Press-Republican

January 25, 2010

Speakout: Jan. 26, 2010


All-stars
Not quite sure how the girls CVAC All Conference Team for soccer is chosen for this area. Shocked that PHS goes the furthest, excelling to state level regional play, in the highest competitive local level for Section VII, Class B, and lands only one player on the All Conference Team. Guess it must have been pure luck that the PHS girls soccer team won so many games. Who knew all the talent was on the teams they were defeating?

Forestland
Michael DiNunzio of Protect (the Adirondacks) quickly skimmed over one important aspect: public forestland supported by taxpayers. Go to their Web site and check out Protect's mission. I have lived in the Adirondacks my entire life. I love and respect the region and all it has to offer and support reasonable protection to preserve the beauty and specialness of the area. But I'll be damned if I will tolerate a bunch of interlopers with titles telling me what to do with my property that I pay taxes on.

Meeting
If you enjoy hiking, snowshoeing, x-country skiing, or snowmobiling around the base of Lyon Mountain, then you need to attend an important meeting at the Saranac Town Hall on Jan. 28, 2010. The APA is considering classifying this area, and certain special-interest groups from out of the area are trying to limit our access. If you can't attend, please contact the APA to show your support for public use of state property.

Signs
I agree with the person who feels that there should be someone who gets expired handicapped signs back. I know a man that has been dead for a while, and his girlfriend has nothing wrong with her and she is using it — and to make matters worse her mother will take it and use it too. There is nothing wrong with either one of them except they are both too lazy to walk a few extra steps to the door, yet they will walk around for hours in a store.

Ferry
Put your brakes on Essex County before you go to a lot of trouble trying to spend more tax dollars to reimburse commuters. Google the miles between Moriah and Vergennes. You will find that by taking the free Essex ferry the time and miles are much less then traveling around Whitehall and surprisingly less than using the Ti ferry by 9.7 miles. Again, the Essex ferry is free (paid for by all our tax dollars).

Chances
I can't believe the chances some people are willing to take when they are driving. The other evening, I was taking a van load of senior citizens home from a night out in Willsboro, and on this very winding road, this person in a white pickup truck decided to pass us on a double line around a blind curve. I shudder to think what might have happened.

Teens
Why are 18- and 19-year-olds referred to in the media as teenagers in some instances and adults in others? There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason why this is. Another question is why is background information on an ongoing story repeated in every update? For instance, the Crown Point bridge; in every story the circumstances of the closure are repeated. I think by now we all know the exact date, time and technical reasons for the closure. I'm sure no one really cares, but it's something different for Speakout.

Addition
To the Saranac superintendant and School Board. A few years ago, you decided to close two of the district's schools due to lack of projected student count. Now you want to add a 3,000-square-foot addition? Taxpayers are maxed out. If it is not the town raising our property values due to someone paying too much for a local home, the board decides to raise our school tax also. When will it end? We can not afford these additional taxes. Vote No.