I am utterly disgusted by the [letter] of Kent Misegades in [the Oct. 17] opinion column. I am also disappointed in The Cary News for giving credence to such trash. There are better ways for Mr. Misegades to have made his point that Spanish would not be his choice of a second language than to belittle and insult the Latino population. It is people like him who have made it so that Americans are reviled the world over. Those of us who were born in this country are indeed fortunate. Our citizenship was not in any way a personal accomplishment so to look down on others because of their nationality is pure ignorance.

In regard to the original issue at hand, many Europeans, especially those in the business world, make it a point to learn English. Therefore German and French are not necessarily the most practical choices. However, depending on the business in which one intends to become involved, Spanish could indeed be a fantastic choice. If nothing else it could give one the ability to converse with our friends and neighbors right here in our great country. What is so wrong with that? With all due respect to Italy, I honestly see no reason why a language spoken by a small minority of the world’s population would be a more intelligent choice than Spanish. That simply makes no sense. So Mr. Misegades, the next time you decide to spew hatred in a public forum, it would be nice if you could at least do so intelligently.

Sarah Bennett, Cary

Apology owed

In Tom Joyner’s letter of Oct. 24, he said that Mr. Weinbrecht took most of his campaign contributions from two developers in his last campaign to keep his council seat and that he took this money after the deadline for reporting so that voters couldn’t know about it. Mr. Joyner said, “This was the subject of the ads that I ran.They were true then and true today.”

Let me point out where this was not true then and not true today. In Mr. Weinbrecht’s last campaign to keep his council seat in 2003, he received contributions from only three developers totaling $825. These contributions were less than 10 percent of the total contributions received, not most that Mr. Joyner claims. The first two of these contributions were included in the report filed on Aug. 28, 2003, well before the election. The third of these contributions was in the pre-runoff report filed on Oct. 27, 2003, before the runoff election. The voters weren’t kept from knowing about these contributions as Mr. Joyner claims.

If you go back to when Mr. Weinbrecht was elected to council in 1999, The Cary News reported (Feb. 9, 2000) that he received a contribution from a PAC formed by two developers. This contribution was received after the pre-election report date. The Cary News goes on to report that Mr. Weinbrecht disclosed this donation on his own campaign Web site before the election. Again, the voters weren’t kept from knowing about this contribution.

Why did Mr. Joyner spend $5,438.16 of his own money on full- page ads in The News & Observer and then follow up with a letter in The Cary News to spread lies and misinformation about Mr. Weinbrecht, a man who has been honest and open in all of his campaigns? Shame on Mr. Joyner for writing such dreck. And shame on The Cary News and The News & Observer for printing it. Mr. Joyner’s next writing effort should be a public apology to Mr. Weinbrecht and to all of the voters Mr. Joyner tried to mislead.

Laurie Miller, Cary

Sleeping not worth price

I have to say while reading the article [Oct. 24] in The Cary News “Sleeping late has a price, but it’s worth it,” by Christa Gala, I found it very troubling that it made my blood boil. I was irate by the message Ms. Gala was sending. She felt that it was perfectly OK to leave her 4-year-old son Tyler with no supervision to hang out downstairs so Mom could catch another 40 winks of sleep. Give me a break! From her bed she yelled to her husband Jerry (who was gearing up for his regular Saturday morning bike ride with the guys) to “get Tyler some cereal and grapes” and turn on a good show before he left. Great “parenting skills,” right? Egads. An hour later she awoke from her disparately needed slumber and yelled downstairs, “Tyler are you still alive?” Well, she was one lucky lady that first of all he answered and secondly, that tragedy did not strike. Tyler could have very well fallen on the scissors she found that he was using to cut the tassels off the living room pillows and been bleeding to death or had choked on a grape.

I am a mother of three grown children, a grandmother of four and would much rather walk around without my beauty sleep and “bags” under my eyes than to have to live with the memory and horror that “Sleeping late has a price, but was worth it.” I don’t think so.

My advice to Ms. Gala is wake up before it is too late.

Sissel Hartwell, Cary

Cost of Cary sporting events

Tim Candon did a fine job of reviewing all the high-profile sporting events that have occurred in Cary in recent years. As a taxpayer who no longer plays soccer nor baseball and whose kids have all moved away, I however would appreciate some hard numbers as to the benefits to ME for taxpayer-subsidized sporting facilities that I will never use. Tim states: “Events such as ... have pumped tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars into the local economy.”

