Your front page article (July 10th) about the issues facing Leeds residents over the illegal use of the Chartpak/Orange Dam left us shocked and saddened. We have lived in Leeds for over 50 years, and for most of those we have looked forward to the summer months of being outside working in the yard, tending the garden and sitting on the porch enjoying the passing of our neighbors.
But for the last several years, this has not been possible due to the unsettling yelling, shouting, cursing, fighting and loud music that floods the neighborhood well into the night. The path that was planned for cyclists and walkers is not only crowded with dam-goers but littered with trash. At the river, garbage of all kinds is left to either rot, get washed into the river or bagged up and disposed of by neighbors. For years, we have done all we could to encourage others — dam-goers, Chartpak, city officials and law enforcement to help us lessen the negative impact that the river situation is having on our lives. No one wanted to make any long-lasting changes, and the problems have just grown.
We had hoped the Gazette article would alert the wider community to the issues, but instead of addressing the illegal use of the dam, human and environmental hazards posed by dirty diapers, rotting food, human waste, etc., public drinking and open container violations, unmasked gatherings of large groups during a pandemic, and how this ongoing problem has affected the health of a community, the reporter instead focused on the needs of the dam-goers.
Making the situation even worse, our newly elected city councilor, Rachel Maiore, decided, without evidence, that the problems were race related. How issues with noise, trash, parking and pollution have to do with race is something that Ms. Maiore should have been further questioned on. Who is using the dam is not the issue. Not only is the Gazette guilty of poor reporting, Ms. Maiore’s false comments have made a difficult situation even worse.
Ellen Rockett
Leeds