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1. Global warming claims all hot air, says speaker at OU2. OU student charged with raping 17-year-old3. Police chief: City can’t stop parties before they start4. For most, the journey to Nine Fest seemed worth it5. Is another oil and gas land-rush starting in Athens?6. Parties spun by OU alums have bootie-shakers raving7. High St. student renters take on big local landlord8. Tanning parlor fights to get back into uptown Athens storefront9. Oak and Mill fests mellow down easy10. City Council acts to ban ‘fracking’ in water supply area11. Landowners’ group renews leasing pitch12. Wal-Mart asks judge to grant store win in shoplifter’s lawsuit13. Electric blue skies, May warmth frame music fest14. OU and city officials urge better fest behavior15. Pills defeated relative when no other drugs could do it16. David Alan Jones17. Hall of Fame baseball coach calls it a day at OU18. Local developers hoping to revive struggling hotel19. Festering fests; down, down deep; and the Golden Rule20. Nine Festers enjoy the sun and music, without the mud
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Sunday, February 5,2012
County engineer office’s record on conservation is shameful
To the Editor:
I recently retired from the USDA. Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) where I worked for 31 years providing engineering assistance to the landowners and producers of Athens and other nearby counties. I have worked with several of the township trustees and other county engineers' offices over these years on various projects. Now that I'm retired I can speak my mind without worry of workplace retribution. With that being said, I would like to state that the lack of simple conservation measures the engineer's office applies on projects throughout the county is a disgrace.
This is evident continually year to year whereever the county is out doing their ditch work, bridge work, road work, spoil deposition or whatever they may be working on. This has been well documented in some of your past issues of The Athens NEWS, as well as in photographs I have taken over the years. If you want to see an example, just drive to the west end of County Road 81 (Fox Lake Road near Ohio Rt. 681). Many tons of soil have eroded from this typical example of poor construction and lack of any erosion control (seeding/mulching) practices. I can only take a wild guess at the volume of sediment that, because of the failure to apply adequate construction/erosion control practices, the county engineer's office has contributed to the degradation of our streams. It is a slap in the face to the landowners and producers of Athens County who work so hard to protect their soil and water resources only to drive down our county roads and see the erosion caused by the work conducted by our county engineer's office.
It's time to make a change and elect Jeff Maiden, who will work with landowners in a civil manner and listen to their concerns rather than be treated condescendingly, and who will also work to protect our soil and water resources by practicing conservation measures used by engineering offices familiar with commonly used conservation techniques.
Robert
Rhyan
Enlow
Road
Athens
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ADD YOURS
Also in Letters:
Forest Service apparently on verge of allowing oil-gas leasesWhat good does Ohio University provide to Athens community?City just encourages drunk-fests by closing traffic, recognizing eventsLet’s hope that climate change denial evaporates into stupidityFor decency’s sake, Time Warner, bring back Columbus CBS!Mitt Romney and Palmer Fest celebrants have much in commonWhy is city discriminating against people who want to rent out homes?Health commissioner is ignoring a lot of hard data that questions fluorideIf you’re disgusted by banking folly, you can express yourself locallyCity Council right to challenge state law on fracking regulation