Well, how much is it? A million? Ten million? A hundred million? Or maybe only a buck fifty? The last I heard, SAS soccer park is a major money loser for the town, and anyone who believes that professional soccer will survive — let alone make the soccer park a money winner for the town — is kidding themselves. It is not clear to me how a golf tournament at Prestonwood benefits me, and the same holds true for a USA League baseball game at Thomas Brooks Park. All these expensive facilities have been heavily subsidized by Cary taxpayers and benefit a very small percentage of the population. Sure, they provide Cary officials with bragging rights, but how do they truly help our economy? Surely someone in the town performs ROI (return on investment) analyses on such expenditures on a regular basis to assure that our tax dollars are being spent wisely? Personally, I would prefer all major athletic facilities to be privately funded, such as the new Triangle Aquatic Center (which I look forward to using) as I know that the “invisible hand” of capitalism will assure that it will meet its users’ needs and not be run for long at a financial loss. Since the primary objective in the construction of public facilities appears to be simply their existence, there is normally far less accountability when these fail financially, with blame often being placed on people who no longer hold elected positions. If tax dollars are to be spent on recreational facilities, then these ought to be of use to a large percentage of the citizens. Bond Park and greenways are two great examples. Could Tim Candon please ask the Town of Cary’s financial folks to run a quick P&L (profit and loss) statement for any major sporting facility that has received taxpayer funding the past year? Particular attention needs to be paid to ongoing maintenance costs, which in the long run are always more than the initial construction costs. That ought to show us whether the citizens of Cary have truly benefitted from their investment in these expensive facilities. Kent Misegades, Cary

Mixed use not an evil

In reference to the Park West Village development proposed for the intersection of Chapel Hill Road and Cary Parkway. I would like to share an alternative view from that which was expressed in recent letters to the editor opposing the development at all costs.

I too am a concerned and involved citizen of Morrisville. However, the pursuit of “quality of life” in modern society is much more than simply maintaining status quo. As townspeople, we look forward to improving our well being by advancing the services available to us and within easy reach.

I personally look forward to additional shopping, dining and professional services as options available to me without having to venture outside of my own town.

“Mixed use” is not an evil but an acknowledgement of the need for a diversity of services necessary to support the wide and varied needs in our community. The proposed Park West Village is a good example of that model and will provide incremental services which are truly needed. I have no financial interest in this development. This is prime real estate and it will eventually be developed. Knowing that, a well planned and executed commercial development will advance the town and improve the quality of life for the residents of Morrisville.

I also believe that the citizens of Morrisville need and should be involved in the decisions being proposed as we are the ones that will live with the finality of this development. We want to be certain this retail space is indeed leased by quality retail establishments and will not sit empty. Empty space usually leads to heavy turnover and undesirable shopping options. Traffic is always an issue as well and will also need to be addressed.

Please take a look at the Web site castolp.com/lifestyle/projects.cfm for a history of their work. Also, plan on attending the Nov. 1 meeting at the Morrisville Chamber of Commerce at 7:30 p.m. You will then have the opportunity to ask questions and voice your opinion on this proposed development.

Jodi S. Witte, Morrisville Morrisville should say no to Park West

Is the level of development in our little corner of the world so out of touch with reality that a massive Super Target with its associated big-box retail pals can be built at an intersection of a two-lane country road and a four- lane Loop Road?

The development I refer to is Casto Lifestyle Properties’ “Park West Village” In which there is neither a park nor a village.

Over 1,000,000 square feet of retail, 425 apartments, a 24-screen theater, a hotel, a specialty grocer, one office building and other assorted retail stores are all part of the plan sitting amid four water retention “ponds” and a vast sea of parking. The worst part of this? Technically the intersection is Morrisville, however, just barely. Most of us in Cary think of that area as part of Cary. To the east, south and rorth it is is Cary. Heading west on Chapel Hill Road, you head into the snarl that constitutes the “heart of Morrisville.” Heading further east you come to the new I-540/ Chapel Hill Road intersection, and guess what is under construction there? A Super Walmart and a Sam’s Club shopping center known as “Shiloh’s Crossing.

If I’m not mistaken, Morrisville wants to corner the market on discount retail. Both on the same road, not five miles apart. And not more than a 15-minute drive from three existing Targets and two existing Walmarts.

Truly the worst part of this scenario is that whatever revenue is generated from this site, Morrisville will gain the proceeds, while we in Cary pay with increased traffic, crime, noise pollution and flooding.

Morrisville, be a good neighbor and vote no on this project.

Lindsey Chester, Cary Park West concerns

I have great concern about the proposed Park West Development on the corner of Cary Parkway and N.C. 54. My main concern is the shear size of the development and the lack of a limited-access highway. Nearly 20,000 more car trips daily spilling out onto our residential streets will be attributed to Park West Village. The developers provide for few road improvements beyond their immediate entrances. Route 54 will still have two-lane bottlenecks in both directions and to the east on Cary Parkway. Even with this increase in traffic, without a limited access highway, retail and restaurant chains will not get the volume they hoped for. North Hills, Brier Creek, Streets of Southpoint, and Crossroads draw their costumers from all over Raleigh, Cary, Apex and Durham. It is convenient to jump on and off the highway to shop, eat and go home. All of these large “big box” centers have very similar, if not the same, retail chains. When too many similar retail centers get built, the supply could out strip the demand. Why would a consumer drive to a residential, overcrowded, two-lane street to shop, when they can shop the same stores right off the highway. If Park West Village cannot fill or keep their Super Sized Shopping Center leased, then what will become of our property values? There are already empty offices, apartment and retail spaces sitting unleased up and down Cary Parkway.

Moreover, what happens to locally owned stores when the “big box” retail chains move in? Our local restaurateurs and store owners will suffer. What will become of Morrisville’s plan for a restored historic downtown with this monster development less than a mile away? Is this what Morrisville wants? Is this really what Morrisville’s citizens want?

Leslie Huffman, Cary