Letters from Readers

From Dick Landrum

Tom, has the M/C Taxpayer’s Assn. decided not to print a correction of the School Board’s swimming pool workorder that was announced as $1.2 million when it should have been closer to $250K?  The workorder was to be their reason to consider closing and demolishing the pool.

My Answer:

Don't know. But since the pool is not closing then really nothing to write about.

His Response:

The thing is that the School District has put the pool on a one-year trial basis to see if we can get the old programs reinstated and make them more comfortable with the expense.  We don’t want to go through this shutdown scare every five years, especially when the county needs more pools, not fewer.

Another thing, I would rather our students be in a school district that was honest and set an example about being truthful and admitting a mistake; they won’t. 

Now we are looking at detailed revenue/expense records and the $150K they say the pool costs each year is closer to $83K in the first two years of records they have given us.  I paid to get more detailed information for the years 2018 to 2024, so soon we will have a better accounting for more years.

I think there is a lot to write about here and there will be more.  I do wish that the M/C Taxpayers Association were as interested in accurate accounting as possible.

From Anne Krueger Stimmell

Thank you, Tom!

PS

Re:  The old house that recently burned in your neighborhood

"You can’t replace Dade Pine."

Oh, yes you can--for a price!

From Tyrone B. Monte

Excellent synopsis of the Quixotic dilemma posed by the Foundatiion's quest to re-purpose the old H.S. to promote the Arts.

I was among those asked to tour the building and consider sponsoring the endeavor. Though the objective was worthy and the protagonists sincere, 

I concluded that it was not cost effective. 

Simply put,  to those I queried on the day if the tour, my question wasn't satisfactorily answered: 'Once you acquire the grant and donation money to renovate the building, where will you get the money to sustain the ongoing expenses? 

Insurance, taxes, utilities, landscape service, repairs and general maintenance? The replies were a combination of wishful thinking and vague notions.

Nostalgia aside, the building did not strike me as an architectural legacy.

Land is valuable. Perhaps that valuable land could serve a modern alternative, once the protagonists secure the monies essential to construct anew and SUSTAIN the enterprise?

From John Sedwitz

"Our Unsung Heroes" Restoring a Hobe Sound-Jupiter Island Landmark I wanted to take this opportunity to recognize our " unsung heroes" whose companies and departments worked swiftly and tirelessly to restore the beautiful canopy of Ficus trees along the SE Bridge Road corridor leading to Jupiter Island. The Ficus tree canopy is a sight to behold for residents and visitors, often graduation and engagement photos are taken as well as videos of this beautiful setting and testimonial to the Martin County Difference. As a resident of Hobe Sound and board member of Hobe Sound Concerned Citizens Coalition, The Guardians of Martin County, and Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative I wish to personally recognize the noble efforts of the following companies and city and county departments that worked together to restore this beautiful landmark: Jenkins Landscape Co., Tony's Tree Service, Mike's Crane Co., Allegiance Crane Co., Martin County Public Works Dept., and Town of Jupiter Island Public Works. i can honestly say that this collective effort demonstrates "cooperation and restoration through perspiration"!