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Letters to the Editor
(Posted March 3, 2010)
Try snow fences to save money, increase safety
After a month of school closings and snow emergencies, I have only two words for our dedicated road maintenance folks: snow fences.
Considering the incredible amount of time the snow plow crews put into pushing away snow that just blows right back onto the roads, I believe a relatively small investment in snow fences would save thousands of dollars in fuel, truck maintenance, driver time, etc., and make our roads much safer.
I called the Ohio Department of Transportation and our county engineer’s office about this a couple of years ago. The response I got was it was too much work to work with all the land owners along drift-prone roads. It seems to me the initial work would be much less costly than the continual battle against wind and snow that has gone on this winter.
Maybe a few landowners who have open fields along our drift-prone roads could make the investment and give it a try. If the county finds the snow fences do help, they could give some of their savings back to those who put up the snow fences.
There’s a snow fence along a stretch of Walker Road (off Scioto Darby Road). It proves snow fences can work and work well.
Heidi Kellett
Plain City
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Good samaritan helps in storm
I’m writing this letter to a very nice person who helped a damsel in distress—that’s me, who decided on the day after the heaviest snow we’d had, that I had to see someone in the Creamery Building in London that day. (Talk about poor judgment on my part.)
I drove over snow-packed roads and found a parking spot, and then my senior citizen troubles started. I made it across the road, but the fluffy snow—so pretty and soft—was not in a condition for walking. So, finally after falling several times (no injuries), I decided to reach the sidewalk by crawling—not easy and very cold.
A very, very nice gentleman saw me, helped me gain my balance and helped me into the Creamery. He held my arm as we tried to find the right office and, of course, it was closed. So, he walked me clear back to my car, made sure I had my purse with me and was seated, then left.
He was so very kind and patient, and I so appreciated all he did. He said his name was Donnie, and he is a meter reader for Ohio Edison. Thank you so much.
Maxine Taggart
London
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Someone steals Lions gavel
The London Lions Club provides free eyeglasses to people in need.
While we focus on vision-related causes, we also send disabled children to camp, stock food baskets for the needy, sponsor college scholarships for local students, and support diabetes research, Boy Scout troops and youth sports leagues. Now, the London Lions need the community’s help.
Every year, a Lions Club member steals the club president’s gavel and auctions it off in March. The president sets the gavel’s price.
I want to break our fund-raising record at this year’s auction. Every cent of every donation goes to charitable causes. Auction organizers will announce each person’s donation at the auction. The club’s April newsletter will feature the list of donors.
Make your donation payable to “The London Lions Club” and mail it to: The London Lions Club, c/o Lion Liz Finchum (president), 328 Northview Dr., London OH 43140. Write “Gavel Auction” in the memo line. Donations are due by March 16.
Thank you very much for supporting the London Lions Club. For more information, call (614) 949-1366.
Liz Finchum, president
London Lions Club
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Zero tax increase for levy renewal result of hard work
In these economic times, it is critical that London Schools operate in a lean and responsible manner. Under the leadership of Superintendent Steve Allen, the school district does exactly that. We operate on a lean budget and continue to keep expenses low. We offer a quality education by keeping your money in the classroom.
We are committed to continuing to offer a good value to residents. To date, we have reduced our spending by more than $400,000 annually since 2006. We are very proud of the work accomplished in this regard. It represents a significant achievement for our schools and community. It is also why our district is not asking for new money but rather a renewal of existing funds on the May 4 ballot.
Offering such a lean request, a zero tax increase levy renewal on May 4, represents strong fiscal management. When this leadership team came to the district in January 2007, the district barely had enough cash on hand to pay expenses. We could not purchase textbooks and had no plans to purchase equipment. There was limited professional development for teachers and staff.
We did what it took to help our district through the difficult financial times. Like you, we tightened our belt, prioritized our needs, enacted cost savings and found better ways of offering services.
We have much to be proud of in our London Schools. Ensuring strong fiscal stewardship means we can continue to ensure that our students have what they need to achieve academically and that our teachers have the professional development to get our students there.
The support of our London school community is key to the success of our schools, and we appreciate the support shown to our students and district. We remain committed to being good stewards of public funds so that together we can make sure our students excel.
Britt Lewis, treasurer
London City Schools
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