Thursday, Jan. 10, 2002

By Staff
Bonita Lakes: Undeveloped natural beauty'
To the editor:
The mayor's comments at the city council meeting Tuesday morning made it apparent that he has no intention of considering an alternate site for the new golf course. It is puzzling that he considers his plan a "compromise" for all when it will clearly destroy the natural outdoor experience for all the other groups concerned our own citizens and many who travel from around the state to hike, bike, run and ride horses. Why does this particular location for a golf course override the concerns of hundreds who enjoy Bonita solely because of its undeveloped natural beauty?
I urge the mayor, the councilmen and all city officials to reconsider and put the golf course somewhere else. Bonita AS IT IS NOW is a treasure. Quit trying to pave it. Leave it alone for your children and mine.
Cherry Clark
Meridian
A real solution
To the editor:
Why destroy the relationship of the City Of Meridian with a large majority of the citizens of Lauderdale County and with people who are emerging from around the state and from adjoining states for their enjoyment/love of the city's Bonita Lake Park's property?
Seems that nobody wants to agree with the severe impact being proposed on the pristine nature's habitat proposed by City of Meridian Leaders to build a brand new golf course around the eastern side of the Bonita Lakes property.
Go ahead, close the Lakeview Golf course and convert it into a Cooper Homes environment. Take a small portion of the money received by the City of Meridian and purchase memberships of the city's Lakeview Golf Course into the Briarwood or the Naval Air Station's courses.
Everybody comes out ahead.
Herb Stott
Meridian
Our firefighters among life's blessings
To the editor:
At the time of the Sept. 11 disaster, our firemen wanted to go to New York to give any help that they could. This didn't work out, of course, because of the severity of the situation. The firemen decided that they could put on a barbecue for the firemen's families in New York. They had the Frank Cochran Center scheduled for their annual Firemen's Ball on Oct. 6, and decided to use that date for the barbecue. This was the first time in a number of years that they did not have a Fireman's Ball. They also contracted the volunteer fire departments and found out that they would help in any way that they could.
My staff and I decided that we would help by ordering the supplies, contacting businesses to buy plates, getting the four barbecue cookers to the Frank Cochran Center and pulling the pork for the plates. This was a job that I had no idea would be demanding. We had two weeks to pull this off.
All too often the good things in our life are taken for granted. Our firemen are one of them.
On Thursday, Oct. 4, Mabry, Shields, Mackey, McAlister, R. Bohl, Ivy and Holdiness were at the Cochran Center all night cooking the pork. Friday, Oct. 5, all firemen and my staff worked in shifts to get the pork pulled for Saturday. Saturday, Oct. 6, we were all there early preparing the plates and the volunteer fire departments came in to help serve.
These fireman are family. They put the well being of others before themselves. Although these firemen are underpaid considering the fact that their lives are put on the line every time they go to work, no thought was given to the amount of time and work that would go into this project.
I love a man in uniform and I love every single firemen we have. If we all stop and think, we should respond with enthusiasm and pride in knowing that these men are protecting us. The next time you see a fireman, tell him thank you; tell him he will get a raise; tell him God will see to it.
Pam Deitz
Meridian