- May 4, 2024
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Dear Editor:
David Slick offers a view of “value” considerably different from how I see value. The spectrum of values runs from “money in the pocket” to the smile of a child receiving a gift. Mr. Slick’s values seem to me to fall more into the “money in the pocket” category. While I do not object to “money in the pocket,” I very much value the child’s smile also. As to Mr. Slick’s contention that the claim the airport does not operate at a profit is “patently wrong,” I think he conveniently overlooks the year after year expenditure of tax dollars poured into the airport and its operation.
His figures amount an irrelevant sideshow detracting from the reality of deficit airport spending. The reality seems to me distant from tax dollars enabling businesspeople making money. The “value” resides in the pockets of businesspeople and taxpayers receive not only the aggravation of flight school planes buzzing their homes, but also taxes spent for things of no or very little value to them. If businesspeople want to make money, God bless them. Just do not ask me to subsidize that. If business people really believe in free enterprise and capitalism, let them truly operate in an arena free of my financial support.
I question claims of support for the Ormond Beach Airport. If city leaders truly want to represent all Ormond Beach citizens, let them survey our population’s alleged support for the airport. Conceivably, many have little or no knowledge of the airport and even more may object to the tax drain it contributes to city finances if they understood tax support. Living in a development near the airport, my quality of life diminishes from daily flight school planes violating the flight paths their owners agreed to follow.
Business flights do not represent a significant noise problem and now operate quite safely with present airport facilities. Claims that runway extension will reduce neighborhood noise have dubious validity. Focus on reality rather than allegations from people with something to gain from their allegations can lead us to a future beneficial to all citizens rather than a select economic elite.
Charles G. Russell
Ormond Beach
Dear Editor:
The picture on the front page of last week's paper made me very sad. To see two women, smiling and happy, carrying signs in support of abortion. Don't any of these pro-abortion people realize they are advocating to kill a baby, a human being, in its mother's womb? That is not something to be smiling about! The millions of babies killed every year through abortion is horrendous!
"My body, my choice" is wrong. The choice comes before you conceive a child, not after! It is not "your body" when there is another human being inside. Mothers are supposed to protect their babies, whether in the womb or out. Abortion is murder and America is suffering the consequences of this modern day holocaust.
Loraine Sandblom
Ormond Beach
Dear Editor:
Why the heck do we need banded sidewalks? What a waste of good money. All we need are smooth even sidewalks with maybe a little grit in them so people don’t slip when they’re wet. Looks like we need new city leaders.
Richard Randon
Ormond Beach
Dear Editor:
The Ormond Beach City Commission continues to take actions that lack citizen support or a strong public mandate. One million dollars to purchase and raze Riverside Church to create a remote parking lot is a recent case. Other questionable projects: $1.3 million dollars for a floating boat dock, nearly a million for a bait house in Cassen Park, a half million dollars to install Medjool palm trees in West Granada medians, a $35 million relocation of a 20 year-old police station. Recent approvals: $2 million for cosmetic improvements to downtown sidewalks, $72,000 for annual maintenance of the expanded art museum, and $57,000 for a consultant to tell us how to sell off the Riverbend golf course property. No surprise, property taxes and water and sewer rates were just raised.
The city inexplicably annexed the controversial Plantation Oaks manufactured home site, and relaxed development rules enabled the Wawa gas station environmental disaster at Granada Pointe. Rezonings at eight other locations across the city ignored protests from adjacent property owners and now 550 homeowners in Tomoka Oaks face the overdevelopment of their rezoned golf course. The closed Riverbend golf course, owned by the city, was apparently doomed by aggressive plans to lengthen runways and convert the adjacent airport to a jet-friendly executive airport. Thirty-two subdivisions now face the stress of larger noisier aircraft and jet fumes above homes. With the city providing water and sewer service to the coming Avalon Park mega-development, a $50 million Hand Avenue interstate overpass remains in the plan. Meanwhile, infrastructure failures leaked 8 million gallons of sewage at Granada Boulevard and Clyde Morris and millions of gallons of effluent poured from a faulty reclaimed water pipe under the Halifax River.
Citizen requests are routinely denied and ignored. We need a lifesaving emergency room center for the beachside to replace the razed hospital, more beach parking to supplement the Andy Romano Park — which we had to vote to tax ourselves millions to get — preservation of historic buildings, conservation of what’s left of the Loop, and restoration of Ormond development rules that once protected trees, wetlands and green space.
The current City Commission continues to spend millions of dollars on projects we don’t want while refusing to consider items we do want. In Ormond Beach, it appears the public agenda has been replaced by a private, special interest agenda.
Lori Bennett
Ormond Beach
