Letters to the Editor: Slow news day?

Slow news day?

The front-page article in last week’s Observer, “Capen Hits Snag,” reminds me of a now viral video routine featuring Louis C.K., titled “Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy.” In the routine, the comedian riffs on an entitled airline passenger who complained bitterly when the onboard Wi-Fi went out. Never mind that the guy, C.K. said, was “sitting in a chair in the sky … partaking in the miracle of flight.”

The Observer article warned that the Capen House project was “threatened” by the need to move a sewer line, at a cost between $12,000 and $50,000, and implied great consternation at City Hall over the delay. Never mind that the community rallied to raise over $400,000 in fewer than six months to save one of the city’s most historic homes. Never mind that, through the miracles of modern engineering, the 125-year-old house was cut in two and floated across Lake Osceola to the grounds of the Polasek Museum, witnessed overhead by helicopters, and from the shore by throngs of well-wishers. Moving a sewer line to continue this remarkable march of preservation and community goodwill doesn’t even deserve to be called a ‘snag,’ and certainly doesn’t merit front-page coverage, even in a slow news week.

The article also states that “the city likely wouldn’t use any taxpayer dollars to assist with the sewer line work.” As a front-row witness to the remarkable private fundraising triumphs to date, I can assure your readers that the project’s success will not hinge on the city’s donating $12,000 in plumbing services. But I would also ask, why shouldn’t the city make a token donation to this project? Wouldn’t underwriting the relocation of a sewer line be the very least the city could do to thank the Polasek Museum and the army of volunteers and donors who have saved a significant part of our shared heritage? In the “City of Culture and Heritage,” contributing $12,000 from a $140 million annual budget to a landmark project that saved part of our heritage and will become a critical addition to a prized cultural institution doesn’t seem unreasonable.

How quickly we forget that the move and restoration of Casa Feliz, a beacon to historic preservation and adaptive reuse, took almost four years. Reconstruction takes time. The Capen House will be restored to its former glory, and like Casa Feliz, become woven into the gorgeous cultural tapestry of Winter Park. I would urge anyone who is anxious to speed this process along to consider contributing to the cause and joining the success march.

Sincerely,

— Betsy Owens

Executive Director

Friends of Casa Feliz

A lesson in controlling traffic

Mr. Mayor,

Do you know the name of the genius behind the redesign of traffic flow coming from Maitland Avenue east on Horatio crossing U.S. Highway 17-92? Or better, who approved the design? Understandingly, a new traffic light has been installed which required a revision. But not to the extent that results in a very long traffic backup on Maitland Boulevard and Horatio Avenue!

When there were two lanes traveling east on Horatio from Maitland Avenue across Highway 17-92 there was no backup, just a nice flow of traffic. That is until last night on my way home when I found out a left hand turn lane had been added in place of the second lane going east across 17-92. The genius who decided to install a left turn lane must not have done his/her homework. I travel this route daily, and I approximate one or two cars out of every 100 actually makes a left hand turn on Highway 17-92 going north. So to appease the few cars making a left hand turn, we now have serious congestion issues! Way to go on the designer and those who approved this mess. I see they even painted parking spaces on the eastbound lane on Horatio. What next, parking meters for more revenue?

I am not a traffic engineer, but I could have designed the two blocks on Horatio Avenue from Maitland Avenue to flow without congestion. I'm sure there will be many complaints from your constituents.

Regards,

— Ken Hoffman

Maitland resident