Better use of resources

I think the true intention of the Semprebon gift is getting lost. I don’t think granite statues, water fountains and football field lights are going to enhance the community or create a better community. The worst problem central Vermont faces is a scourge of drugs and drug-related crime. In Barre, it’s in our face every day. I saw two kids at 9 a.m. walking down the street huffing out of a spray paint can — this was one block from the high school. There are homeless people all over and new ones seem to appear on the street every week. Not long ago, I watched some tourists in Dente Park admiring the statue while a few homeless people were stretched out on the nearby bench. What an impression that must have made on those tourists.

Instead of building monuments and lighting the football field, why not address the real problem in our city that will help the entire community? It would certainly make me feel better to go through my hometown and not see people wandering wasted on drugs and homeless — that would be true beautification and community improvement.

Melissa Casey

Barre