Letters to the Editor

Protest downtown planCarson City is taking input on their plans for one lane each way on downtown Carson Street under the guise of public safety and a more pedestrian-friendly downtown. This plan is actually presented by the Carson City Downtown Business Owner Association.A few downtown business owners want to change downtown Carson Street from Fifth Street to William Street into one lane each way. They want to do this so that they can get 86 parking places, three per block on each side of the street, based on 14 blocks.This is going to cause a lot of backed up northbound morning traffic and southbound evening traffic. This will cause more potential customers to avoid the downtown area.In the event of an emergency, emergency vehicles will not be able to get through or get to where is needed. If there is an accident in that sector, traffic will not move at all until it is cleared up. According to carson.org/planning, we have 10,163 fewer cars per day on Carson Street now than in 2009. Even at that, look at all the vacant store fronts.Carson planners say this is inexpensive and reversible. Once the harm is done it could take years to get the customers back. Log on to www.carson.org/planning and voice your opinion. Be heard before it’s too late.Robert LamkinDaytonVisitor Bureau key to prosperityWe need someone to be both critic and advocate for the Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau. If we are to have any chance for an increase in our city revenues, it starts with the Visitor Bureau, as they are one of the key ingredients for that success to occur. What are the goals for this soon to be newly staffed bureau? The previous bureau spent more on salary and benefits than it did on advertisement, which is key in bringing visitors to Carson City, yet it came in second. Why? Our accumulating debt climate can be linked to the bureau’s failure to produce a winning campaign to increase tourism to our community. The real test for the bureau’s success will be the appointment to the vacancy left by Candy Duncan’s retirement. There is no question this position is the key for the center of gravity to finally arrive at the bureau. There cannot be a reasonable argument against doing a nationwide search for this replacement, as our community needs and deserves someone who can promptly deliver an increase in the amount of tourism to our community. This will have a ripple effect on businesses locating here and employment. As sales taxes increase, our quality of life improves. We need to gain a foothold not only locally but nationally as well. We can no longer ignore the importance of this position nor can we accept the past history of revenue generated by the bureau as the model for the future.Gianna M. ShirkCarson CityThanks for your serviceCaleb S. Cage urged us in his article in Friday’s issue to honor Nevada’s Pearl Harbor survivors and their families. We would like to take this opportunity to do just that for an old swabby and his lovely wife whom we proudly regard as our friends. We are referring to Roland and Evelyn Peachee who live right here in Carson City. Roland served in the U.S. Navy as a Ship’s Cook 1st Class aboard the USS Rigel which was at dock in Pearl Harbor for repairs on that fateful day in 1941. We have been very lucky to have an opportunity to get to know Roland and Evelyn and to have heard some of Roland’s descriptions of his experiences. Despite his advancing years, our friend Roland’s memory is still sharp.Thank you Roland for your service to our country and thank you Evelyn for taking such good care of Roland and thank you both for being our friends.Alan and Bonnie RogersCarson CityOh, deer, they’re drunkWe attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday. My grandson Eric Thornton was sustained a member of the bishopric.Driving home down Fifth Street, we had to stop for three deer visiting in the middle of the street. All of sudden they were challenged by an older, bigger group coming from Tacoma Street. I thought sure trouble was brewing. They did a nose to nose, toes to toes street dance that I wasn’t familiar with. They looked kind of silly stumbling around. Then the older Tacoma group turned and jumped a fence into a yard with an apple tree. The Fifth Street gang continued milling around funny-like, going nowhere. One stood, head cocked, looking in through my car window. That’s when I realized they had a Saturday night party and feasted on fermented apples that had fallen on the ground under the tree. They were all pie-eyed and staggering around.I wanted to leave but didn’t want to run over any deer. After all, some were mothers. One of the four little ones still had its spots. Mother was probably seeing spots on all of them. Easing my foot up on the brake pedal, I inched forward. The group, gang, herd moved first to one side of Fifth Street, then the other. If any one in the church bishopric or member of Alcoholics Anonymous speaks deer, they might want to have a meeting with this Fifth Street gang before they cause trouble.Jane O’NeillCarson City