Editor:
I think it would be a very good idea to curb the use of leaf blowers for the following reasons.
1) They are very loud and the operators wear ear protection and citizens which don't have. 
2) They are very ineffective. They essentially blow the leaves and dust around but don't get rid of it. They just relocate it in your yard. 
3) It should be very easy (as your article states) to find violators. They can be heard for blocks away. Just write them a ticket and make them pay a fine. You could just hire one person to drive around Orleans to enforce it.
4) The noise they make wrecks the small town atmosphere and quiet community.
5) The concern over the police needing to ensure public safety first ignores the fact that it is for public safety. They generally make as many decibels as a rock and roll band. If they are near you, it is deafening. Many residents in Orleans are older people who already might have hearing loss.
6) It's continuous noise through most seasons. This isn't occasional noise. Except for winter, it is year round.
7) Orleans isn't exactly a high crime area. If the police were tasked with enforcement, it wouldn't seriously hinder their other important work.
Thanks for allowing me to respond to your article. The Cape Cod Chronicle is what I read to find out what is happening in town. Your paper is a great service to residents.

John Didsbury
Orleans

Editor:
I am writing in opposition to the Harwich Conservation Trust’s proposal in Case PB2026-13 concerning the property at 1039 Route 28. After speaking with others in the Hillside Road neighborhood, it is clear to me that there is widespread concern and opposition to this request.
Many of us find it difficult to reconcile this proposal with the stated mission of the Harwich Conservation Trust. An organization whose purpose is to preserve woods, water, wetlands, wildlife and our shared quality of life should not be advancing a plan that places a large building, expanded parking, walking paths and increased public traffic onto land that the community understands and values as conservation-oriented.
The trust’s public messaging suggests preservation, but the actual proposal would create a much larger and more active use than what exists today. A large building and 38 parking spaces would significantly change the character of this area. Hillside Road and this section of Route 28 are not designed for increased visitor traffic, and residents already struggle with visibility and speeding vehicles when entering or exiting the neighborhood.
Harwich borders Chatham, and this Route 28 corridor is already heavily traveled. If the Harwich Conservation Trust needs office or educational space, the town of Harwich should urge HCT to locate that use in an area already suited for commercial or institutional activity, rather than disrupting a quiet residential neighborhood and conservation setting.
Preserving land should mean protecting both the environment and the surrounding community — not sacrificing them for organizational convenience or expansion. The planning board should carefully scrutinize this application and reject any request that compromises neighborhood safety, rural character or conservation values.

Lisa Ann Trudeau 
Harwich

Editor:
As I read the editorial in the Oct. 1 Chronicle discussing the proposed Orleans plan to outlaw the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, I felt I needed to share the experience of our Florida landscaper. 
The city of Naples passed a similar ordinance, forbidding the use of gas-powered landscaping equipment. Two significant and unanticipated outcomes were that, first, most of the smaller landscaping companies withdrew from work in the City limits. These small businesses could not afford to replace all their equipment with battery operated tools, which are much more expensive. Additionally, the new law compelled the landscapers to carry many additional batteries to be able to operate their equipment for a full day. This was an additional expense which they could not afford. As a result many residents were forced to seek new landscapers from a smaller pool of companies. The second impact was that landscaping fees were ultimately increased by a minimum of 40 percent to cover the increased demand the larger landscaping companies experienced and make up for their added costs for purchasing the new equipment.    
I am well aware of the good intentions of the lawmakers when they proposed this change. The outcome was not what they expected. Orleans should seek real-world experiences before implementing this new regulation.

Jim Mazarakis
Chatham and Naples, Fla.

Editor:
From a national view, with very few exceptions, we are all immigrants or children of immigrants. We are not “aliens.” We comprise a significant percentage of the United States’ population. We are not criminals, rapists or murderers. We provide a high percentage of labor necessary to make our country work.
Cape Cod is in a unique position of attracting many vacationers, travelers and second homeowners, all of which require laborers to fulfill their needs. Immigrants have always been necessary because a high percentage of our children and grandchildren have moved off-Cape due to the lower wages and higher cost of living.
So why do we tolerate our government arresting and deporting all those immigrants who have no criminal records, and only want a piece of the “American Dream?”
The truth is those in power (like the early slave-owners) want an all-white America, governed as an autocratic country. Here is a “Christian Principle” we seem to have forgotten:
Matthew 25:40: “And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’”
Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on that wall on Judgment Day?

