AGING TYLER HOME IMPORTANT, BUT COSTLYAs a lifelong resident of the Tyler area, I have been given the opportunity to experience much of our local history firsthand. From the brick streets of downtown Tyler to Camp Ford, Tyler is filled with numerous locations of historical significance.

Recently, an aging home on College Avenue has been featured in local news stories. Luckily, this historic home has been saved from demolition. The College Avenue home in question is believed to be the oldest remaining home in Tyler. As such, it is unquestionably a location that deserves to be preserved for historical purposes. The demolition of such an important location would be a loss for all Tyler residents.

With that being said, we cannot forget that proper historical preservation is not cheap. To properly renovate a location like the College Avenue home, tens of thousands of dollars (or more) could be spent within a matter of months. If this home is going to be properly renovated to preserve the history of Tyler (which I believe is the proper course of action), then it only seems fair that the City of Tyler steps in to provide financial assistance for the owner(s) of this historic location. Without such assistance, these renovation costs could become overwhelming.

Furthermore, upon the conclusion of these renovations, this location should be registered with the Texas Historical Commission. Receiving an Official Texas Historical Marker would permanently solidify the historical significance of this location, while also allowing passersby to learn more about the history of Tyler.

Jeff Fields McCormack

Tyler

GIVE WASHINGTON D.C. REPRESENTATION — IN MARYLANDMaking D.C. its own state makes absolutely no sense. I do agree it deserves fair representation and the solution is simple: make D.C. a part of Maryland which they are surrounded by on the east side of the Potomac River. If we don’t want the D.C. government buildings part of a state then simply carve them out. Then the inhabitants of D.C. have automatic senate representation and the population increase would justify Maryland having an additional representative in the house. If the problem was truly about taxation without representation then this would solve the problem. If the problem was really political, well we may never solve that.

G. Wilkinson

Bullard