Wolves or buffaloes?

Dear editor:

I am writing in regards to Mr. Carpenter's column in the Nevada Daily Mail dated Friday, Dec, 7. I have just three questions for Mr. Carpenter.

The first is whether Mr. Carpenter is aware that at the City Council meeting on Oct.16, a concerned citizen addressed the council regarding the status of the community center. The opinion expressed by this individual was just the opposite of what Mr. Carpenter stated in his column. The gentleman at council represented a group who are concerned that the current community center was going to be destroyed and an entirely new center built when there was nothing wrong with the one we have that a remodel would not correct.

My second question: I would be interested in knowing when the last time was that Mr. Carpenter attended a parks board meeting. I try to attend all of these meetings and have never seen Mr. Carpenter, or for that matter the gentleman who addressed council, at a parks board meeting.

My third and final question, could you please just clarify for me who exactly is a wolf and who is a buffalo? There are currently 14 active boards and commissions operating through the city of Nevada with more than 75 individuals serving as volunteers on these entities. It is my personal opinion that these people are on these boards only to make Nevada a better place to live and work, not to undermine the general population. Another point we should all remember is that these boards only work as advisory boards to the City Council, meaning any decision they make must pass Council before action is taken. Anyone with any questions regarding the decisions of these boards need only attend the board meeting and voice their concern. The public should be aware that the parks board is working very hard to find cost effective solutions for ALL of the issues listed on the ballot to continue the park sales tax.

They are a board of nine members -- meeting not only at the regular last-Wednesday-of-the-month parks board meeting -- but also being split into, at this time, two subcommittees working on brainstorming improvements in several parks areas as well as the community center, with these subcommittees meeting at various times throughout the month. As I stated earlier, I attend most of these meetings and would encourage anyone with questions of this board to do the same.

Whether Mr. Carpenter considers our parks board to be wolves or buffaloes, I have certainly never seen them bite when questioned.

Personally, I would like to thank all the members of the Nevada boards and commissions for all the hard work and dedication they give to the city.

Jayne Novak

Nevada