Letters to the editor: Kidston lowballs aquifer study cost
9/12/2018
I am a resident of Steuben County in Indiana. I have helped spearhead the effort to educate my county on the Michindoh aquifer. While I understand the need of your area to seek alternative sources of water, I disagree with your assessment that water is cheap. I consider my water priceless and not for sale.
I have attended a lot of meetings over the last couple of months, the most recent being a presentation by hydrologist Jack Wittman in Angola, Ind., and a village council meeting in Montpelier, Ohio. Ed Kidston was present at both of those meetings. At the Montpelier meeting I had to stand and listen while Mayor Kidston hand-picked the facts from the Wittman talk he wanted to present to the council. I was not allowed to speak as I am not a resident of Montpelier.
Yes, Jack Wittman said for around $30,000 he could analyze any findings from tests conducted by Ed Kidston. But he also said to get a complete picture of our aquifer we need an overall study, which could run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Who pays for all these studies?
It is a sad day in our country when I am faced with extra taxes so you can have cheaper water and Ed Kidston can make a profit. Our water is getting more expensive the longer this whole fiasco drags on. The people looking for a different water source need to look at the cost to the residents that use the aquifer before just looking at cheaper water. Steuben County is called the land of 101 lakes. I would like to keep it that way.
Susan Catterall
Hamilton, Indiana
Sports too much of an obsession
I read with interest Matt Markey’s commentary about the continued injection of protest into sporting events, in this case focusing on Colin Kaepernick. I support his decision to push back from the television and not watch NFL football this season. I see in our public spaces men who seem almost hypnotized by sporting events, often to the exclusion of partners, spouses, and children who are similarly occupied in their own distractions. I’m not saying this is the case with Mr. Markey, but still he presents a new opportunity to himself to turn away and look more closely at the larger world, hopefully with an open mind and heart. This creates the possibility for a deeper understanding of that which Mr. Kaepernick is trying to bring to wider attention.
Kevin Hickey
Central Toledo
A must-read Markey column
For pro football fans, and all other American citizens concerned with the NFL flag controversy, Matt Markey’s column in The Blade Sunday (”Season ready to start but I won’t tune in”) is a “must” read. Hypocrisy, double-talk and greed, among other ills, are presented very clearly by Mr. Markey.
Ron Martin
Holland