Letters

Strong support

The Friends of the Wissahickon strongly endorse the efforts by Chestnut Hill College to acquire the Sugarloaf property.

The parcel is the last piece of largely open ground not already spoken for in Chestnut Hill. Its steep slopes and other environmentally sensitive areas make it a particularly important neighbor to the Wissahickon. It is vital that it go into the hands of an institution dedicated to its proper stewardship and protection. We believe that Chestnut Hill College is exactly that.

The college has also done a fantastic job of reaching out to neighbors and community groups such as the Friends. They’ve presented their preliminary plans for the site, developed with an innovative and extremely competent team of architects and landscape architects, and listened to the concerns and suggestions of everyone. They’ve also displayed a commitment to protect the land and work as partners with the community.

Sugarloaf is a key gateway to Chestnut Hill and the Wissahickon. It must be protected with attractive landscaping, especially on its peripheries, in collaboration with other community institutions. If Chestnut Hill College succeeds in their quest, it will be.

Tom Pelikan
Executive Director
Friends of the Wissahickon

Touching tribute

The tribute to Ernesta Ballard in last Friday’s Inquirer touched all of our hearts. Ernesta Ballard was truly a woman set apart and we were blessed to have known someone so brilliant. Ernesta explored many avenues of interest and dedicated herself completely to whatever mission she thought was appropriate to her talents. Ernesta wanted to bring out the best in others as well as herself. She “wanted to raise people’s consciousness.” She believed that we all have something to offer, even if it was as small as the widow’s mite.

It is amazing to note that the day after Ernesta’s obituary, the Saturday, August 13 edition of the Inquirer reported that a charter change is proposed in which the Fairmount Park Commission “would cease to function as a check on unwarranted development of parkland.” Let us become more informed about the charter change, which will be voted on as early as this fall. As we mourn for Ernesta, we will also mourn for ourselves if we become apathetic during the summer heat and lose our desire to act with whatever wisdom we possess.

Quita Horan
Chestnut Hill

Good citizen?

Under the cloak of darkness on Aug. 6, a Good Citizen of Chestnut Hill took it upon himself to clean up the section of Fairmount Park located at the southwest corner of Willow Grove Avenue and Lincoln Drive by depositing fallen branches and an abandoned police barrier on my driveway.

To this I say: “Good Citizen: should you be dissatisfied with the condition of the park, contact your local elected officials and allow your voice to be heard. Do not commit criminal trespass on your neighbors.”

C. Scott Spear
Chestnut Hill

Rules of sale

Re: A suggestion made at the July CHCA board meeting to reduce the dues of the association.

The bylaws of any organization are in place for the stability of the organization and for equal participation within it. The CHCA assessment/dues cover[s] Local subscription and administration costs. The assessment can be considered and changed annually in November. This date was chosen so new members of the board since May are generally knowledgeable of the bylaws and issues and have seen financials for a few months. Until recent bylaws changes, the board did not meet in July and August.

The full board considers changes to the assessment based on community input and the board’s needs. It has always been the effort of the board to keep the assessment as low as possible in order for as many people as possible to participate. Call it lack of information or a knee-jerk reaction to stimulus: it was incorrect for a “sale price” to be placed on the CHCA dues as it was at the July meeting of the board.

Put this on the list of synoptical concerns. Why can’t we play by our own rules? And if we can’t, how can we be trusted? And how does the public join in? As I said in my little speech when running for office in June, rules are in place to keep the playing field level for all to participate and to keep the organization intact and able to function.

If the board waits until November to make an assessment change, board members will still have plenty of time to sell memberships. My opinion, however, is that purchases will be made on intelligent assessment of board actions rather than the sale price.

Janine Dwyer
Chestnut Hill

Welcome

A sincere welcome to Marlene Santoyo to the Sept. 13 special election. The more interest there is in this and all elections, the better.

If any community group would like to organize a candidate’s night, I am available. I can be reached at 215-247-2311 or Rossman2005Campaign@verizon.net.

Robert Rossman
Chestnut Hill

Editor’s note: Robert Rossman is the Republican candidate in the District 200 state house election.

Cruelty a ‘red flag’

Animal cruelty is all too real (“Jessie Morgan is a lifesaver-literally,“ Local Life, August 4).

Like Simon, the Rottweiler mix in the story, another dog was savagely beaten to near death with a “Louisville Slugger” just three years ago in a Mantua laundry. That dog was euthanized. Fortunately, Simon recovered.

While horrible enough in its own right, there is inescapable evidence that people who abuse, torture and kill helpless animals may very well do the same thing to humans. They are not otherwise well-adjusted people. These cases should be seen as red flags. Animal abuse is a human welfare issue — there often is a pattern of escalation beginning with an animal.

In testimony on Capitol Hill, it was reported that nearly 90 percent of families under legal supervision for child abuse have also experienced animal abuse. A batterer may abuse a pet in order to control the pet or perhaps a child or spouse. According to Philadelphia’s Women in Transition, a batterer may use an animal as another tool to reinforce power or get revenge. A psychology professor at Utah State University surveyed 140 women at Utah shelters. He found that more than 70 percent of the women’s pets had been threatened and more than 50 percent hurt or killed.

When young children lose a pet through the actions of an abusive parent or guardian, deep resentment festers. Some will then use animals as victims or scapegoats. Others will grow up imitating the family violence that for them seems “normal.” In short, these children never learn to value life, human or animal, and the cycle continues.

A childhood episode of cruelty to an animal cannot be overlooked as merely a brief, harmless stage in development, but rather, perhaps, an ominous sign to be heeded. Empathy and pro-social behavior must be instilled early. Anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, “One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and get away with it.” One published study showed the 75 percent of those charged with violent crimes had abused animals early on.

A Massachusetts study suggested that the criminal justice system pays too little attention to information concerning animal abuse as a potential tool for fighting other crimes. Some animal abusers are also wanted on felony charges.

It’s been suggested that the FBI take animal cruelty and give it its own category in their crime reporting data collection. In this way, real progress would be achieved in an effort to protect people and animals, thus effecting appropriate intervention and prevention strategies.

Neil Genzlinger recently wrote an article for the New York Times about three teenagers who had broken into Popcorn Park Zoo, killing emus, rheas and other birds. The zoo, located in Forked River, N.J., takes in needy animals that have been neglected, abandoned, unwanted or abused. Once again, the perpetrators got off with probation.

Roseann Trezza, executive director of the zoo said, “We see evidence of the need for humane education with dismaying regularity.” And in the words of Genzlinger, “Teach compassion toward all creatures and maybe, some day, the headlines about what we’re doing to ourselves will become less gruesome.”

Bridget Irons
Chestnut Hill