Letters to the Editors

Motorists without lights are a hazard

Here we are, in the middle of summer and the height of thunderstorm season. I am amazed and appalled by the number of motorists who drive around in the pouring rain without headlights on. This is, after all, against the law, as well as a serious issue of safety and common sense.

I wonder why the police are not stopping and ticketing -- or at least warning -- these idiots. Then it dawns on me: The police are also failing to turn on their headlights! Maybe they think the law doesn't apply to police cruisers. Someone in the upper echelons of local law enforcement should be cracking down on this dangerous practice.
-- Kay A. Paul, Indian Rocks Beach

Questions abound on library issue

Re: Construction in final stages on 2 new library buildings, July 28.

The Johnson Branch Library, at 14,200 square feet, cost $1.7-million. The South Branch Library, at 13,500 square feet, cost $1.6-million. The Azalea Library, at 17,000 square feet, is larger than any of the other branch libraries in the city. Why does the city say the Azalea Library is too small? The city's consultant said the appropriate size for the Azalea Library is 16,000 square feet. Why did the consultant recommend that we squander $2-million on a new library partnership with St. Petersburg College when the library we have already exceeds the standards?

Last year, City Council authorized $67,000 for a consultant to develop a Citywide Library Master Plan. Instead of a Master Plan, we got a consultant's report titled "Alternatives for the Azalea Library." Why did the city tell City Council one thing and then do something entirely different? The city's consultant said it would cost $2.8-million to build a new 16,000-square-foot library to replace the existing Azalea Library. Why would a new library cost more than a million dollars more than the two branch libraries the city just built? Why should we even consider replacing a perfectly good 17,000-square-foot building with a 16,000-square-foot building? The consultant also said it would cost $2.8-million to expand the existing Azalea Library. The existing building already exceeds the so-called "standards." Why would this library even need to be expanded?
-- Steve Plice, president, Jungle Terrace Civic Association, St. Petersburg

Bring back the good ol' days?

Re: The Deuces.

Let me get this straight. The people in this area welcomed desegregation and promptly moved elsewhere, leaving boarded-up homes and businesses behind. Now they decry the lack of black community and want us to pay to rebuild it. The good ol' days, indeed.
-- B.J. Mitchell, St. Petersburg

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright