Dear Sirs: In response to your (April 15 editorial) musings over the budget, I wanted to offer another view on our current state of recreational facilities in Newton County.

Like you, I accept the fiscal realities we face. But, it's misleading to suggest "we have as fine a recreation department as there is in Georgia" or that "our facilities are first rate..." For a county our size, we are sorely lacking and falling consistently further behind.

I'd urge you to ask Tommy for a copy of the most recent Recreation Plan Extension and take a look at where we stack up against accepted standards and against the types of facilities people continue to say they want and need.
Politically, everyone wants to sidestep the "trail issue." But, it's beyond me how something so fundamental to public health and so clearly important to the people has become an "issue." At a time when we are hundreds of acres short of what we should have for recreation in a county of 100K+ people, our county officials refuse to even discuss acquiring 167 acres of land perfectly suited to recreation with federal grants requested explicitly to fund the exact type of facilities the people are requesting.

I know you are sympathetic to and supportive of our cause. But, I do wonder why you have not been more bluntly critical of the county for not acting with available resource to meet the documented needs of the people.

Maurice Carter,
Covington