Traverse City Record-Eagle

Opinion

February 4, 2012

Letters to the editor: 02/04/2012

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Bridge perfect remedy

The Record-Eagle recently ran an article about the proposed tunnel under Grandview Parkway.

I have been in the existing tunnel. It was not a pleasant experience. I totally agree with scrapping the plans for a new tunnel.

I was in Grand Rapids recently and saw the perfect remedy. On the east side of town at Calvin College there is a pedestrian bridge over M-37. It is aesthetically pleasing, is fully glass enclosed and spans the complete boulevard. I have not heard anyone talk about this type of bridge. I stopped by the county planner's office and suggested they look at this.

Not only would this be aesthetically pleasing, but it also would give a total view of the waterfront as one crossed.

Richard Radtke

South Boardman

Hope for nonviolence

In this time of continued violent unrest in so many parts of the world, the film "Little Town of Bethlehem" provides hope for the growing nonviolence movement in the Middle East.

The film will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Traverse Area District Library.

There is no shortage of opinions, emotions and actions regarding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

This film shares the story of a Palestinian Muslim, a Palestinian Christian and an Israeli Jew.

It was filmed on location in the West Bank, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The film is sponsored by MidEast:JustPeace and will be shown for free.

For more info: http://littletownofbethlehem.org.

Marian Kromkowski

Suttons Bay

Dream it and do it

Gary Kent Keys' recent letter to the editor gave a wonderful local dream list for the coming year.

I haven't studied all of his issues, however, annexation of the townships adjacent to the city is pretty simple.

"Consolidation of Equals" is a less offensive term, but the concept doesn't merit dream status just yet.

The Traverse Bay area public has preferred complex intergovernmental contracts over a more direct democratic process (consolidation).

Unfortunately, people simply don't trust the politicians, the voters, or our democratic systems to reorganize local government.

Duplicate water systems in East Bay and Traverse City, duplicate fire departments, duplicate law enforcement, multiple code enforcement officers, and county administration of the $8 million septage treatment facility are all acceptable to the public.

People don't dream of ways to change to something better. If we can't dream of it, we certainly can't do it.

John S. Porter

Traverse City

The writer was supervisor of East Bay Township from 1980 to 1992.

Editor's note: This letter is being reprinted; due to an editor's error, a previous version was garbled.

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