LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 4.25.2012


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  • | 4:00 a.m. April 25, 2012
  • Palm Coast Observer
  • Opinion
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+ Palm Coast being attacked with weapons of mass ‘construction’
Dear Editor:
In a letter to the editor which appeared in the Palm Coast Observer April 18, Jim Carlisle, a native Floridian, laments the loss of Palm Coast’s small-town feeling.

On March 23, 2003, when there still was a Players Club, no European Village but a Henry’s where people met on a Friday night to enjoy wings and pitchers of beer after a busy week, I wrote an appeal letter to the editor which appeared in the News-Tribune. It said: “Help! Palm Coast is being attacked with weapons of ‘mass construction.’”

I was a voice crying in the wilderness — and today very little wilderness remains.

Michael Nishti Jr.
Palm Coast

+ Gardening column should be more environmentally friendly
Dear Editor:
I was reading the Palm Coast Observer recently and left it wishing the “Thoughts in Bloom” column could have been more environmentally friendly. It seemed like a typical transplanted Northerner’s idea of getting rid of so much of natural Florida that should be preserved.

If we all sprayed, powdered and “plucked the caterpillars” off the oleanders (they would die as they would have nothing to eat), the attractive polka-dot moth would no longer be around. I specifically have milkweed, oleanders and passion vine in my yard to be used as host plants for all the caterpillars.

It seems like maybe a gardening column should be more eco-friendly. Why not suggest having one oleander in your yard that can be used as a host plant to perpetuate this species! It is this type of “pesky critter” reporting that is leading to the extinction of so many plants, animals and insects in Florida.

Gwen McCarthy
Palm Coast

+ Convert tennis complex into a pay-to-play sports facility
Dear Editor:
This letter is in reference to the Ms. Carol Ogden’s article in the April 4 Observer, referring to the future high-rise condo development on Parkway East. Yes, we already had a few high-priced condo consultants and developers who, by holding a carrot in front of our planning board officials, gave us a few white elephants and a golf course costing over $1 million to make playable.

Why did we need to have new tennis courts when the original complex was for sale? I recommend converting this property into a “pay to play” sports complex.

The C-section homeowners need to be informed what is happening and every C-section owner needs to sign a petition in protest.

Walter Albano
Palm Coast

HOT OFF THE GRILL
+ Weeny wieners vs. ‘succelency of a Sabrett hot dog’
Dear Editor:
For shame! No hot dog aficionado worth his mustard would ever confuse a Nathan’s weeny wiener with the succulency of a Sabrett hot dog.

Your story on Jim “The Hot Dog Man” Bradley in the April 18 edition of the Palm Coast Observer doesn’t seem to recognize the distinction. In the text of the article, the writer says that Jim “sells more than Nathan’s hot dogs.” You’re darn right he does. He sells genuine Sabrett hot dogs. Don’t take my word for it; just look at the sign in the photo you ran with the story.

Nathan’s indeed!

Victor Washkevich
Palm Coast

Business Editor’s Note: This is a tricky distinction. Jim Bradley does sell Sabrett, but the dogs he started the business with came with skin casings, which made them get tough when they were boiled. So he contacted Sabrett to investigate the problem. Nathan’s is the same company as Sabrett, Bradley said, just rebranded from the success it had on Coney Island. The hot dogs they sell are the same all-beef franks as Sabrett, but they don’t have the casings. So they’re Nathan’s in name, but Sabrett in material.

It seemed cleaner (cleaner indeed!) to keep all that out of the story and just say Sabrett. But thanks for keeping us honest on our tube steaks.

Code enforcement Not strict enough?
+ Palm Coast residents not getting money’s worth on code
Dear Editor:
I share my frustration with your reader who wrote in your April 18 issue regarding Palm Coast needing stricter, more consistent code enforcement. I note that he is from New York, as am I, and maybe it’s just a New York thing, but we homeowners in New York take pride in the appearance of our homes.

This is not apparent with Floridian homeowners, particularly with homeowners who rent out their homes or own homes specifically built for rental purposes (i.e., duplexes). These landlords in absentia have no regard for the other homeowners in Palm Coast. Otherwise, they would not tolerate the despicable conditions of their property.

And why don’t they care? I suggest the reason is that there are no consequences for this behavior.

Any report of a code violation results in a yellow citation to be affixed to the garage door of the violator. That’s it. If another complaint is submitted, another yellow citation is taped to the door, and no corrective action is taken. Apparently there are no other consequences to the landlord, as I have seen these conditions exist weeks at a time.

I disagree with your reader in his alternative of either enforcing the codes or scrapping the code enforcement department. I think it is good to have a standard of expectations regarding home and property maintenance. I am willing to use some of my tax dollars to support such an effort. However, I demand that I get the service that I pay for.

So the alternative, the way I see it, is to have code enforcement do their job, or get someone in there who will.

Ronald Gaudelli
Palm Coast

 

 

 

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