry because we named that place after him. I think Carterville or Obamaburg would be more appropriate.
Douglas R. Glover
Palm Coast
Editor’s Note: I know you said you didn’t want to know, but for the record, the horseshoe pit is being built with park impact fees, according to Flagler County Communications Manager Carl Laundrie.
+ City offices should move into the county government building
Dear Editor:
One day recently, at around 11 a.m., I was visiting the Flagler County courthouse on personal business.
I was amazed to see the massive empty office spaces in both sections occupied with only one male and one female employee. I have not been above the ground floor; therefore, I have no idea how many other office areas are not occupied. If our county administrator, our city manager and their officials would bury the hatchet and come to terms with each other, the county could lease all the office space the city requires, and both parties are winners.
The city of Palm Coast has been pushing for a new City Hall and is presently leasing office space in City Marketplace (now in bankruptcy).
Walter Albano
Palm Coast
SEEING GREEN
+ Landscaping and trees add to values of homes
Dear Editor:
I was encouraged recently to read an item in the Palm Coast Observer in which Palm Coast officials accurately stated how important it is to have a beautiful community — not just for aesthetics, but also property values.
This has been found true across the nation. While the cited estimate for how much natural beauty increases home prices was nearly 8%, some studies take the figure even higher.
It is only logical. Who wants to live next to a littered interstate exit? In fact, treescaped business districts average 12% higher revenue than treeless areas, according to one survey, and consumer responses to green retail and business locations are consistently positive. Views of green have even been shown to improve employee satisfaction and productivity. Planting a tree within 50 feet of a residence can increase its value by 9%. Houses within 1/4 mile of a park average a 10% higher value. The reclamation and greening of vacant lots has been shown to increase adjacent property values by 30%.
Treescapes reduce soil erosion, decrease stormwater runoff (reducing need for mechanical controls) and extend the life of street/sidewalk surfaces because of shade. Street trees in Minneapolis, Minn., are shown to save $6.8 million annually in energy costs, and $9.1 million in stormwater treatment.
Lisa Brown
Palm Coast
— Email [email protected].
