:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/CMW5YPSMBFDLND7GDX2XFTL6R4.JPG)
The article “Public interest vs. private homes” (July 30) outlines the legal battle between the town of Ogden Dunes and Save the Dunes and presents the views of both sides but is misleading and overlooks important facts. The suggestion by a law professor that “Ogden Dunes is both a victim as well as a potential victimizer” creates a false equivalency between the Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor breakwater and the proposed Ogden Dunes revetment. As to the impression that our project will encroach on public access, the project includes the rebuilding of several public accessways that became unusable after recent storms.
Ogden Dunes is a small community, incorporated in 1925 decades before the Ports of Indiana, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the nearby steel mills came into existence. The breakwater at Burns Harbor, built in the 1960s, is more than 8,000 feet long and extends far into Lake Michigan. It has blocked several million cubic yards of sand from flowing westward toward Ogden Dunes and the national park. The proposed Ogden Dunes rock revetment in comparison runs parallel to the shoreline above the high-water mark, extends 10 feet from existing dunes on town property and does not place a single rock in the lake. While the existing and proposed hardscape in Ogden Dunes may affect the natural flow of sand in storm conditions, this is miniscule in comparison to the disruption of sand flow caused by the Port.
Both parties agree that replenishment of sand on our beaches would be ideal. This is very expensive, and efforts by our town to secure long-term funding for this have failed. Fixing a problem created by the Ports of Indiana should not be our responsibility. The Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor encompasses 600 acres of land and houses 30 tenant companies and three steel mills. Ogden Dunes, with a comparatively small tax base, did not create the erosion problem; those entities that did and have the economic ability to correct it should step up.
Save the Dunes was established in 1952 to protect Indiana shores from the predicted devastating consequences of industrial development. I hope that the group will also direct its energies into making the steel mills, the Ports of Indiana and its resident corporations, the state of Indiana and the Army Corps of Engineers fix the problem they created.
— Allan Halline, Ogden Dunes
Closing off Chicago parkland
In the wake of the NASCAR race series and with Lollapalooza here, I note that every summer, more of our city’s precious parkland is turned over to for-profit promoters and fenced off to ordinary visitors. This surge has afflicted the Douglass Park community, home to major music festivals that have shut much of the park down in the summer months when residents need it most.
It’s all part of the city’s plan. The Chicago Park District, in its 2023 budget, declares that, if anything, it wants more such high-profile events “in order to keep fees for our park programs affordable and minimize reliance on the property tax to grow programs.”
It is telling that our city’s leaders would rather have the optics of not raising property taxes, at the cost of an invisible tax on residents through loss of the parks, congestion, noise and other intangible frustration. It comes down ultimately to state laws that force Chicago to raise revenue through a patchwork of regressive taxes, fines and fees.
We supposedly have a progressive mayor, governor and General Assembly. It should be the No. 1 project — ahead of everything else — to reform our laws to allow the city to tax our wealthiest residents directly. The rich would finally pay their fair share for the amenities that they enjoy here, and the city could get back on the path to solvency.
— Paul W. Mollica, Chicago
Cheap dig at green energy
Regarding the excerpt “About green energy ‘savings’” (Aug. 1): Opinions are like, well, everybody has one, including the Las Vegas Review-Journal Editorial Board, which has a firm position on its editorial page slamming the current administration in any way possible. Never mind the 13 million jobs created under President Joe Biden, a relatively steady and prosperous stock market, low unemployment and diminishing inflation — and all this with a horrific war overseas.
Still, the Review-Journal Editorial Board, in an excerpt published in the Tribune, takes up a silly position on climate change and green energy: It’s costly.
The board offers no suggestions or solutions to what will become the hottest year on record in history.
I’m sorry, but the world thinks otherwise.
— Randall Henson, Glendale Heights
Streaming Cubs games
Chicago Tribune Opinion
I kind of enjoyed watching the North Side baseball team play the South Side team last week on TV. It was the second time I have watched them on TV this year, and I even recognized a couple of the players’ names.
My livestreaming service does not have access to the North Siders’ games. I used to be a fan of the North Side team, watched games regularly and attended a few every year. I have not done that in a while.
I understand that the owners of the North Side team will soon offer me the opportunity to stream the games anytime I want, for a price that exceeds my Netflix and Hulu subscriptions combined — for essentially a one-trick pony.
There are so many other sports available on TV to fill the gap.
— Tom Hopkins, Barrington
Join the conversation in our Letters to the Editor Facebook group.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.