Letters and Comments for February 15, 2010

Farnam, Clark

I hate crowds. I love watching people.

The anxiety attack began about a day before reaching the 40-acre parking lot at the major wholesale chain store Saturday afternoon.

The City of La Grande’s choices for how to solve its budget crunch aren’t getting any easier as the town halls have occurred and people have turned out to lobby for everything from the pool and library and parks to making sure the city protects its basic services like police and fire. Among the choices, though likely not a realistic one, is the possibility of a local option levy.

As longtime residents of La Grande and the Grande Ronde Valley, we are disheartened to see the City of La Grande considering cuts to essential services and facilities that enhance the quality of life when an option with less overall impact still remains.

It is easy to target fire, safety and emergency services as well as the library and pool because they are the services most visible and utilized by community members and those which evoke an emotional response from people. The dissolution of the city’s Urban Renewal District is one option that has not been “put on the table” by the La Grande City Council.

Fire, police and ambulance services should not be cut except under the most dire circumstances, as these essential services are a core part of the community infrastructure.

Carter, Boettcher

Letters and Comments for February 9, 2010

The idea of the Union-Baker Education Service District merging into two other ESDs makes good sense. If the state Board of Education gives a proposal now being considered a thumb’s-up, Union County would merge into the Umatilla-Morrow ESD and Baker County would merge with the Malheur ESD. The consolidation would be complete by July 1, 2011.

Nelson