As a lifelong Apex citizen, I’ve been traveling Hwy. 64 all of my life.

My home sits just hundreds of yards away from the intersection of the highway and Laura Duncan Road. Recently, NCDOT has decided that the best thing for Apex and surrounding areas is to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to convert Hwy. 64 into some kind of futuristic elevated expressway. This just seems silly to me. Apex residents need to be involved in the redesigning of a major town thoroughfare. DOT is forcing this plan on us.

This is an issue of frivolous spending that will inconvenience anyone who travels 64 and pose a major safety issue to pedestrians near Apex High School. The timely completion of the Western Wake Expressway (I-540) is of greater importance. In a time when money is tight, the state needs to make choices about which highway projects they pu rsue vigorously.

Scott Lassiter
Apex Town Council candidate

Benefiting Morrisville

An open letter to all Morrisville candidates: As you start your campaign for elected office, ask us what our concerns are; do not assume you know. Ask us how we feel about sticky issues like increasing our taxes and town officials’ anticipated bond referendums. It is increasingly clear that taxpayers cannot afford everything on our town’s capital improvements list, which is a fiscal problem.

To the current council: The Long Range Financial Plan needs a complete overhaul as evidenced by the unadvertised tax increase in it and unvetted fiscal strategies, like acquiring more downtown property.

Please do not turn a blind eye and deny the future tax increases as the majority of you did in last year’s LRFP, with your approval of the 19 percent property tax increase. In your council deliberations over the LRFP, bring back transparency, do away with the manipulation and confusion by holding staff accountable and answering questions straight forwardly and truthfully. In discussing budget priorities and anticipated property tax increases, hold a town hall meeting using a trained facilitator to solicit meaningful public input and dialogue.

Avoid the Morrisville legacy of making council decisions without any fiscal consequences and providing town officials cover with “plausible deniability” over misspent spending. The current cycle of too many town decisions decided behind closed doors by staff with elected officials who are complacent and complicit must stop.

Michael Schlink, Morrisville

Nuclear not better

In response to Kent Misegades July 22 letter, I don’t pretend to know the entire economic impact of various forms of energy — especially since the monetary amounts vary depending on myriad factors, but I think it is foolish to compare the simple operational costs of a power plant to those of another and deem that the entire picture. Does he consider the price of disposing of nuclear waste when calculating the cost of generating nuclear power?

And what dollar amount does he put on each death from generating power in this way? According to Austrian physicist Peter Bossew, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s own numbers state that the radon produced from a 1-gigawatt nuclear power plant kills 76 people each year, and that will be released for all eternity. Also, 20 more fatalities are caused by radium leaking into ground water. Tens of thousands of deaths result from this industry each year. Somehow I don’t think that a solar plant would need to distribute the same 18-page emergency pamphlet we receive each year from the Harris Power Plant.

I am also baffled by the reader’s comments that Progress Energy purchases “power generated from solar, wind, etc. at a price far higher than its real market value.” He should read Progress Energy’s own policy on net metering, which values the electricity produced by renewable sources the same as by unsafe nuclear means.

Lynna Mattia, Cary

Let’s play nice

As we transcend into the campaign season, it is noted that there are three candidates for mayor (including myself) and seven candidates for the three open seats on the Town Council in Holly Springs. While I compliment all who wish to serve this town, it would be my hope that we all focus on the issues and not on personal or negative campaign tactics. I think the good citizens of Holly Springs desire and deserve this.

Dick Sears
Mayor of Holly Springs