Off-Street Parking
Dear Editor: Is the Planning and Variance Committee asleep that they are allowing a four-story hotel to be built with no off street parking? Where are the employees going to park? Perhaps the court system, Police Department and businesses around the new hotel were neighborly and offered their parking lots for hotel guests to park. Isn’t there a city ordnance enacted in the late 1980s requiring new buildings to have off-street parking based on square footage and type of business? Maybe all my concerns are already taken care of? I only know what I read in the newspaper.
Bill Marx, Sitka
Concert Etiquette
Dear Editor: Imagine practicing for hours to perfect playing a masterpiece. Imagine taking the time to research the piece trying to understand what the composer wanted to convey. Imagine giving 20 years of your life to molding four lives together in musical harmony. Then imagine having someone crunch potato chips during your performance.
I just returned from Bach’s lunch. I feel so special that we in Sitka get to hear world-class musicians play for free. I love that we have a relaxed venue as well. I just think that maybe we have relaxed too far. Perhaps we have lost sight of the respect we should have for the performers. We should be using this as a goal to teach our children respect as well. I understand that you might not have time for the entire performance, but it is disruptive to come and go in between movements, not only for the performers, but also for the audience. I have to ask if your child was the one performing how you would feel if people walked in and out.
Thank you, Sitka Summer Music Festival. I always enjoy the performances, but this year I have relished the chance to love Beethoven all over again, especially with the help of the pre-concert information from both Susan Wingrove-Reed and Cypress String Quartet.
Connie LaPerriere, Sitka
