This is Bob Wynne, sitting in for Floyd Wynne, with The View from Here.

Several petitions have been floating around our neighborhoods these days. Petitions, you know, are one way to let our governments, be they city, county, state or federal to know what we think about certain issues.

Take the one on a proposed new county charter. It seems to us that the re writing of the charter has clarified some points and should make it to the ballot unless they can find some other way to disqualify it.

It did seem very inappropriate that some of the current County Commissioners, along with a newly elected Commissioner use a newspaper way of trying to combat the effort put out by a group of local citizens. We understand that the county board did appoint a special committee of its own to draw up a charter, but have heard little of the effort. I know that past County Commissioners have complained because they had little information from the fringe areas of the county. I think one year they did designate a building in Chemult for a place to talk to county people, but little came of it. It is pas time that we brought all Klamath County under one roof and had adequate representation from all sides. The plan proposed by the people seems to assure that.

Then there's the petition to the City Council to require the railroads to stop honking at all hours of the night at the Portland Street intersection. I swear that some of the engineers delight in two am honks at the intersection and even later announcing that they've passed through.

The petition will be in direct opposition to what the Council decided to do at their last meeting. At that meeting they approached the issue of train whistles all night and yet decided to instead install lights and left turn lanes on the Crater Lake Parkway, along with an island and right turn only requirements, and took no action to deal with the train whistle noise pollution.

It is incredible in my mind, you start with a problem such as the train whistles and then devise a solution that adds construction at the Esplanade intersection and yet does nothing to address the initial problem. That my friends is epitome of ineffective government. Thousands of city residents who reside in the valley where the Portland street railroad crossing is will be subjected to this caustic noise pollution many, many times per day and all night long, to accommodate the handful of pedestrians that walk across the Portand Street intersection. Unbelievable!

Obviously some common sense and quick action is needed and if it takes petitions by the residents of the Basin to correct the misguided action of our elected officials, so be it.

This is Bob Wynne, sitting in for Floyd Wynne, with The View from Here.

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Text Box:   This is Bob Wynne, sitting in for Floyd Wynne, with The View from Here. Several petitions have been floating around our neighborhoods these days. Petitions, you know, are one way to let our governments, be they city, county, state or federal to know what we think about certain issues. Take the one on a proposed new county charter. It seems to us that the re writing of the charter has clarified some points and should make it to the ballot unless they can find some other way to disqualify it. It did seem very inappropriate that some of the current County Commissioners, along with a newly elected Commissioner use a newspaper way of trying to combat the effort put out by a group of local citizens. We understand that the county board did appoint a special committee of its own to draw up a charter, but have heard little of the effort. I know that past County Commissioners have complained because they had little information from the fringe areas of the county. I think one year they did designate a building in Chemult for a place to talk to county people, but little came of it. It is pas time that we brought all Klamath County under one roof and had adequate representation from all sides. The plan proposed by the people seems to assure that. Then there's the petition to the City Council to require the railroads to stop honking at all hours of the night at the Portland Street intersection. I swear that some of the engineers delight in two am honks at the intersection and even later announcing that they've passed through. The petition will be in direct opposition to what the Council decided to do at their last meeting. At that meeting they approached the issue of train whistles all night and yet decided to instead install lights and left turn lanes on the Crater Lake Parkway, along with an island and right turn only requirements, and took no action to deal with the train whistle noise pollution. It is incredible in my mind, you start with a problem such as the train whistles and then devise a solution that adds construction at the Esplanade intersection and yet does nothing to address the initial problem. That my friends is epitome of ineffective government. Thousands of city residents who reside in the valley where the Portland street railroad crossing is will be subjected to this caustic noise pollution many, many times per day and all night long, to accommodate the handful of pedestrians that walk across the Portand Street intersection. Unbelievable! Obviously some common sense and quick action is needed and if it takes petitions by the residents of the Basin to correct the misguided action of our elected officials, so be it. This is Bob Wynne, sitting in for Floyd Wynne, with The View from Here.      

Text Box: 7/10/08