HT Letter to the Editor

To the editor:

On Monday Oct. 24, a house near mine was demolished.
Signs on every window and door read: "The State of
Indiana, in cooperation with the Federal Government,
has purchased this property. All trespassers will be
prosecuted."

Green Acres neighborhood, bordering the 45/46 bypass,
has been warned that the already noisy, noxious,
dangerous highway is to become four lanes, so several
houses need removed. Road construction won't begin
until 2007, so why do this now, with no warning? It
was a handsome house in good shape. People could've
lived there. It could've been subsidized housing, or a
badly-needed community meeting space. Instead, it's a
limbo-lot awaiting some mythical highway project that
no one here wants.

Nevertheless, if the usable house had to be destroyed,
the usable materials could've been salvaged.
Bloomington has many skilled, eco-conscious builders,
the Habitat for Humanity Re-store, the recycling
center, and other folks and organizations who would
have been interested in re-using the materials. Were
they contacted?

Every attempt ought to be made to salvage materials.
Nothing was spared. Every double-paned window smashed
to bits, every tub, sink and light fixture crunched to
powder, every piece of lumber splintered to waste.
Wanton waste. Making way for future waste.

Nathan Harman