Sept. 12, 2001

By Staff
Water woes
To the Editor:
It sounds strange to complain about a lack of water considering the amount of rain we've had lately. But on Sept. 6 the residents of Mohawk Road were totally dependent on rain for their water needs.
North Meridian has suffered for many years with low water pressure so it is hard at times to know the difference. We only read that some day there will be a big ole tank on a hill somewhere to solve our problems. So, when you call to report low water pressure, no one is concerned.
Mohawk Road lost pressure on Wednesday, Sept. 5. This was reported to the city by two people that morning. One person was told that the crew was busy repairing pot holes and could not get to it. That afternoon a third person called and was told there was no record of previous complaints.
At about 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6, the entire water system shut down. The sound that makes is hard to describe. One resident called the Water Department's Emergency After Hours number at 4:30 a.m. to report the total lack of water and was told to call back at 7:45 a.m. when the workers arrived for the day. Excuse me?!
Finally, numerous calls between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. got results and water was restored by noon. By late afternoon on Friday, Sept. 7, the street was repaired and residents could again drive to their homes. Unfortunately, this repair involved digging up asphalt on a fresh overlay just completed this summer. This overlay was long overdue and had corrected problems which occurred several years ago when a water line blew out two blocks of Mohawk Road.
Maybe when the city combines the positions of Police Chief and Fire Chief they could add head of the water department to that position as well.
Joe R. Swain
Meridian
Highway 39 north: Keep it moving
To the Editor:
I, too, like Ms. Alawine (Letters to the Editor, The Meridian Star, Sept. 9) get aggravated when people STOP in that right lane as it rounds the bend to go north onto Highway 39. I travel that way every day. There is not even a YIELD sign there (at least it still wasn't one last night that I saw) and, no, there is no stop sign either. That lane simply is independent of any other lanes and remains a lane in itself.
But, it never fails, many times I have seen people slam on brakes and sit while they can simply continue on in the lane. I have seen accidents there and it is, clearly, mostly to blame on people that stop instead of going on rightfully in their lane.
No yielding or stopping is necessary, just KEEP IT MOVING! (Perhaps the city should put one of those signs there. They have them in other cities.)
On the other hand, we all need to be careful and practice defensive driving habits. It is a life saver. Hopefully someone will learn a thing or two from mine and Ms. Alawine's letters.
Jerry Harris
Marion
More about In God We Trust' posters
To the Editor:
The purpose of my letter on September 2 was to state that these posters say to me that I'm not an American unless I believe in your god. I'm not afraid of your religion, I just don't like it being forced on me all the time. And I clearly stated in my letter that I would never push to put up posters that state "Gods Do Not Exist," so I'm certainly not trying to "make the majority confirm to (my) viewpoint," as one letter-writer accused me of doing.
I am a senior, and have studied much history. Enough to know that the Treaty of Tripoli, which I think was signed in 1797, states that Congress is in no way founded on the Christian religion. Look it up if you don't believe me.
One letter-writer stated that most of this country follows Christianity, yet in the fifth paragraph, the writer said about God that "the majority of citizens in the USA no longer trust in him." Which is it?
In this country, we have Freedom of Religion. It is impossible to have this freedom without a secular government (otherwise, you'd end up in a theocracy). So should government-owned buildings be putting up posters advertising for a particular deity? I think not.
Doug DeWitt
Enterprise
What about that old cypress house?
To the Editor:
I was home recently. The wonderful old cypress
house on Eighth Street is still very much in disrepair. The last I heard an auction was held and a couple bought it. What happened? This house deserves to be saved but it will not wait forever. If the couple that bought it still owns it, please consider your responsibility to the home. Otherwise, regardless who it belongs to, it needs to be cared for now.
Please include my address so if someone wishes to tell me about the house they can.
Betty Armstrong
Orange Park, FL

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