Editor’s note: The writer offered these comments regarding the county’s purchase of the Salisbury Mall at Monday’s commission meeting:

I strongly feel we would be remiss in our duty as good citizens if we did not ask our elected officials to make a full, fair and complete disclosure of any matter concerning our future and welfare. So far, we’ve only been told the initial purchase price but I’m sure there will be much more to it than that.
Please share with citizens your overall vision for this project. How do you perceive the look of the finished project; how long will it take us to get there; what will be the total amount spent to bring it all to fruition; when it’s complete, will commissioners or other county personnel be managing commercial business ventures? In addition, I respectfully ask that before this purchase proceeds further, citizens be provided with:
(1) The complete strategic plan for this project, including, but not limited to:
a) plans and square footage apportionments for both government and commercial use;
b) a complete list of each county service or department to be housed in or upon the premises.
c) the cost of redesign, refurbishment, reconstruction, and up-fit of space for each service, and whether costs are to be met through departmental budgets; and
d) specific time frames for relocation of each department, service, or government unit, and cost estimates for each.
(2) Complete copies of all due diligence inspections of property performed by licensed structural, mechanical and construction engineers; such reports should include any and all schedules of noted hazards, deficiencies, and concerns the inspecting professional may have regarding the property.
(3) An itemized budget detailing expenditures and revenue sources for the entire project.
In closing, let me stress my profound belief that citizens have both the right and the duty to demand such due diligence from our elected officials. And to that point, I trust this request will be received in the spirit of freedom and cooperation with which it is offered.
— (Eva) GeoRene Jones
Salisbury
Build it, they will come.
I’m not talking about a new school administration building. I’m talking about a pond that attracts ducks and geese. People will come to see the beauty of God’s creatures, and they will feed them out of love. Give them a false sense of security, and then let cowardly people shoot and beat them to death.
Call the Sheriff’s Office about shots being fired and about possible trespassing, and they will come, after the fact — after the culprits have left and taken the evidence with them.
Welcome to a cold case that will probably never be investigated. If Stonemor Partners of Levittown, Penn., authorized this fiasco, the company should be ashamed of itself. If they hired another company to remove the geese humanely, and this was their response to “humanely,” the names of the perpetrators and their company, if there is such, should be made known for their cowardly act. These people are the lowest of the low.
There’s still one big problem. The pond is still there, and more geese and ducks will come. An incident like this should never happen again. If this problem was created by Stonemor Partners, then do the right thing: Drain the pond, fill it in and make more room for grave plots. You’ll make more money and, by accident, save the lives of future ducks and geese.
Don’t expect justice in this case, for the low lives who committed this heinous act will probably never be prosecuted. Who’s to blame?
— Ron Shuping
Salisbury