LETTERS

A plea for the trees

Dear Mayor Isaac:

I was downtown this morning for the Citizens Peace and Justice Memorial Day Service, and saw the full impact of the brutal clear-cutting of our street trees that has taken place over the past two weeks.

I was notified that this was taking place while I was away on business last week, and am now writing with a sense of great alarm to ask that this project be brought to a screeching halt while it is re-thought and before more damage is done.

I do not understand how anyone could think this was a positive idea.

This project appears to have been carried out by a rogue, fly-by-night timber company, not by thinking, well-educated, environmentally responsible employees and agencies of LFUCG.

This bad, destructive stunt has all the earmarks of those cynics who carry out environmental mis-deeds when they think no-one is looking - at night, after hours, when people are likely to be on vacation, or after the students have departed for the summer.

Here are my puzzled and appalled questions:

* Why cut down useful, beautiful, mature, useful shade trees?

* Why do it at the start of the hottest season, with many street events ahead, when the trees will not be replaced for an unknown length of time?

* Does LFUCG not know about the benefits of mature trees to lowering urban temperatures, providing necessary shade and habitat, and filtering air pollutants?

* Does LFUCG have no insight into the impact, on city residents’ and visitors’ mental well-being, of suddenly and totally removing our downtown treescape?

* Why was this done without any public input or comment?

I am astonished that this project was allowed to move along so smoothly and quietly, when its negative impact on downtown Lexington is public, immediate, devastating, and long-term.

I strongly urge that this project be halted immediately, and be subject to public review and creative input by all of us who care about trees and about Lexington.

Sincerely yours,
Hilary Lambert
Chair, Bluegrass Group Sierra Club

See also Ace Letters, May, for a letter from the Triangle Foundation explaining their sponsorship of the tree replacement program.

Goal-oriented

God bless large brains, opposable thumbs and most certainly Walter Jowers [Sports, May 27]. In California a while back a little league barred parents from attending the games. I'm sure the kids were able to relax and have much more fun and enjoy the most perfect outdoor game ever devised by humans.

It's not the scores that ruin games, it's the parents that make the kids think winning is everything. In my version of Heaven there's always a pickup baseball game going on. In Hell there's a soccer game with the clock turned off...

Larry Wheeler


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Mail: 486 West Second St , Lexington, Ky 40507
e-mail:
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Overcoming Cancer

National Cancer Survivor’s Day is Sunday, June 6. Cancer survivors, their families, friends and caregivers from Central Kentucky are invited to celebrate 2:30 to 5pm at the Campbell House, on June 6. To register or for more information, call or e-mail Suzanne Leibee at 859/ 323.1902 or sleibee@pop.uky.edu, or Jennifer Redmond at 859/ 219.0772 ext. 252 or jredmond@kcp.uky.edu.

Sponsors of the event include University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center Foundation, UK Markey Cancer Center, the Kentucky Cancer Program at UK Markey Cancer Center, Transitions, the Radiation Oncology Group, Central Baptist Hospital, St. Joseph HealthCare, the American Cancer Society, and Lexington Clinic.

Asking For Academic Assistance

The Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership seeks 25 parents interested in improving academic achievement for public school students in Fayette County. The institute, sponsored by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, is marking its seventh year of training.

Participants will attend training sessions in which they will gain knowledge and skills, and build on experiences as volunteers. They also commit to design and carry out projects involving other parents that have a lasting impact on student achievement.

Applicants for the institute should be parents or grandparents of students in Lexington public schools or other citizens who have been involved with local schools and want to reach out to other parents. Parents of children in the One Community One Voice Model Schools project: The Academy, Arlington, Ashland, Booker T. Washington, Deep Springs, Harrison, Johnson, Mill Creek, Northern, Southern, Squires and Yates are particularly encouraged to apply. Applications are available online at www.cipl.org or by calling the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence at 233.9849 (Lexington) or 800/ 928.2111.

The e-mail address is cipl@prichardcommittee.org.

Are You Registered?

After last week’s storms left many homes damaged, it’s time for rebuilding. And that means hiring a contractor.

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s Division of Building Inspection warns homeowners to hire registered contractors for home repairs. By law, all Lexington contractors must be registered with Urban County Government. Registered contractors are issued a wallet-size card showing registration. Ask to see the card before hiring a contractor.

To find out if a contractor is registered with Urban County Government, call Arbia Adams of the Division of Building Inspection at 258.3243.

The Division has an active list of all registered contractors.

Making Claims

If your home or property was damaged in last week’s tornado or subsequent storms, you need to know with whom to file an insurance claim.

The Kentucky Office of Insurance has prepared a packet to help prepare your claim. The packet is available on-line or by mail, and is free to the public.

The url for the Department of Insurance is: http://doi.ppr.ky.gov/kentucky.

You can also get access to the information at: http://www.lfucg.com/DEEM.

To get the packet via mail, call 800/ 595.6053 and ask for the Consumer Protection Division.

To submit an advocacy/activism activity or event for Quickies, email rkirkland@aceweekly.com, or editor@aceweekly.com.


To submit an advocacy/activism activity or event for Quickies, email rkirkland@aceweekly.com, or editor@aceweekly.com.