Letters to the Editor

+ Don’t be divisive on North Trail Goodwill
Dear Editor:
Sometimes, in the course of heated civic debate, we lose sight of the human element. In fact, both our supporters and opponents are simply our well-intentioned neighbors and friends. What is planned in our community affects all of us equally: old and young, wealthy and poor. This was brought home to me recently by a neighbor I had never met.

As many of your readers may know, our group, North Trail Citizens for Responsible Development, has been opposing the Goodwill Superstore in the museum district. We feel that the proposed development will present traffic hazards, noise pollution and detract from the character of the museum district and that this project is more appropriate for the U.S. 301 corridor. Our website, www.NorthTrailCitizens.com, has become a focus of heated debate. As a result of our involvement, some fear that our efforts are simply a case of some well-to-do residents protecting their interests to the detriment of the less well off who use the Goodwill facilities. The distinction between “us” and “them” becomes divisive and painful for the community, and we lose sight of the fact that we are all in this together.

To illustrate the point, just the other night I heard a tapping at our front door. I opened it to find one of our senior citizen neighbors who lives within shouting distance of the proposed Goodwill project. She was really concerned about the noise and the traffic situation and thanked our group for “standing up for our neighborhood.” This kind lady didn’t have connections at City Hall. She didn’t have the resources to help fund us. She didn’t have a computer email account to receive updates. She explained that she didn’t know how to speak in public at meetings.  But she did have a home on the North Trail that she felt powerless to protect. 

With that, she passed a Key lime pie to me, along with strict instructions on how to refrigerate it.

I thought about the criticism that has been leveled at our group for getting involved, and I realized that the well -to-to and the not-as-privileged both have an interest in opposing any badly planned project. This is not about pitting one group against another. 

As for my wife and myself, we certainly are not in this for the money or appreciation, but we certainly do appreciate the Key lime pie.
Robert Casella
Sarasota

+ University of Florida will never schedule OSU
Dear Editor:
I was amused by your column about Urban Meyer becoming the coach of Ohio State. Your speculation that a real rivalry might be born if UF and OSU scheduled each other annually was quite humorous. Any football fan knows that the Gators are unlikely to agree to that arrangement. When was the last time the UF football team played a regular season, non-conference game outside the state of Florida? I asked this question to a local sports writer (and UF alum), and he thought it was 20 years ago when they went to Syracuse and lost. They don’t want to make that mistake again. It is better for them to bring cupcakes to Gainesville.
Jim Driscoll
Sarasota