Letters to the editor (Nov. 24, 2019)
Douglas Avenue
Be forewarned! To realize just how “unthinking” the idea is of changing Douglas to a three-lane nightmare, please take the time to drive North 21st Street from Mosley to Arkansas, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. any weekday. After that headache of a drive, you will understand that Douglas should definitely not be changed.
A few years back, to make Douglas “reflective of the era” of the Carey Hotel, diagonal parking was installed for one block. A bottleneck began. Drivers of bus tours coming through Wichita had to be warned to move to the center lane for the next block. They thought we were crazy! Now that block has returned to normal.
With more business in the area promising booming use, changing Douglas is definitely not a smart idea.
Francene D. Sharp, Wichita
Century II
The destruction of Century II and the former library building were guaranteed once our local cartel of favored developers and construction boys managed to get an “outside expert” to tell us to tear them down.
Like most hired guns, Populous knows who is paying them the $700,000 fee they are receiving to tell the cartel what they wanted to hear: Tear everything down and build, build, build new ugly buildings to replace these two iconic, nationally recognized parts of our community.
Yes, we have had the typical dog-and-pony shows of meetings, walks along the river, etc., to give people the false notion that they actually had some input in the decision of “developing” the east bank of the river. Those meetings and walks were simply an exercise in futility since the decision had already been made to tear the buildings down, but it soothed the opposition.
In five or 10 years, Populous will be long gone as well as our buildings, and we will add them to the photographs of lost treasures of Wichita. Of course, no one locally will accept responsibility for deciding to destroy two key historic buildings. After all, those who voted for the destruction were just following the “experts’ advice.”
Pat Lehman, Wichita
Washable plates
It is a commonly known fact that the environment is in desperate need of repair. Climate change has been a rising issue and should be addressed seriously. There are many ways to accomplish this, and I believe one effective way is to use reusable plates and utensils in schools.
If the plates used in schools were washable and reusable plastic plates, paired with metal cutlery, that would significantly reduce the amount of disposable dishes and other eating utensils schools go through every day. If we consider how many students are in each school, that is roughly 1,200 mouths to feed each day. If a school decides to invest money in a few sets of plates and silverware, it would save money in the long run.
Plates made of reusable and washable plastic would be more durable than glass plates. Altogether, replacing disposable eating utensils in schools would improve the environment by reducing waste and would benefit schools in the long run. Some colleges already have adopted this practice. If other schools follow this example, the impact will be even greater and better for the environment.
Isabelle Jantz, Wichita
Eisenhower Airport
As consulting historian, I supported Wichita’s decision to name the airport for Dwight Eisenhower. Ike, who never forgot his roots, put his presidential library in his hometown, Abilene. and pursued policies that positively impacted Wichita.
Besides leading the allies to victory in Europe in World War II, President Eisenhower desegregated the District of Columbia; enforced desegregation of the armed forces and government agencies; appointed pro-desegregation judges – five to the Supreme Court; passed the first civil rights legislation in 82 years; sent troops into Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce court-ordered desegregation; ended the Korean War and kept the peace for eight years; passed legislation creating the interstate highway system; championed the enhancement of social security and American prosperity in general; achieved American aerospace superiority, supporting B-52 production in Wichita; and much more.
A recent survey of historians ranked Eisenhower fifth among presidents, following only Lincoln, Washington and the two Roosevelts. Wichita did the right thing to name our airport for this great American.
David A. Nichols, Winfield
This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor (Nov. 24, 2019)."