LETTERS
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BLUFF UGLY This is a comment in response to the April 16 article (“Paying for downtown” by Bruce Rushton) about the development proposed for Fourth and Madison streets by Bluffstone. I had clipped the article because I wanted to remember to look at the Bluffstone website to see what their properties look like. Now I know: Ugly.
Whatever is built must have adequate parking included within the property footprint (at least two car spaces per unit), and it shouldn’t look like a fortress as the neighboring buildings do. Ana-Jo Mounce Springfield
BIKE TO WORK YEAR May 15 was National Bike to Work Day. I am just sad that we do not have a Bike to Work year. Just think, if we removed just four out of every five private owner automobiles from the road, just how long will gas prices remain at well over $2 per gallon when gas stations are selling almost no gas? The benefits of cycling are too numerous to mention. Health, lower gas prices, weight control and the beauty of nature. What could be better than a quality bicycle?
I hope we can fill the streets of Springfield with respectful bicycle riders, not just on National Bike to Work day/ week, but during the rest of the year as well. Norman Hinderliter Springfield
BOBCAT TRAPPING The Illinois Senate will soon vote on a bill that would allow both the hunting and trapping of bobcats. When former governor Quinn vetoed a similar bill just five months ago, he said that allowing people to hunt bobcats would violate our responsibility to protect and preserve Illinois’ wildlife. Let us not violate that responsibility now.
Many animals who are shot by hunters are never recovered and are left to a slow, agonizing death. Trapped animals may languish for days before the trapper arrives to kill them. As the terrified animals struggle, they can injure themselves further; some, especially mothers with babies to feed, even resort to chewing or twisting off their own limbs in a desperate attempt to escape. Steel-jaw traps are indiscriminate – they catch any animal who stumbles into them, including “nontarget” wildlife and companion animals.
Imagine your dog or cat succumbing to such a fate, and you can understand why we have a responsibility to prevent such cruelty to any animal. Jennifer Bates PETA Foundation
ENGINEERING YOUNG MINDS For more than 10 years, many Illinois Department of Transportation engineers have been volunteering approximately 100 hours per year to conduct the Engineering Explorers Post 6 project. The engineers encourage students between the age of 14 and 20 who have finished eighth grade to pursue engineering by engaging them in activities such as attend engineering field trips, attending lectures involving engineering projects, and mentoring and awarding scholarships based on several criteria, including bridge design competition.
Kudos to these engineers.
Vinod Gupta Springfield
