Concern over fracking in the park

Concern over fracking in the park

In the early ’90s, I lived in a house in Boardman that bordered Mill Creek Park. One morning, I looked out the window and noticed preparation for gas well drilling taking place just 150 feet from my property and even closer than that to the park. I was shocked. I called the park office and suggested they send someone out right away. They were very nonchalant and never sent anyone. Later, I discovered that the park was aware of the drilling and that several wells, while on private property, had been slant drilled into the park.

Now I live on the West Side of Youngstown in a house that borders the park. Obviously, I am concerned that the park commissioners will decide to allow fracking in the park.

Fracking is a method of drilling that involves shooting water and chemicals into the earth to break up the rock and permit the release of gas. While reading about fracking online, I discovered Earth Justice, a non-profit environmental law firm. Their website contains descriptions of 68 events related to gas wells. Some of the stories involve livestock having motor skill breakdowns and then suddenly dying; people sickened by polluted drinking water; fish-kills, including a 30-mile kill that wiped out nearly all life in a stream in Pennsylvania; people holding cigarette lighters near their faucets and having the water catch on fire; an accident causing gas and drilling wastewater to shoot into the air for 16 hours; cancer-causing agents in water, and a water well catching on fire. The list goes on and on. Many geologists even believe that drilling and the injection of drilling wastewater into the earth can cause earthquakes.

I have been assured by Clark Johnson that, unlike their predecessors, today’s park board members will be more open with the public, which is as it should be. However, being open is not the same as taking heed of the public’s views.

I’m asking the people of Youngstown to make the board aware of their views about fracking in the park. I hope the board will make their decision with the same wisdom and foresight that Volney Rogers would have used. Fracking will bring more money to the park but at what cost?

Chris Khumprakob, Youngstown

Is the check in the mail?

Can you please tell me where my bonus is? I was shocked to see the front page headline in The Vindicator, “GM means good money for the Valley.”

I think we should look at the whole picture here. I, as well as many others in this Valley are hard-working taxpayers. Which means that it was our money that the government used to bail out General Motors not all that long ago. I understand that by GM doing well it has a trickle down effect for the entire Valley, but that sure doesn’t help when all around us are manufacturing facilities and various other companies still closing their doors due to the economic decline. The employees that have been displaced by these closings can’t even get a job at GM because of the hiring practices there. You gotta know somebody.

Yippee, GM employees can buy gas and pizza and trips to Disney when there are others in this Valley who can’t afford to buy a car to put gas in to go to the pizza shop and Disney is a far away dream. That money should have gone directly back into the company to have as a safety net when GM screws up again.

Candace Mauch, Mineral Ridge

An honor worth noting

I as a Vietnam Veteran and a life member of the D.A.V (Disabled American Veterans) would like to show my appreciation to Bob Evans in Boardman for honoring all veterans every morning at 8:30 andevery evening at 6 p.m., by standing and saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Employees, management and customers join together in this honor. To my knowledge this is the only Bob Evans that does this. I’m told a waitress, Sally Canavan, came up with a way to honor veterans.

I and alot of my sister and brother veterans are very appreciative of this honor, and respect given to the American flag and all of us who have served and are still serving.

Leo H. Connelly Jr., Youngstown

Obama is trying to dig us out

People are forgetting that two of the presidents before Obama put our country in the place that it is in — no jobs, health care being not good and people losing jobs right and left while companies don’t pay a decent wage.

Obama is trying to improve this, but it is tough to pull us out of the hole presidents Bush I and Bush II made for us.

Ida M. Van Dyke-Gregory, Youngstown