Letters to the Editor

Volume VII Number 36
September 9-15, 1999

A Litter Bit of Exercise

Dear New Bay Times~Weekly:

Every time I drive down Broadwater Road toward the Bay in Southern Anne Arundel County, I am reminded that there is no litter along this country lane. I would like to pay tribute to George Christman and his fellow walkers, who combine their exercise walks with litter pick-up. Because of this, we have one of the neatest roads around.

In addition to being the prime organizer for community-related activities, George, the "mayor," also publishes "Broadwater Point News and Gossip" (when the mood strikes him). This fine publication keeps everyone apprised of hails and farewells along with other notes of interest.

- Thomas Williamson, Churchton

Don't Duck Zoning Responsibilities

Dear New Bay Times~Weekly:

Here we go again. Last time it was Sewer Creep. This time it's Polluters Welcome. Next time, it will be Zoning Meltdown. And after that, it will be Permit Speed-up.

The Anne Arundel County Council is being asked to quickly (why quickly?) revise the zoning code. The revisions were shelved during 1998 to avoid inflaming voters - for good reasons. Here's one:

In Title 4, Subtitle 2, performance standards would largely be gutted. This has, in the past, required PACE, the department of Planning and Code Enforcement, to make sure proposed users of W-1, the industrial park zone, do not violate limits on vibration and noise, odors and fumes, bad air and dust, glare and heat, liquid waste and solid waste.

PACE says state and federal regulators can come in after the fact. This means the wimpy state Department of the Environment. And it means citizens must initiate the effort.

PACE says its people don't have the expertise to handle this. That's correctable. PACE people are well educated.

PACE says these environmental performance standards are "not a zoning issue." This was actually said and repeated at a public briefing on August 19.

Rather than abolish the limits, let's extend them to W-2 and W-3, the heavier industrial zones. Industries that don't like the limits can go elsewhere. We have enough rubble dumps and ash heaps. Anne Arundel needs clean, high-tech R&D firms paying high salaries. If Maryland becomes Silicon Valley East, we need to be part of it. This, too, should be a "zoning issue."

-James A. Hoage, Severna Park

Praising for Tattletales and Snitches

Dear New Bay Times~Weekly:

My husband and I visited Annapolis last weekend where I picked up a copy of your newspaper. I was dismayed to read your editorial which spent more energy deploring "snitches" and no energy at all deploring lawbreakers. This attitude is not what is needed from people in authority (as newspaper editors should be viewed).

Why do you have laws if you don't expect to have to obey them? And shouldn't everybody have to obey them? I don't find it particularly onerous to have to obey the laws of Virginia and Fairfax County. And if I should choose to disobey the law, then I rightly have to suffer the penalties for that.

I don't know your particular laws, but if people are illegally parking, illegally using water when it is prohibited for other citizens to do the same, if people are illegally selling tobacco to minors, then thank goodness someone cares.

Your editorial sounds like a kindergartner complaining about tattletales - someone who doesn't like to have to take the consequences for their actions.

-Nancy Impastato, Alexandria, Va.

| Issue 36 |

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