Letters to the Editor
Praise for Burns, Planning Board
Dear Independent,
In a town where often there is a complaint on every issue, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to the Town of York Planning Board, and specifically to Town Planner Steve Burns, for allowing public comment during the May 24 Public Hearing regarding the proposed state-mandated Shoreland Zoning Changes. These proposed changes would have changed our property from an existing Limited Residential Shoreland Zone to entirely a Resource Protection Zone.
As a result of this public hearing, many people became educated on the impact of these proposed changes. I, for one, was made aware of Mr. Burns' plans to meet with the state expert on June 4 to review these proposed changes.
Based on a follow-up public hearing held on Thursday, June 28, I understand that the state expert had been informed of the zone change's drastic impact, and as a result will withdraw approximately 400 of the 600 previously impacted properties on their proposed map.
The System Worked!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Jackie and Dave Grant
York
Students against global warming
Dear Independent,
We are a group of fourth-graders from Coastal Ridge Elementary School. We will be going to fifth grade in September. We are concerned about global warming and we have studied it this spring in a Horizons group, which is our school's enrichment program.
We worry that global warming is killing animals and destroying our earth by causing drought, causing floods and warming the oceans, which harms all ocean life. We worry that some day coastal towns in Florida and even our coastal towns in Maine could flood. Drought in Africa kills people and animals. Heat waves around the world, even in our country, can kill people.
We created a webpage in Horizons about global warming to let people know more about it and to let people know about a few things they can do to help. Please visit it at www.yorkschools.org/cres/Site/Movie.html.
Sincerely,
Amanda, Emma, Hannah, Sam and Will
The Horizons Global Warming Interest Group
York
Editor's note: The following two letters are part of a series of letters from York High School students on a variety of issues. Watch for more in upcoming editions of The Independent.
Thanks for girls' hockey vote
Dear Independent,
In the May vote, girls' hockey was voted in to be a sanctioned varsity sport, and I would like to thank the residents of York for doing so.
Four winters ago, York started a learn-to-skate program for girls. Seven girls skated every Monday night from January to the beginning of March. In 2004, that learn-to-skate program developed into the first York Girls' Ice Hockey Team and played in the Bay State League with girls from fifth to ninth grade. Now in 2007, there are two girls' hockey teams: a middle school and high school team.
My name is Alex Banfield, and I am a sophomore at York High School. I was part of the original seven players and have been with the developing team since the learn-to-skate program in 2004. I played with the high school team for the first two seasons, and it was great to be a part of the first YHS girls' hockey team, and I am thrilled that my last two years on the team will be recognized as a varsity sport.
Our team, our coaches and our athletic director worked very hard to make this a possible opportunity for us, but it wouldn't have been feasible without the help and support from our town. On behalf of my team, my coaches and myself, I would like to thank the residents of York for helping us achieve our goal that we worked so hard to accomplish.
Thanks for all your support,
Alex Banfield
York
Nut-free schools make no sense
Dear Independent,
In a recent series of events, certain schools in the town of York have proudly become "nut-free schools." Is this something we should really be proud of? I understand that there are children who are allergic to nuts and could have a serious reaction if they were to ingest a nut product. Even a product made from machines that may also come in contact with nut products is a concern, but is a harsh ban of numerous amounts of products enjoyed daily really a fair decision?
I feel that the majority should not have to go through the nut ban if it's a very small minority causing it. At the same time, I understand that something does need to be done to protect the affected children because I know that I would want to be protected if I had a serious nut allergy. However, I think that there needs to be a balance between keeping children safe and allowing very common, popular foods to still be allowed and served at schools.
Some of you may or may not know about cross contamination with foods, utensils, machinery and cookware. Due to cross contamination, products that may seem harmless and completely irrelevant to nuts may actually be a direct link. Take, for example, pretzels. If you read the label, you will find a sentence stating, "Allergy information: Produced in a facility that handles peanut butter." The pretzels might as well be nuts because of cross contamination, and pretzels might have the same effect on an allergic child as nuts.
Another reason why the ban of nuts should be seriously reconsidered is that it creates a false sense of security. While teachers and parents' intent is to look out for their students and children, banning certain foods might be too much. Students at a young age, such as the elementary schools, might think that if they're protected now, they won't have to worry about their future. This is a concern because children could become very lax in looking out for themselves when eating different foods. Children need to develop the instinct and habit of making sure everything they eat won't cause an allergic reaction.
Lastly, I just want everyone who reads this to know that you can't completely ban nuts. There are far too many possibilities of cross contamination that make it virtually impossible to eradicate exposure to nuts. Cross contamination can happen in so many different ways. It can happen in manufacturing (like the pretzels I talked about), in restaurants (if a child doesn't wash his or her hands after making contact with a nut-linked product), and human error. There needs to be a different approach to this problem. Safety for children should be one of our main priorities in our school systems, but at the same time, give those who are able the opportunity to enjoy nut products. Some kids, like me, may need peanut butter to live on in the very near future, which for me is college!
Sincerely,
Patrick Seaward
York Class of 2009
The Independent Letters Policy: The Independent welcomes letters and opinions on any subject. We do not accept anonymous letters. Letters should be 200 words or less. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length, accuracy, and/or legal reasons and to reject any material considered unsuitable for publication. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of The Independent or its staff.
Send your letters to the Editor at PO Box 6, York, ME 03909 or via email to editor@yorkindependent.net. Deadline for publication is 12:00 noon on the Monday prior to that week's publication
