Published: May 12, 2008 11:45 am         

Agency actions not ‘short sighted’

I believe that Ned Kauffman’s letter implying that recent actions of the Goshen City Council and the Goshen Health System are “The actions of a short-sighted few ...” has no factual basis.

The City Council in tabling the decision of whether to create one new position to replace two existing positions was not done in a vacuum.

The councilman decided not to approve the new position after receiving input from the public. When one full-time position is being created fromtwo previously existing full-time positions it logically follows that at least one or both of the existing positions did not require a full-time employee.

The position Mike Puro had as redevelopment coordinator was a new position created a few years ago, whereas the building position has been around long enough for someone to retire from.

I think that the City Council was correct in not rushing to create the new position without more deliberation.

If you look at the record of the Goshen Health system’s current administration it is an insult to call them short-sighted. They have shown excellent vision in planning for the needs of the community. They can list the Center for Cancer Care, a new ICU, a new ER, a new surgery unit, an oncology unit, the Retreat, physician practices, specialty physician recruitment, an outpatient rehab facility and home medicalservices as accomplishments.

As far as the loss of the champion cottonwood tree is concerned, it seems to me that Goshen’s champion tree contest was held solely todemonize the Health System for cutting this tree down. The Goshen News printed specific measurements for the tree but conveniently it was cut down before an official measurement was done.

I suspect that the listed measurements were a bit more that a tad generous, particularly the height. You can use Google maps and view the tree that was removed (actually there were several cottonwoods in the same area) and the second-place tree on West Clinton Street, and it seems to me that the canopy of the tree on Clinton is wider than the group that was cut down.

— Lloyd Brubaker, Goshen