Reader Feedback 6.4.03

What about the homelessh?

One
of Rochester’s Center City Master Plan proposals is the conversion of the
former Erie Canal aqueduct (below the Broad Street Bridge) into a pedestrian
passageway, history display, and retail space.

                  When I used to work in Corn
Hill, I often had to go to Rundel Library and other eastside business places.
The walk across the river on cold or stormy days was bitter! The proposed
passageway would have been very useful.

                  But I am concerned about the
people who now live in the tunnel. Can emergency shelters house them all? The
people who live in the tunnel must have reasons for living in that cold, dark
place with no running water or sanitation. How can those reasons be addressed
when they are evicted from the tunnel?

                  We have empty buildings (the
former Genesee Hospital and the former State Hospital on Elmwood Avenue, to
name only two conspicuous ones). Would it be possible for one to be converted
to low-income housing?

                  I urge city government,
working with other agencies, to plan for the housing of the occupants while
they are planning the reuse of the old aqueduct. Housing for these homeless
people deserves as high a claim on our stressed government finances as does the
aqueduct itself.

                  Elizabeth H. Stewart, East Avenue, Rochester

Don’t
wait for law

“Right
to Know Gets ‘No’!” (May 14) provided an excellent history of the bill for
neighbor notification by lawn-care companies before spraying.

                  The three reasons County
Legislator Pieter Smeenk gave for rejecting the proposal boil down to dollar
signs: unaffordable, hurting small businesspeople, and County Health Director
Andrew Doniger’s memo which, in the end, was concerned with costs.

                  Even if the estimated costs of
enforcement ($50,000 to $100,000 for three years) are inflated by a factor of
five, any cost would be anathema to the county with its current budget woes.

                  We cannot wait for a law to do
something. Steps can be taken by both lawn-care specialists and by those hiring
them.

                  Some companies already offer
chemical-free treatment; others could follow suit and encourage it. A few
companies do warn neighbors when using chemicals, but only just before they
begin. This is too late to close all windows, remove things from yards, take
clothes off the line, and leave for a few hours. Twenty-four hours, if not the
proposed 48, would help.

                  Property owners could assume
the responsibility themselves for notifying their neighbors next door and
across the street if spraying is planned. The city and towns could recommend
such notification, to avoid complaint calls.

                  Many people do not realize the
possible consequences of pesticide applications. They might welcome
presentations at neighborhood meetings, or brief printed information.

                  Master gardeners from the
Cornell Cooperative Extension are offering a free program on environmentally
friendly lawn care through the project Great Lawns/Great Lakes. For more
information or to schedule a presentation, call Kimie Romeo, project
coordinator, at 461-1000, ext 252.

                  Who knows? If we all work
together, a law might not be necessary.

                  Byrna Weir, Brighton

Protect
Elmwood!

A
group of homeowners from Brighton is fighting a battle with the Monroe County
Department of Transportation to preserve their neighborhood. If you are from
Brighton, you should be concerned, because the last truly residential through
street is about to have its character devastated.

                  I am talking about the section
of Elmwood Avenue from the Twelve Corners east to Clover Street. A motorist can
still drive through this neighborhood and get a feeling for what a wonderful
town we have. The DOT is planning a reconstruction project that will require
the removal of many hedges and trees that took a long time to mature.

                  At meeting after meeting, my
neighbors and I have told the DOT that its plans are unacceptable. We simply
want 4-foot shoulders instead of the standard 6-foot shoulders. It would save
our landscaping and neighborhood.

                  In other places in the county,
the DOT has relaxed its standards. Why not here? If you think that preserving
this residential neighborhood is important — or perhaps that the big guy
should not always step on the little one — support our efforts.

                  The next meeting with the DOT
is at 7 p.m. on June 5 at the Brighton Town Hall. Call a politician. Tell him
or her you don’t like the DOT’s plan.

                  Harry M. Yaeger, Elmwood Avenue, Brighton

Cost
shaving

Thought
you might like an answer to your concern in “I Snub You” about logos in
restaurants (Barfly, May 7). I retired a few years back after more than 40
years in the food business, calling on restaurants for most of those years.

                  Many years ago, the idea of
putting a company’s logo on menus was introduced to help defray the cost of
printing menus. If a customer used a product and agreed to place that company’s
logo on their menus, the company would absorb the cost of the printing.

                  As you know, the cost of
printing continues to rise. (This may be why City has its printing done in Canada.)

                  EJ Brock, Penfield

Writing
to City

We
welcome and encourage readers’ letters for publication. Send them to:
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Street, Rochester 14607.

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from the same writer more often than once every three months.

This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2003.