The trail would be an asset for Sandcastle

In response to Brian O'Neill's Aug. 10 column ("Drawing a Line in the Sandcastle"): I just wanted to thank him for bringing this issue into public view.

As a very active trail rider, I am hoping that Kennywood/Sandcastle will come to some agreement to allow the Great Allegheny Passage to go through the Sandcastle property. I really don't understand why they cannot see the potential of allowing an alternate transportation corridor through their business ... it creates exceptional marketing opportunities for Sandcastle, improves public relations and is a win-win situation for all.

The management of Sandcastle appears stubborn and seems like it won't budge until it gets something major in return. All it is really doing is angering the trail community. Thanks again for bringing this to light.

TROY BOGDAN
Bridgeville

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Vehicles required

LaMont Jones in "High Expectations" (July 28) applauds the arrival of new retailers to the Pittsburgh region, including L.L. Bean and Nordstrom. These new choices will be a benefit to the region, and I hope they succeed. However, unlike Mr. Jones, I am disappointed in the choice of Ross Park Mall as a location.

REI, which specializes in outdoor gear, opened a Pittsburgh store in the past few years and became the anchor tenant for a brownfield redevelopment in town. Whole Foods also opened a store in Pittsburgh and has sparked the revitalization of an entire urban neighborhood. Both stores seem to be flourishing.

These other new stores are coming to Pittsburgh but are locating in an old-fashioned suburban mall and contributing to sprawl. In an era of nearly $4 per gallon gasoline, this automobile-dependent suburban location doesn't make environmental sense. These stores should consider issues of access and neighborhood development.

CHRIS HENDRICKSON
Point Breeze

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Traffic jams: our lot

I am writing in response to the Aug. 11 article "Rising Costs Put Brakes on Plans for Road Repairs." The article talks about the costs of fuels and materials rising, with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation not sure what to do about the extra money needed. Last year PennDOT had $119 million less in revenues than in the previous year. PennDOT is also faced with $9 million in unbudgeted costs just for local projects. PennDOT does not know how to fix the problem, so it plans to delay, modify or cancel projects. Where is the state and federal money going?

I think this will have a negative effect on us all. It will cause the fees at PennDOT to go up, cause higher taxes on gas and make every construction project that PennDOT is working on to take even longer. Almost everyone has to travel every day on a road that has some construction going on; we all have to sit and wait. Now we know that it will take even longer to finish the jobs already started. Since no one knows how to fix the problem, we all can expect to sit in traffic even longer and use more gas to get to where we are going.

P.S.: This letter was written while I was sitting in traffic. Thank you, PennDOT.

JOSEPH LOCKE
Bethel Park

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Lack of foresight

I am writing in regard to the article "Rising Costs Put Brakes on Plans for Road Repairs" (Aug. 11). The idea of cutting corners on road repairs due to the lack of budgeting is absurd. Having bad roads and bridges is not only a serious hazard, but it also reflects on how we look as a state.

As the prices for construction supplies go up, the less work we will see completed on our neighborhood roads and bridges.

"Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials have estimated they'll need to come up with an unbudgeted $9.2 million" for highway construction in this district, the article says. Steel has been on the rise too, so the cuts will be made on "products ranging from guide rail and sign structures to reinforcing bars and bridge beams." Fuel sales make up one of PennDOT's revenue sources and due to low fuel sales, our roads are suffering.

According to the article, "The situation promises to grow worse." But when will it end? Our safety, due to local road conditions, should not be jeopardized, and maybe more math should've been done to allot for the rising costs. What kind of state would we be if we allowed our local roads and bridges to fall apart?

STEFANIE DAVIS
Coraopolis

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Musical coattails

After reading the Aug. 5 letter by Martha Herp ("Supporting Obama"), I had to jump in to spare her from any further embarrassment regarding her support for Barack Obama because the Post-Gazette will not do this woman justice.

The reason Barack Obama spoke in front of a crowd of 200,000 people in Berlin is because there was a free concert before he spoke that attracted the huge crowd. The first performer, Patrice, is very popular as is the band Reamonn, which also performed.

Mr. Obama did the same thing in May when he spoke in front of a huge crowd in Portland, Ore. He spoke right after a local and very popular band, The Decemberists, performed. He jumps on the coattails of rock bands to give false impressions!

MOLLY HOOVER
Carnegie

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Cut the categorizing

One thing that is certainly black and white is the printed words in this newspaper.

As an "old" retired "white" teacher from the Pittsburgh city schools, it's bothersome to repeatedly read articles saying that Barack Obama is expected to be "the party's first black presidential nominee" (Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler's Aug. 11 article, "Mrs. Clinton Given Convention Night").

Many years ago city schoolteachers were directed to identify the "race" of each child in their class. Teachers were supposed to categorize a child as "black," even though a significant number appeared to be as "white" as John Sidney McCain. I wrote "human" after each child's name and never heard another thing.

If an article refers to Mr. Obama as "the party's first black presidential nominee," wouldn't it be equally enlightening for readers to read John McCain referred to as "another of the party's white presidential nominees"?

JOE HARSCH
Ross

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One is too many

Sid Sokolsky, the defense attorney for Robert E. Neville, said he had no comment about the previous DUI convictions, but said it was "only" Mr. Neville's second DUI conviction in the last 10 years ("Man Convicted of 10 DUIs Makes It 11," Aug. 12). Whether it was two or 11, it only takes one accident to maim or kill one of my family members or friends. Get that man off the roads.

LEANN SHERMAN
Squirrel Hill

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We must retain moderate leaders like Arlen Specter

The saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I can say the same about the 2010 Senate race. A recent poll shows if MSNBC's Chris Matthews runs against Sen. Arlen Specter, he's trailing by only five points (" 'Hardball' Host a Possible Specter Challenger," Aug. 6). Sen. Specter deserves to be re-elected because of his independent thinking. He's not cut from the same tarnished Republican cloth and is not afraid to reach out to both sides of the political aisle.

He reaches out to liberals with his support for abortion rights, stem cell research, opposition to the Central America Free Trade Agreement and his criticism of President Bush and the Republican Party when they're in the wrong. He reaches out to conservatives with his support of the death penalty and opposition to gun control. Because of his blunt personality and easygoing working style, he was named one of America's 10 best senators of 2006 by Time magazine.

It's not that I don't think Mr. Matthews isn't qualified for the job; he has an impressive resume, having worked for President Jimmy Carter and late House Speaker Tip O'Neill. It's that in these days of partisan cutthroat politics, we need a good moderate who can work with both Democrats and Republicans to get legislation passed, not a partisan wing nut who will filibuster important legislation and be unbearable to work with. Sen. Specter lives up to that reputation of a good moderate, and that's why I believe we need to send him back to Washington for a sixth term.

BRADLEY MINOSKI
North Huntingdon

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