Words of thanks
Dear Independent,
On Tuesday, July 1, my husband was in a bicycle accident on Shore Road in Cape Neddick. He was lying unconscious in the road.
Someone called emergency and stayed with him until helped arrived. Whoever you are - thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I wish you had given your name to the police so I could personally tell you how much I appreciate what you did. You will forever be in my heart.
Joan Jarvis
York Harbor
Toll booth move a travesty
Dear Independent,
Safety reasons for not moving the York toll both: All four sites that the MTA has proposed would cause damage to the Mount A conservation property. This area has the highest biodiversity in the state of Maine. The current toll booth location is outside this conservation area.
Specifically speaking, if construction on 11.5 and 13.2, two of the MTA's four relocation points on the map, were to happen it would cause excess silt, antifreeze, brake fluids and other related pollutants to flow from Clay Hill Brook into the Josias River, which flows directly into Perkins Cove, where lobstermen store their catches.
We live in Maine - "The way life should be" - to avoid this type of travesty.
Thank you
Jim Clifford
York
MTA plan is a bad idea
Dear Independent,
The people of Maine intend to spend their state revenue wisely, especially in the current economy where basics needs are becoming unaffordable. Then why has the MTA even proposed to build a new unneeded expansive brick and mortar tollbooth that will be obsolete by the time it is built. There are bad ideas, and then there are BAD IDEAS.
Imagine you have cracks and potholes in your driveway. The solution you are offered is to tear up your lawn and build a new driveway on the other side of your house. This solution includes moving the septic tank, drilling a new well and moving your garage to the other side. The driveway will be much smoother and you can drive into your garage must faster. Too bad you did not consider replacing the current driveway or even look at road patch.
Do not let the MTA make the same mistake and spend a minimum of $40 million on an unneeded tollbooth this is destructive to the environment and the quality of life in Maine.
Stephanie Byrne
York
Answer me this, MTA
Dear Independent,
The MTA has mailed responses to the questions asked at the meeting held in York on April 3, 2008, concerning the relocation of the York Toll Plaza.
I attended that meeting and asked a two-part financial question that was not answered. On June 18 I wrote to Dan Paradee of the Maine Turnpike Authority asking for an answer. I still have not received answers to my questions.
My question that has not been answered is: When do you plan to increase the tolls to pay for this project and what do you project the increase to be?
You state this project will cost between $37.4 million and $39.2 million. Would you give us an estimate of the breakdown of the cost?
1. The engineering firm HNTB.
2. Cost of removal of the present plaza and repair of those roads.
3. Construction cost of the new plaza - including bringing water, electricity and sewerage to the site.
4. Finance or interest charges.
5. How much has been assigned for the purchase of land and homes.
The MTA does not appear to want to inform us of the costs.
Joan Jarvis
York Harbor
Veterans' status in York
Dear Independent,
I received a letter from the town of York last fall indicating that I have been receiving the Veteran's Real Estate Tax exemption in error over the last 10 years and am no longer eligible for this exemption.
I served on active duty in the United States Navy from May 23, 1955, and was honorably discharged after four years of service on May 23, 1959, as a Petty Officer, 2nd Class.
During this timeframe, we were involved with the DEW Line extension Radar Picket Duty in the North Atlantic during the Cold War and subsequently on board ship during the Formosa Crisis having served in the Mediterranean and subsequently around the world to patrol the Formosa Strait now called Taiwan.
I have written to Peter W. Ogden, Director, Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Veterans' Services in Augusta, who wrote, "Unfortunately, it is a hard time in Maine to talk about increasing tax exemptions. The Joint Standing Committee on Taxation has received testimony on a couple of bills over the past few years that looked at the same issue you have. While they were sympathetic to the issue, they could not support opening the door to 35,000 plus non-wartime veterans at this time."
It is interesting to note that a Definition of Massachusetts Veterans M.G.L. c. 4, sec. 7, cl. 43rd as amended by the Acts of 2005, ch. 130, classifies those who served in the armed forces from 1-Feb-1955 to 4-Aug-1964 as Vietnam I veterans for this ERA of Service. I have informed our Rep. Windol Weaver of this situation who promised to look into it further.
It would seem that this small token of recognition for all servicemen who served their country during these time frames would be granted exemptions and not be a heavy monetary burden on the state of Maine or the town of York since the exemption of $6,000 amounts to approximately $50 off of the real estate tax bill for anyone who served their country.
Roland Paquette
York Beach
The truth about the toll plan
Dear Independent,
By now everyone in the state has either read or heard on TV news about the MTA's proposal to build a state-of-the-art toll plaza to replace the existing tollbooth in York.
My problem with this is that almost everyone I speak to who is not directly affected seems to have the opinion that everything is going along fine.
Please don't be misled; things are anything but fine and the MTA is working diligently to do exactly what they please, thinking that with time we will give up the fight.
For those of you who do not have all the facts, please go to www.ThinkAgain2008.com and read the whole story.
I have noticed a significant decrease in attendance at meetings, and with the good weather everyone has something else to do. But we are in a tough fight with the MTA and can't sit idly by and let them step on us.
We need help from every citizen in the state!
Carol Potvin
York
Plaza should stay where it is
Dear Independent,
On April 8, Gov. Baldacci announced that it was Wildlife Appreciation Day in the state of Maine. I certainly appreciate the wildlife we have in Maine. Each morning when I open up my window blinds I wonder what "critter" I will be lucky enough to witness passing through my yard. I have had moose, deer, black bear, wild turkeys, foxes, numerous wild birds and raptors.
I do not live in the woods of northern Maine. I live in York, Maine, near one of the locations where the Maine Turnpike Authority is considering building a massive new toll plaza. One of the other locations being considered is actually part of a State Wildlife Sanctuary. For anyone who has been on Chases Pond Road in York - maybe on the way to Mount Agamenticus for a day- traveled along Mountain Road, North Village Road, Greenleaf Parsons, Sewalls Pasture Road and the surrounding vicinity they soon realize what a special area the town of York and the state of Maine has for residents, visitors and our wildlife neighbors.
When the MTA mentions what is wrong with the existing toll plaza I feel that with the technology today, a curve can be taken out of a highway, a hill going toward a toll plaza can be leveled off, old soil can be rejuvenated and a safe plaza and tunnel within the same footprint can be built - or upgraded - for travelers and MTA employees alike.
Barbara Matthews
York
Spot-on news
Dear Independent,
Congratulations to the editors and staff of The York Independent for your spot-on editorial, "We're not buying it," and article, "MTA: Honest review or just going through the motions?"(The York Independent, June 27). Your continuing informative coverage of this critical issue to the citizens of York and the entire state of Maine is greatly appreciated.
Dick and Wendy Bilden
York
Think again, MTA
Dear Independent,
The MTA has admitted that volumes at the York toll plaza declined significantly for the first four weekends in June ("Tourism Comes and Goes," Portland Press Herald, July 8). Specifically, according to the turnpike authority, traffic was down 11 percent from 2007 in the first weekend, 5 percent in the second, 11 percent in the third and 10 percent in the fourth.
All the more reason that the MTA needs to reevaluate its plans to squander $40 million on a 21-lane replacement for the York plaza - a long-term solution to a short-term problem that in today?s environment borders on waste, fraud and abuse.
Message to MTA: It's a sign of the times; come to grips with reality; recognize that the game has changed; gasoline and diesel fuel is on a permanent rise; discretionary income is down; cashless toll taking technology is here, and those that are traveling are opting for alternative roadways such as Route 1. Think repair and rehabilitation of the current plaza vice replacement. Contribute to the solution rather than exacerbate the problem.
Richard Bilden
York
