Letters and Comments for June 5, 2009

Railroad car storage derails beauty

To the Editor:

The yellow railroad cars are a distant view from our deck, we can live with that. For the neighbors on Camp Street it is much more discouraging. The owners of these homes have been hurt, both monetarily and in the livability of their homes. You may not care if it is not your front yard. Just take a drive down Camp Street and realize this may happen to many more people — perhaps your family or friends as this progresses through the valley.

The idea these homeowners should have known this was coming when they bought property is absurd. An occasional passing train is a much different issue than living amid a railyard. If your home is near the highway and the state closes the road for use as parking for abandoned trucks and equipment should you have planned your land purchase better?

The chamber and local business have worked hard spending many dollars to attract people to our beautiful county. Soon there will be yellow railcars to welcome them. It is hard to measure a negative, but the reality is the quality of attractiveness to this county has been diminished.

The people who made this agreement are people who care about this valley and have worked hard for this community. This decision did not come easy to them. Reasoning the revenue generated by this agreement and paying off the debt was worth the short-term blight we would endure. It is a dangerous path once the easy money starts rolling in to say goodbye to it in three years. Once this county has been pimped out and we have gotten

used to the ugliness, will it be easier to accept money for something that is already here?

Joan Roundy

Joseph

Grateful for responsible pet owners

To the Editor:

I live on a street that many walkers enjoy, and with the weather improving and so many people out for walks, I am so grateful to those pet owners who keep their dogs on a leash or in a fenced yard, and carry a plastic bag and follow through with cleaning up after their dogs. It makes me so happy I want to run outside and hug them.

I also really appreciate those cat owners who keep their cats indoors so that I may enjoy the birds and squirrels in my yard, and hair-free outdoor furniture.

Thank you for thinking of and being considerate of the property of others. I really appreciate you.

Cherrie Ward

La Grande

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