Trees hold emotional value for some

Lance Winkler’s In Defense of Andy Pruitt (Nov. 27 issue) so struck a chord in me, because of the hewn down trees in Houk Stream, and how it broke his heart, having played in this patch of woods as a child.

I was equally devastated and heartbroken when returning home after a trip to Maryland to find the beautiful oak tree in my front yard and the maple tree completely maimed. I had asked for the dead wood to be taken out of the tree, and they said that, yes, that would keep the tree healthier. I had also asked to be present when they did the work.

They completely ignored my request and took down at least 50-60 percent of the oak tree and a lot of the maple tree. Those two gorgeous trees had been one of the main incentives for the purchase of the house on Hathaway when I moved here from Maryland in July of this year.  Every time I look out the window I see the devastation. My heart is broken over this. The trees look more like two celery stalks now, rather than a full, mature oak tree and maple tree. Something beautiful has been willfully destroyed that can never be repaired. I pray that the trees will survive and be able to overcome the shock this must have put them in.

Anita Syllaba
Oakwood

Let’s NOT put aside the money

It is a sad day indeed when citizens can’t criticize the way their local government spends money without being personally attacked.  The attacks have been irrational and completely off point. Therefore, the only way I can respond is to reiterate my position.

Any rational analysis will show that there is no question the City of Oakwood vastly overpaid for this parcel of land. The discrepancy between what they paid ($475,000) versus the county’s assessed value ($116,390) is so extreme that when I first saw the numbers I thought the county had made a mistake.  So I asked the county officials to do a re-assessment which they agreed to do. The results verified their original assessment and the reasoning they gave was that they considered this land to be (for all practical purposes) unbuildable.

Is the condition of the land hopeless?  Far from it.  Once restored it will be a wonderful addition to our community. A qualified conservationist should be brought in to assess this property and to develop a plan for bringing it back into harmony with the rest of the Houk Stream area.

  We need to adopt a long-term vision for this land. I don’t think 40 people tramping around planting bulbs one weekend is going to help.

And please keep in mind that the Houk Stream property is not the real issue.  The real issue is the careless way our city officials have been spending our hard-earned tax money.  For more information on the Houk Stream property purchase and other wasteful spending go to www.keepoakwoodsintegrity.com.

Andy Pruitt
Oakwood

Don’t let kids drink in your home

About six weeks after we moved to Oakwood in August 1996, I was astounded to overhear a conversation in which another seventh grader instructed my twelve-year-old to get some of his dad’s beer from the fridge, put it in his book bag and meet in the “back alley.”

Perhaps I should have quit unpacking the moving boxes right then. There was the mortgage to consider though, and the excellent schools, and the proximity to Miami Valley Hospital (important to an obstetrician)… so we stayed. And struggled hard, off and on over the next 6 years of raising that child, to deal with the widespread early, frequent and excessive alcohol use that exists here. He graduated, and although it took a couple years, he is finally productive, happy, motivated and not drinking.

On the day after Thanksgiving 2006, my third son, fifteen-year-old Jeremy fell while rollerblading and sustained a life-threatening head injury. He was in a coma for four weeks and survived not only brain contusions and swelling but a host of infections, blood clots and other complications. After many months of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation he is, miraculously, completely recovered.  

After the accident, the support of this community toward our family was amazing. I didn’t leave the hospital for eight weeks and I was incredulous at the number of people who came to visit or sent cards and gifts.  I was even more grateful as my older children told tales of food and gifts and calls and cards and letters sent to our home. A group of Smith and Jr. High teachers brought a Christmas tree, and decorated it with my other children.  Dinner was brought two or three times a week for many months, by friends, Jeremy’s friends’ parents and the Holy Angels parish community. Over the past few months I have tried to thank all the people whose caring meant so much, but I know I’ve forgotten many. From individuals, the school district, the parish and the community, the generosity, kindness and love that was given to us was unparalleled. Everywhere people extended their hands and opened their hearts to us with the reassuring message:  you are not alone, and we are praying for Jeremy.

So this, eleven years later, is why I’m glad I didn’t quit unpacking. Alcohol use among the Oakwood youth culture doesn’t seem to have changed much since 1996, but my attitude certainly has. Jeremy must not drink. He is recovering from traumatic brain injury and also has diabetes. Alcohol is simply not an option I can allow him. I overlooked teenage drinking a lot in the past. But after all it took (eight weeks in the hospital, 16 weeks outpatient therapy, a million dollars, a billion tears and a zillion prayers) to pull Jeremy back from the brink of death, I will not  tolerate losing any part of his physical or mental health, his personality, motivation or potential, to alcohol. Of course it mostly starts with him (“just say no”) and I think I’ve about got him convinced that his life will be pretty tough if he drinks—if not, this letter ought to do it!

But I ask this community to pay attention also. Drinking is particularly dangerous and addictive for teenagers. Allowing kids to drink in your home is illegal. Given alternatives, many kids won’t drink. Oakwood has a big problem with teen alcohol use.

This is not a political, religious or moral issue. It has nothing to do with class, money, taste or whether we as adults enjoy our cocktails. It’s about the health of our kids, about protecting them from harm and doing our best as parents to make sure all our children reach their fullest potential.

Dear Citizens of Oakwood:  

PLEASE DON’T LET KIDS DRINK IN YOUR HOME.

Kathryn A. Sanford, M.D.
Oakwood

Driver woes and the ‘new’ Oakwood Avenue

What a colossal waste of taxpayer money by creating the obstacle course on Oakwood Avenue. I have yet to talk to a driver that had anything positive to say about it. It should be labeled as “Malfunction Junction No. 2.”  Whereas traffic flowed easily southbound at Schantz, now one may need to wait multiple light changes to proceed through the intersection. If someone was turning left, traffic flowed around the right of those vehicles clearing the intersection. If someone was turning right, they stopped along the curb and turned on red. Now all must wait in a single line until left-turning traffic waits for the northbound traffic to clear and the end of the line waits through another light change. This has to be the epitome of stupidity. After being an Oakwood resident for nearly 40 years, I am glad I moved.

Bob Cooper
Kettering

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December 4, 2007
Volume 16, No. 49

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