L-word
How is it that Andre Darlington can write a three-page cover story on "queer nightlife" in Madison ("Pretty Gay," 8/19/11) without using the word "lesbian" even once?
Janet Davis
Arts editor Kenneth Burns replies: Women are mentioned throughout the article, which uses the inclusive terms LGBT and queer to designate a diverse community.
Save the well
When TIF coordinator Joseph Gromacki and the Madison Planning and Development Commission composed TIF District 41, they omitted what to me and many of my neighbors was the most important aspect of the proposed district ("To TIF or Not to TIF," 8/26/11). In their public documents and maps, which are statutorily required to be made public for comment prior to a city planning commission meeting to discuss the new TIF district, they completely omitted the mention and mapping of the zoning within the district that designates the entire development area as a Zone A Wellhead Protection Area for Madison Municipal Well 14.
The "Zone A" designation means that within five years or less, surface contamination could enter our drinking water supply from activity directly above the aquifer, which supplies the daily drinking water for over 17,000 people in Madison. The designation also indicates that certain businesses, like dry cleaners, are forbidden in the zone.
This was pointed out at the original planning commission meeting where TIF District 41 was discussed. I was saddened and appalled when the planning commission voted to send TIF District 41 on to the Common Council, where its advancement is scheduled for a vote Sept. 2.
Environmental and health concerns in the city are seemingly less important than economic development.
Michael Kienitz