The Newscaster/Nature Coast News
PAGE 11 - September 23, 2009
Yankeetown Mayor’s Report
Editorial - Opinion - Commentary
A Guest Commentary by Dawn Clary
Extra Special Thanx - Like the gift that keeps on giving, the attendance of our vol-
Guidelines for submitting Letters to the Editor
unteer to last months Florida Rural Water Conference has reaped more rewards. The South-
The Newscaster does not publish anonymous letters or commentaries. We receive
west Florida Water Management District which had a presence at the conference discussed
letters from time to time that do not meet our requirements (mostly unsigned and no ad-
our system leakage with our volunteer. SWFMD donated a leak detection expert along with
dress) and that's why they don't get published. All letters must be typed, signed by the au-
his equipment, some of which costs $40,000, to the town for a two day system survey free
thor, with a local phone number and current address. Letters can be mailed, faxed or emailed.
of charge. This is part of their conservation program. Mr. Carl Wright, an Unaccounted-for
Emailed letters may be delayed while verification takes place. Comments can be left on our
Water Specialist, came to Yankeetown and performed a survey which tested a percentage of
comment line at 352-897-0381. You must leave your name and phone number for verifica-
our meters and fire hydrants. It was a very productive effort. In the two days Mr. Wright
tion.The limit is 500 words or you can make arrangements to pay for the overage. For more
found several leaking meters and an undetected small line leak in Alley 60 as well as some
information see page 2.
leaking valves. The Alley 60 leak is of relatively recent origin, and could not have affected
Letter to the Editor -
our past calculations of water loss but we were made aware of this leak due to this survey.
RE: Inglis March election
All the leaks found during this iteration have been repaired. Based on the successful results
Every election year in Inglis, I am reminded, these hot shot want-to-be’s are going
of the survey, Mr. Wright has agreed to come back for four days in October to conduct a
to run for election and straighten out the town! Sure, it sounds good. I have lived in Inglis
more comprehensive survey and look at every meter. I might caution that we still may have
12 years, and every election, the story’s the same.
a relatively high loss percentage because as we suspected, our leakage may be a culmina-
These commissioners gave Chief (Tim) Bible a 2-year contract that later cost the
tion of very small leaks at any kind of mechanical connection. Our actual leak rate has
town $25,000. One commissioner wanted to do away with reading the Bible at the opening
been fairly constant but our usage has dropped therefore the percentage has gone up. Every
of the meeting. As I understand it, we have had a cost over-run of some $300,000 at the wa-
reduction in leakage helps and we truly appreciate the service from SWFMD. Our hope is
ter plant. The one in charge of the water plant had resigned, once before, and we, as voters,
that this procedure will result in a significant leak reduction. Mr. Wright also did some basic
turned around and put him back in office. How smart are we? Another commissioner has
training of personnel so that we will be able to implement a basic leak detection program
been on vacation for a month, and he never missed a pay check.
incorporated into our monthly meter readings.
This is our town, and yet we allow this to continue. I am sorry to say, I did vote for
Fair Share - Last Friday the town council passed an ordinance designed to deal with
one or more of these guys, but the selection was very poor to begin with. We need to attend
the impact of increased development and growth on the town’s resources. The ordinance
these town meetings and help the mayor take back the town. Mayor Lake and his office are
looked at such areas as transportation and water availability. It also determines resource al-
doing a fantastic job, but they need our support. March is not that far off. We need to start
locations to be put in reserve, in a way, for vacant lots that would have future needs when
shaking the bushes and find those who are willing to go the extra mile.
these lots are built out.
Thomas A. Jarrett, Inglis
Thank you for your time.
Septic Pumping - The proposed YT Comp plan does not require the pumping out
of septic systems but rather says we will “develop an educational program to encourage
Letter to the Editor:
inspection (and pump out if needed)”. If you wish for your septic tank to function properly
Re: This is in response to Jimmy Hill's April 29th editorial
over the years and avoid environmentally harmful spills and high repair bills, pumping on
What makes you think that out of state workers don’t pay taxes for the children to
a recommended schedule is the right thing to do. This is inexpensive compared to the very,
go to Levy county schools? Most of US pay taxes in several states!!! And why does it matter
very high costs of a sewer system. Well maintained tanks and technical improvements ap-
that we have out of state tags? We are here doing the jobs that most of the locals cant do!!
plied to new tanks, are the key to controlling our environmental impact while living within
We don’t feed our children off of food stamps or the local churches!
our means.
Good Night and Good Luck, Dawn Marie Clary, Mayor of Yankeetown
Most of the locals cant work at the jobs the out of state workers do because they
cant pass the background check or the DRUG screening that these jobs require!!! What
makes you think that we aren’t paying taxes? We spend our tax dollars to support the wel-
fare system here. We don’t ship our food, clothing, or school supplies in from Alabama or
any other state!
We pay our taxes to support the people that live off our government!! The ones that
let us feed their children! Wake up!! My mother taught me that if you live in glass houses
you shouldn’t throw stones! God bless our small town of Inglis!!
Savannah Soliz, Inglis
Realty
Sally Price, Realtor
19 Hwy 40 W.
(352) 302-8556 cell
Inglis
5910 SE 194 ST INGLIS $59,000
This 2/2 split plan newly remodeled 24x48 mo-
bile is in awesome condition. Nice tree shaded
.87 ac lot bordering 2 paved streets (fenced back-
yard) with community water system outside city
limits. Nice 30’ screen back porch, large double
carport, front porch with rocker for watching the
wildlife. Plenty of room for boat, RV, pool and
toys. Near salt & freshwater boat ramps, bike
path, equestrian trails and preserves. A MUST
SEE AT A GREAT PRICE.
SWFWMD Unaccounted-for Water Specialist, Carl Wright listens for sounds of leakage in the
Yankeetown water distribution system”. Photo by DM Clary
Inglis
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947 Hwy. 40 East, INGLIS, FL • 1.8 miles east of Hwy. 19 on left