Mission accomplished
I think that Daniel Stern missed the point of my original letter [“Macaca defined”, Mailbag, September 19]. If I thought for half a second that Mr. Sidarth were genuinely offended by Senator Allen’s comments, I might take a dimmer view of the Senator’s off-the-cuff remarks. However, I have a hard time believing that Sidarth went home and cried himself to sleep that night. More likely, he was overjoyed to have fulfilled his mission by obtaining a new 30-second sound bite for the Webb campaign. Pretending to be offended is utterly PC, and is, in itself, offensive.
Pam Sellers
Charlottesville
Not so crazy about Dave
Dave Matthews is normally a sensitive and generous man who has done much for this community, and for that I am very grateful. What was he thinking, however, in his interview with C-VILLE [“So Much to Say,” September 19], when in reference to changes in the Downtown Mall over the years, he refers to it historically as a “shadowy spot” where “people who’d recently gotten a sabbatical from Western State…could go and walk.” First of all, there’s no such thing as a “sabbatical” from Western State. Almost every person who receives treatment from Western State Hospital returns to our community and fully participates as our friends and neighbors. If people look a little different or act a little different, so what? Diversity is what has always made the Downtown Mall such a special place, an oasis. Contrary to media portrayals, people with serious mental illnesses are much more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators of violence. The heroic efforts of those individuals and families who struggle with mental illness deserve our admiration and respect. Language and words can be destructive.
Buzz Barnett
Charlottesville
Spring fling
In a recent issue of your newspaper, a question was raised by one of our neighbors [“Car trouble,” MailBag, September 19] as to information that was available relative to the Fry’s Spring Neighborhood Association. As the current Secretary of FSNA, I think that I might be able to steer the readers in the right direction on this topic. Our Fry’s Spring Neighborhood Association meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 5:30pm to 7pm in the Cherry Avenue Christian Church at the corners of Cherry Avenue/Cleveland/Willard. We are requested to use the front door and meet just inside of these doors. This meeting area is handicapped accessible.
Our current president is John Santoski, and the minutes for almost two years are available on our website (www.avenue.org/fsna) for all members of the neighborhood and surrounding areas to be able to access and read. This is a marvelous site to become familiar with for timely, up-to-date information.
There are three important dates, so far, for October to be put onto the calendar for the Fry’s Spring Neighborhood. On October 4, starting at 5:30pm, the traffic calming issue for Robertson/Highland will be a single agenda item, and the discussion will be led by Ashley Cooper of this city’s Neighborhood Development Services.
The regularly scheduled meeting of the Fry’s Spring Neighborhood Association is scheduled for October 11 from 5:30pm to 7pm. Calendars can be marked ahead of time for these meetings, so your voice can be heard relative to the current issues.
Oktoberfest is a marvelous community event for the neighborhood and is scheduled this year for the last Sunday in October (October 29) from 3pm to 5pm. Peter Hedlund is heading this committee of folks. The site will be the Fry’s Spring Beach Club.
To be put on the FSNA e-mail list to get the timely notifications, one just needs to alert the secretary with this information, as well as when changes occur. The dues will be collected during Oktoberfest for the upcoming year. The amount is family friendly.
For additional clarifications as to FSNA after you check out our website, please call any of the officers or members of our current board. We will be delighted to assist you!
Jeanne S. Chase
Charlottesville