Peter Norgeot
Orleans

Editor:
The holidays are just around the corner. All of us at the Chatham Children’s Fund would like to remind everyone of the community-wide effort that exists to lighten the burden for those Chatham families with children in need.
For more than 40 years, many individuals and organizations have helped to provide warm winter clothing and holiday wishes for local children!
If you or someone you know needs some assistance or If you would like to shop for a child or children, donate a wish list item, purchase a gift card or contribute money to our endeavors, please contact us at Monomoy Community Services at 508-945-1501 or at our confidential line,  774-207-7443. We welcome all to our Elf Team! Shopping is completed by Dec. 1, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy your personal holidays.
Thank you all for supporting the needs of Chatham’s children and for helping Santa fill the sleigh!
Attention current elves! Check your email — Chatham Children’s Fund Holiday Project information is coming through Gmail.
Note: Due to our building project delays we have had to locate back at 210 Stony Hill Rd. to stay on schedule. 
Please don’t forget to buy your pumpkins at the First Congregational Church — proceeds support us in our efforts!

Pat Vreeland
Theresa Malone
Chatham Children’s Fund

Editor:
Life is better with friends, and here at the Eldredge Public Library we certainly need ours!
During the American Library Association’s “Friends of Libraries Week” we would like to send an extra thank you to all of our hardworking Friends. From running our book sale to funding
programs and purchasing special material, the Friends of the Eldredge Public Library enhance
the scope of what we are able to bring to the community and we couldn’t do it without them.
Interested in becoming a friend? Stop in at the circulation desk and ask how to join or
go to our website at EldredgeLibrary.org and select “Friends Membership” under the “Donate”
button. Already a member but want to get more involved and volunteer? Call the Eldredge
Public Library at 508-945-5174 or come in and fill out a volunteer form.

Staff and Trustees
Eldredge Public Library

Editor:
Do any Americans understand what Trump just did to truly show where his allegiances lie? He rolls out the red carpet for the Chinese premier, yet has denigrated Canada and its prime minister at every chance he gets! Does Trump ever think about the repercussions of what he says before he says them? I think not. According to a recent World Affairs Gallup poll, 80 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of Canada. How does that compare to the recent polls showing Trump's approval overall?

Edward Fried  
West Chatham

Editor:
I was most pleased that Salt Air Broadcasting's owner, Gary Hanna, will be adding three more local FM radio stations to their other two. Mr. Hanna is anxious to provide a variety of programming in this area. He is right that "radio isn't dead." On the contrary, it is just the opposite.
What caught my eye was a statement near the end of the article, regarding the possibility of “adding a nonprofit, classical music” station. I do miss not having that choice, and I am not alone.

Theodore Shrady
Orleans

Editor:
The October Chronicle article, “Harwich Gets Two Year ‘Safe Harbor’ Approval - Allows More Flexibility With Affordable Housing,” was an eye-opener and a game changer. As a retired
CEO of a national consumer brand company with a reputation for quality performance, it’s easy to recognize Harwich’s success formula. The Harwich town administrator praised the efforts of a
town planner, zoning board chair and an affordable housing board member for working together rather than playing the blame game when things got dicey. He is quoted saying “It is good news for the town of Harwich… It puts us in the driver’s seat.”
Working together, Harwich officials formulated a creative plan designed to accelerate affordable housing development while maintaining its small town quality of life. The Harwich town
administrator noted that “large 40B projects such as the Penrose project proposed for the former Marcelene property on Queen Anne Road have generated a lot of debate regarding community
character impacts.” By emulating Harwich, Chatham officials now have a clear road map to “safe harbor” and meeting Chatham’s affordable housing needs.

Rick Leavitt
West Chatham