Why not bury wires on Secor?
5/8/2013Your article about Secor Road reconstruction included a couple of telling photos (“Secor Road project drilling away at local stores’ profits; But owners say plenty of paths lead to their front doors,” April 28). The road is an ugly mess now and it will be an ugly mess when it is finished.
The planning of the Secor, Collingwood Boulevard, and other projects would lead one to believe that civil engineers have no aesthetic sense. I am an architect, and I hope and believe this not to be the case. But if that is so, why was the opportunity to bury conduit pipe for present and future wiring below the street not taken?
Telephone poles could be removed, trees could be planted, and a fresh sense could be returned to the city, in contrast to the few inches of grass shown in one of the photos.
If we never start burying overhead wires, streets never will return a fresh atmosphere. Where are environmentalists now?
DARYL BLANCHARD
Ottawa Hills
Bell should step in to lift schools
The best trip Toledo Mayor Mike Bell can make is to Toledo Public Schools’ administrative offices every morning until the district’s poor educational conditions are remedied (“Mayor not alone in traveling world to push Toledo,” April 15).
While overseas trips create hype, they produce no results unless we have an educated populace to take the jobs that companies offer. Without educated people, companies will not come.
Mayor Bell should boost educational standards and dismiss his economic development people. Business will flock here if we lift TPS.
DONALD SOLOMON
Ottawa Hills
S. Korean troops can defend country
I had the privilege of working with South Korean troops while I was stationed as a Marine at the Kunsan air base in 1954 (“Nuclear deal,” editorial, April 22). They were outstanding militarily and were respected by United Nations forces.
Many of us do not understand why we needed to keep about 30,000 of our troops there for the past 60 years, despite a force of about a half-million South Korean troops who could defend their country. I think North Korea knows this.
If North Korea was stupid enough to attack South Korea because of its new young leader, I don’t think the conflict would last long. South Korea wouldn’t need help from outsiders.
DAN SEEMANN
Maumee
Editor’s note: The writer is a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Amish sentences in case too severe
Your April 13 article “Amish gather for last time before prison terms start” centers on a group of 16 Amish men who, because they gave a shave and a haircut to other Amish men, are sentenced to prison. The sentences range from one year to 15 years. and are in facilities far away from their Bergholz, Ohio, homes.
Does the punishment fit the crime? This seems like simple assault. How about 30 days for everyone else and 90 days for the ringleader?
The judge’s decision to send them to prisons far away from their families is extremely punitive and not equitable with the crime.
R. GREG MYERS
Waterville