Letters to the editor for Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014

Keep Carson City moving forward

Karen Abowd is a champion for Carson City’s future. Taking a clear stand, looking forward, putting the pieces together — these things take guts and smarts. Her unwavering support for changes in Carson Street and other Carson City corridors addresses real challenges that we face. Most significantly, the freeway has bypassed our downtown.

Thousands of other American cities have faced this challenge and have addressed it with similar efforts, yielding positive results. Karen Abowd has the ability to look beyond our valley and to keep Carson City’s economy viable. Revitalization of downtown is a proven means to attract business. This is especially true of manufacturing which depends on skilled labor — people who look at the whole of a community when they choose where to live. The plan has been approved. We need leaders who understand that plan.

Carson City is at a crossroads. This is a time for clear vision, work and planning. We have embraced national models for downtown renovation and are taking the steps that we’ve discussed for decades.

I encourage you to vote for Karen Abowd.

Chris Bayer

Carson City

Shallow water affecting Tahoe’s clarity

One of the things that is affecting the clarity of Lake Tahoe is the shallow water at El Dorado Beach; the water at the beach is shallow for about 1/4 mile out from the shore due to the sand that enters the lake after each rain.

The erosion is a natural movement of the sand into the lake and it allows weed growth and algae. However it also absorbs heat from the sun and movement by the wind.

Many lakes, in order to keep the deep water, they bring in a dredge and remove the sand. This would be a good thing for El Dorado Beach.

Often the company that removes the sand has a market for the sale of the sand so the price of their service is held to a reasonable fee. Should we check into this for the sake of the clarity for the lake?

Bud Irving

Carson City