Letters to the editor
Stockyard controversy of old
To the Editor:
I appreciate receiving your (alumni edition) newspaper. I enjoy reading about my old hometown.
I am 82, graduated in 1941.
When I read the story about the proposed feedlot southwest of town, I am reminded that my grandfather used to tell me Peabody could have been the size of Wichita except for the narrow-minded people in Peabody.
He told me that because the Rock Island and the Santa Fe railroads crossed at Peabody, there was a proposal to build a stockyards southwest of Peabody. Because of the fuss people raised, the stockyard was built in Wichita.
Thanks again for the paper. I'll be interested to see whether anyone there can research the matter and expand on my story.
Richard S. "Dick" Robinson
Wichita
Carefully
consider changes
To the Editor:
As a Marion County taxpayer and a person actively engaged in making improvements to my Marion County land, I strongly urge readers to support the carefully thought-out changes to the zoning regulations as recommended by the planning commission. These recommendations retain the rule that you can have one house for each 40 acres you own, and you can sell off five or in some cases three acres for a house.
I am very much opposed to the county commissioners' proposal to apply a "16 houses per section" rule to any area of the county other than the town of Goessel's "growth area." I believe applying "16 houses per section" countywide would:
1. Circumvent the land use protections provided to both present and future landowners in "A" zoned areas;
2. Unfairly limit how some people can utilize their land because all 16 houses could be on one 80-acre ownership, and all the other landowners in the section could not have a house;
3. Result in little clusters of several three-acre tracts throughout the county, putting additional financial strain on the county government to provide services and infrastructure, and causing land use conflicts with adjacent agricultural interests.
The Marion County Commission will act Monday on this very important issue. I urge you to inform yourself on this issue and express your opinion to your county commissioners before the meeting.
Steve Schmidt
McPherson
