Archive: Opinions

Terrorists and hackers have tainted my world view.  Some people use their powers for good to make the world better for everyone.  Others use it for evil, to tear down the good things others have built.  At this point some computer programmers are screaming, 'Hackers are good!  It's crackers who write viruses, break into government data bases, and wreak havoc on the Internet!'  But that just proves my point: the crackers have ruined it for the hackers.

This is why reports of vandalism in Myers Park this week really pressed my buttons.  Someone went around the park removing signs.  Some of those signs warned of wet paint on playground equipment, and sure enough the wet paint on the old playground pieces that have been moved to the smaller playground in the park was damaged.

Using her powers for good a local artist has volunteered to paint these old pieces, beloved by many with fond memories of riding them when they were children, and of their own children enjoying them.  They were retained for the smaller park playground after being removed to make way for the Myers Park Playground Project (MP3).  Their new look adds a new, whimsical element while retaining the fun and function of the pieces local people so fondly remember.

Paint that will both stick to the metal figures and withstand weather takes a while to dry, so 'wet paint' signs and yellow caution tape was put up Monday.  In the dead of night someone using their powers for evil removed the signs and tape.  Odd, because they weren't just town down -- they were completely removed.  Tuesday morning the artist returned to find her work damaged.  Scratches, hand prints, the clear evidence that someone had been riding some of the metal animal pieces.  It is possible that a child got paint on his clothes because the 'wet paint' signs were gone.  And the artist had to repair the damage.

When the Town took over Salt Point a few years ago they put in concrete footers for a gate at the entrance of the park so it could be closed at night.  That night someone brought in some kind of heavy construction equipment and removed one of these concrete footers.  This wasn't just casual vandalism.  Taking away the 'wet paint' signs wasn't either.

Is wet paint on a child's back-side funny?  I suppose it makes a warm moment on 'America's Funniest Home Videos.'  But it's not funny to the child or his parent who's trousers are ruined by weather-resistant paint. 

Here's something to think about:

A week or so ago the Lansing Town Highway Department put a radar speed sign on Myers Road, the road that leads to the park.  These signs have the capability to count the number of vehicles that pass by.  From Thursday through Monday the sign counted 17,000 vehicles.  That's right, in less than five days 17,000.  I figure that for 100 houses two cars coming and going once a day times five days equals 1,000 passes (100x2x5).  On the satellite view on Google Maps I could only find something over 50 houses that are reasonably served by Myers Road, but some I know are obscured by trees.  So lets say the difference between houses that don't show and some people driving to and from home more than once a day equals the 1,000 passes.  Just to be conservative, let's double that to 2,000.

That still leaves 15,000 vehicles, coming and going, that have to be going somewhere.  Myers Park and Salt Point are the only places there, really, to go.  They have two marinas, the boat launch, the beach, camping areas, the two playgrounds, pavilions, and, most of all, an amazing place to experience Cayuga Lake.  Divide that number by the five days and you have about 3,000 vehicles coming and going to the parks, or an approximate total of 1,500 vehicles per day.  Most of those have between two and four people in them -- couples, parents with kids, friends.  So let's say three times 1,500 is 4,500 people enjoying the park each day.  Say there are five prime park-enjoying months.  About 30 days per month times 4,500 people equals about 675,000 people.  Pretty impressive for a rural town.

So one jerk decides to ruin it for all those people.  This is what really, really irritates me.  It's hard to build something.  It's easy and cowardly to tear it down.  Terrorists and hackers -- OK, crackers -- are miserable people who want everyone to be miserable.  The good news is that those who use their powers for good are back in the park the next day, repairing the paint job, making the world a little better one brush stroke at a time.

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