Letter to the Editor: Set things straight

By Sun Advocate

Editor:
I am a resident of Sunnyside and have been since 1969, but before that I was a resident of Dragerton which is now East Carbon. In all the years of living here I have never been so angry at what is happening in our communities. I am not only a resident, I am also the wife of the mayor of Sunnyside and have chose to stay in the background for all the 32 years of his service in the city government.
My husband has always worked well with all government officials, is kind, understanding and loving to all. I also love the people in both communities. I serve the people in this area in my job and the people are like family.
We have always felt that we have a right to our opinion and we respect each other for that. We have disagreed and we have agreed when we have been on different sides of the fence. This is one time I must speak out.
What I am referring to is Joyce Caviness’ letter in the Sun Advocate (Feb. 8, 2007). I would like to set a few things straight.
Some of the facts are that Sunnyside has been working on this building for five years. The city hired an architect to draw up the plans for the building, they paid to have the soil tested and they paid to have the ground surveyed. Then East Carbon decided to have their own building constructed. At the same time. Sunnyside asked East Carbon to go in on the building and East Carbon turned them down, agreeing one night to go in together and then the next day sending a letter saying they did not want to be partners.
When the CIB board learned that East Carbon wanted their own building they told both cities the area was too small for that kind of money to be spent on two different facilities. Sunnyside welcomed East Carbon with open arms. Then a few doubting Thomas’ started telling their tales of woe. Poor us; they are telling us what we can and can’t do. The fact is that Sunnyside has bent over backward trying to please these few people and they won’t even admit that the two mayors work great together. Then, after spreading their stories, they want everyone to think it is all Sunnyside’s fault. Our mayor is not one to have confrontations with anyone so he chooses to keep quiet saying all along “it will work out okay.”
Then Joyce comes up with these accusations about Sunnyside putting a city hall in on Carbon County’s property and the credit union being there too. That has nothing to do with the city.
As for the deer in our area, they have no idea where Sunnyside ends and East Carbon begins. There are alot of deer on the highway in East Carbon and in the residential areas. There have been many times we have had to come to a stop because of the deer crossing by Elsie Parker’s, by Kyle Abeyta’s, down by the Catholic Church, or Hunt’s garage, and no one has ever complained about EMT’s coming through there because of the deer.
As far as the Butler property goes, she must not realize that the school buses will be coming up and going down Denver Street. The ambulance, when called, will be using the highway from the Butler property to get to lower East Carbon because of time. The property on the other side of the tracks that Joyce mentioned has a flow of trucks. There are no coal trucks going through Sunnyside.
I am sure, people are tired of hearing about all of this. Yes, it is Sunnyside’s project; yes it is Sunnyside’s governing body that has done the work to go forward with this building; and yes, Sunnyside has always wanted East Carbon to be with them. But there are those few that can never be happy over anything unless it is their way.
This is our city and we do need our people to help, but we need them to work together, not against each other. We the people, need to let the city council know that we love both cities and we do live in harmony.
And they also need to know that that the city council needs to work with people and work with their mayor and not against him.