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February 11, 2006Letters to the EditorKids should be priorityI recently stopped at the Boys and Girls Club to drop off some games for the youth and was surprised to see the obvious physical needs of the facility. I was about to obtain an item for the club that they needed when I read in the paper the club was closed. The club served between 30 and 60 youth, depending on the time of the year. It was a place where youth could go after school or during the day while the single parent, in many instances, was working. This was a safe, secure environment and kept kids from roaming the streets and getting into problems and, perhaps, keeping them from law enforcement contacts. It is a sad commentary on a community that the taxpayers are expected to pick up the costs, $15 million, of a parking deck for a developer, yet don't give financial support for its youth in the form of this club. With all the wealth in this area, this club should be the envy of every club in the state. The motto of this community should be $20,000 for one parking space, but not one cent for the Boys and Girls Club. Tom Miller Traverse City Challenge accepted! This is in reference to a letter, "A challenge offered," that ran on Feb. 2. I appreciate the letter-writer's insight on how we should conduct ourselves. I do know some of the compassionate people who signed the "anti-abortion" ad in the paper. They are truly God's people (see Matthew, Chapter 5). They are not status seekers. I am sure that the three pages of those who signed the ad are of the same caliber. Hopefully, the letter-writers will accept our prayers as we will accept hers. Please read Matthew Chapter 7. Dick Stosio Rapid City Zoo train is not a toy I was visiting Traverse City when the zoo train ran over the oil hose. I was a fireman on the N&W from 1945 to 1962 and I know that the engineer stopped the train in a remarkably short distance. Despite what many people think, this train is not a toy; it is a fully functioning steam train made out of steel. Trains do not stop quickly and the loaded zoo train is about 11,000 pounds. You cannot stop quickly; if the brakes are used when the engine is thrown in reverse, the wheels will lock up and you will skid along the track with no braking power at all, so just throwing the engine in reverse is the best choice in this situation. On a 1 percent downhill grade, at the site of the accident, stopping distance is at least two times that on level ground (minimum 250 feet.) So why was it appropriate to take a small, brown oil hose across the (shaded) track and expect the train crew to know it was there when they were not notified, and expect them to see it and stop? The problem is the public's lack of respect, understanding for the machine. Tony Durga Grand Rapids and Fellbach, Germany
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