Letters to the Editor Week of 10/26/20

By: 
Press readers

Many reasons to
support library

To the editor: I am writing to ask you to help support one of my favorite places, the library. The Birchard Public Library System levy is up for renewal this year and I am writing to implore Sandusky County residents to vote yes for the renewal.
For me this is an easy decision as I could spend hours discussing all the library has to offer. The library has done so much for me and I am always willing to support it in any way I can. My hope is that even if you do not feel as strongly as I do on this issue, you will still vote yes. Please vote yes for people like my grandmother who can’t leave her home due to the pandemic and must rely on eBooks, offered through the library to help escape the confines of her home for a little while.
Vote yes for those who may have come on hard times this year and will utilize the computers to aid in their job search. Vote yes for the teen who needs a safe and quiet spot to complete their schoolwork as they adjust to online learning.
Vote yes for those who have seen the events happening in our country and are now emboldened to vote and need a place to start.
Vote yes for the little girl who came racing through the re-opened library right to the children’s section to see if there were any new dinosaur books.
Vote yes because if there is one thing I’ve learned over this last year, it's that we need this next generation of children to be always learning and curious. And if at the end of the day you can’t vote yes for any of the above reasons, please take pity and vote yes for this poor soul who thought it would be a good idea to plant a garden since she has so much time at home only to realize later she has no idea how to cook Swiss chard and now desperately needs to request a multitude of cookbooks from the library.
The libraries are truly amazing places that provide countless resources for members of our community and are needed now more than ever.
Megan Rospert
Woodville

School lock down
was necessary
To the editor: A few weeks ago, Lake Township encountered a terrorist threat incident that occurred remarkably close to our schools. Decisions were made early in the event to lock down the schools to protect the students and staff.
While the lives of all township residents are important, both the youngest and the oldest citizens need extra protection at times, and this was obviously at the forefront of the concerns of incident command personnel as the event continued to unfold.
The event began when employees of GetGo Transportation on Lemoyne Road noticed a man and a woman acting suspiciously near their business. They did the right thing and called 9-1-1 to report what they saw.
The incident resulted in the arrest of the man and woman, both of Virginia, on several charges, including counts of engaging in terrorist threats.
Law enforcement understands that putting schools on lockdown can be disruptive, but there are times that tough decisions need to be made for the safety of students. Judging by the responses we have seen on Facebook, township residents, and in particular, parents of our students, were grateful these steps were taken.
In addition to placing the school on lockdown Chief Mark Hummer, who was on the scene and was directing incident command, requested some off-duty personnel be called in. Part of that decision was to increase police presence at the school to supplement the school resource officer who was already on duty there.
At the time the decision was made to lock down the school, it was not yet clear what the situation entailed, but the outcome of the incident proved to substantiate the move was prudent and in the best interests of the schools, the students, and the staff.
When decisions need to be made, they must be made with the information that is in hand. In this case, forethought as to what could be unfolding had to be added to that decision-making process.
It is highly unusual for this kind of incident to take place in a small, peaceful community such as Lake Township, but as this incident proves, it can happen just about anywhere. Lake Township residents are fortunate to have law enforcement personnel and leaders who can “think outside the box” to protect its citizens.
We are also thankful to those who have spoken up, both on social media and in other ways, to show support for those who had to make the tough but necessary decisions that day.
Ron Craig
Lake Twp. Police Dept.

Political parties
absent from signs
To the editor: I find it interesting that in this fairly recent era of sharply divided political discourse, party affiliation is absent on most local signs and advertising.
If the various candidates find it hard to proudly display the party platform they run on, perhaps they should find another way to involve themselves behind the fray.
Gary Dunn
Curtice

Levy renewal
has been earned
To the editor: The nation’s current pandemic – COVID 19 – and the necessary changes we all have endured to our daily life, at work, at school, at church – has made the Wood County Health Department a very visible “front and center” in 2020. It is important, though. to remember all the health services the department provides and how valuable these services are to all the citizens of Wood County.
The health department’s request, a 10-year, 0.5- mill renewal levy, has allowed for a stable funding base to locally supplement the state, federal, and grant funding sources used by the department to provide services for environmental health, for nutrition and other needs for women, infants and children, for restaurant inspections, for emergency preparedness, for the Community Health Center, and of course for public health needs.
This supplemental local funding is required because state funding of local health programs has historically been inadequate to cover these very basic requirements.
As the former president of the Wood County District Board of Health, I can confirm the careful scrutiny given to the use of all the funding available to the department.
The “squeaky clean” annual audits by the state auditor attests to the board’s oversight, and the department staff’s careful use, of the taxpayer’s monies. This is always a primary concern when it comes to the board’s deliberations.
Your continued support of the department by an affirmative vote for the renewal levy will be appreciated and will allow for continuation of the vital services of the health department.
Frank McLaughlin
Bowling Green

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