THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 1997 TAG: 9701240154
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letters
LENGTH: 132 lines
After reading R.A. Roundtree's letter in The Clipper Jan. 17, it is quite clear that Mr. Roundtree does not know Dr. John de Triquet or the facts.
Since Dr. de Triquet has been on City Council, he has consistently voted for the people and for the communities when other council member did not. Dr. de Triquet is very much in touch with the people. He has two children in the Chesapeake Public Schools and very active in the Parent-Teacher Association and all school activities. As a doctor, he works with children and parents every day. He also works with the police, social workers and the courts in child abuse and child neglect cases.
No one is more in touch with the people than Dr. de Triquet. He has remained steadfast in his beliefs and promises to the people, not like some members of the council who have forgotten their campaign platforms and why they were elected. Dr. de Triquet is not a yes person. He is a very intelligent man who uses his own mind to determine right from wrong. He is not afraid to stand up for truth, even though sometimes he stands alone. It is an honor to know him and a pleasure to work with him and for him.
The BPOL tax has been in effect for decades. The City of Chesapeake generates $12.5 million annually from the tax. Businesses who gross less than $100,000 a year are exempt.
Dr. de Triquet said if the General Assembly gets rid of this tax then they have to find another structure to replace the millions of dollars generated by this tax. He does not want it to fall on property owners.
Anne Tregembo
Bomar Drive Shining example
On Jan. 14, I was honored to attend the fifth-grade orchestra recit
al at Western Branch Intermediate School. More than 100 10-year-olds playing violin, viola and cello performed before a standing room crowd in the school's gymnasium. It should be noted that not one of these students had ever held a string instrument until four months ago.
To say this recital was remarkable would be a drastic understatement. This performance was nothing short of astonishing. The skill displayed by these students showed great dedication and untold hours of practice. But most of all it provided vivid proof of the extraordinary instructional ability of the music teacher, Martin Glasco. Mr. Glasco is deserving of the highest commendation available in the Chesapeake schools. I cannot express how appreciative parents are of Mr. Glasco's efforts.
Following the fifth-grade recital, we were treated to a performance by a string ensemble from Western Branch High School. This group, also under the tutelage of Mr. Glasco, gave a performance which made the fifth-grade parents eager for the day when our children will be participants in the high school orchestra.
Mr. Glasco is a shining example of how good public education can be. The standing ovation the recital received was as much for him as for his wonderful students.
David Willet
Brittany Way Insulting letter
The letter critical of John M. de Triquet (The Clipper, Jan. 17) is somewhat misplaced and insulting to both the councilman and readers of average intelligence and needs a diagnostician.
First: He ridicules doctors and their income. He should include leaders of the media, the auto industry, sports, unions, the computer industry and the financial world.
Second: He opposes the reason and intelligence of John de Triquet with that worn-out cliche that you don't understand working people, poor or otherwise. He's just tilting at windmills. Most of us realize that good health, a good job and a desire to succeed is rewarding.
Third: I think John de Triquet is thinking of the financial future of the youth of this city and state and will not accept the ``go with the flow'' intellect of many leaders of this city.
Fourth: The leaders and all of those who are willing to listen can learn from John de Triquet. The great illness of this modern age is that they will not take the time to listen and learn.
R.E. Gibson
Avalon Briches Nobody's pawn
This letter is in response to ``Get the Facts'' by Gene Leis (The Clipper, Jan. 17) warning people not to be ``anybody's pawn'' by signing the petition to stop Warrington Hall. His and other letters have accused those working with the petition drive of not presenting all the facts. We've also been accused of protesting something for ``aesthetics differences'' or because it's a new idea.
The Clearfield Triangle Civic League studied this proposal carefully and unanimously voted to oppose the Planned Unit Development. The issue was presented to the Chesapeake Council of Civic Organizations and members unanimously voted to support not only the Clearfield community but a majority of the people living in Tallwood Estates, Kemp Crossing, Kemp Woods, Wynngate and Norcova Estates and others in their opposition to the planned unite development (PUD).
One of the purposes of the CCCO is to ``assist citizen groups with their concerns before any city agency, board, commission or council, if these concerns are endorsed by a majority of the CCCO membership.''
This was the case a few years ago when the local civic league, along with the CCCO, helped Mr. Leis successfully fight his adjoining property from being rezoned from Residential to Assembly Center. He wonders where the CCCO was when the corner of Cedar Road and Battlefield Boulevard was rezoned to commercial zoning in the 1970s.
It was not in existence! When that issue came to the CCCO, the membership voted to support Robert Parker and his group in their effort to preserve the green space. The CCCO president, along with Robert Parker, met with the Commerce Bank president to inform him of the opposition and to encourage him to relocate.
I think it is safe to say most of the misinformation, regarding Warrington Hall, has come from proponents rather than opponents. It was never a matter of 316 vs. 282 housing units. A few people conveniently left out the 84 town homes for the elderly and the 100 unit assisted living complex out of the 316 total housing count because it has Institutional zoning rather than Residential.
Most people recognized the real difference between 282 housing units vs. 400 housing units, a 100 assisted living complex and the 440 employees proposed on this property. They also implied that Mr. Williamson would build the cheapest houses possible if it were R-15s zoning. I think he has more intelligence and business sense than that. We will never know.
The greatest statement of misinformation is saying how well the city is going to keep up with infrastructure needs because the PUD has a phasing schedule. We will experience the truth of that between July 1997 and June 2000.
Finally Mr. Leis questions the motivation behind the petition. The truth is that many hard-working, high tax-paying concerned citizens of Chesapeake (whether they are newcomers or long-time residents) look at this proposed PUD and the long-term ramifications as well as immediate impact and opposed it on its merits. Those who either worked hard collecting signatures or took the time in freezing temperatures to sign the petition did so with knowledge and intelligence and were not pawns of anyone! Sense of community and caring people are alive and well in Chesapeake without creating anew community design to promote that!
Denise Waters
Clearfield Avenue