Town Square Aug. 22, 2018

Town Square is an opinion column to which readers can submit their views. As a true community newspaper, we’re always looking for ways to include local thought and pertinent viewpoint, this forum is a way to share those thoughts. Civility and fair comment will always prevail.

Residents of the area were very pleased with the response to the Groove City Culture Fest (Coverage in today’s paper). - Editor

CLOSE-KNIT: The energy and positivity we experienced underscores just how close-knit the community of Cambridge is.

INCREDIBLE: Congratulations on organizing an awesome rebirth of an incredible community event. You guys rock!

FUN: Congrats to one and all involved in putting on that fun Groove City Culture Fest: Celebrating Black Culture party.

SMILES AND YOCK: Great event! Great music. So many smiling faces. Loved tasting all the variations of yock.

Chesapeake-region folks are still upset over the trash released into the Bay from Exelon’s Conowingo dam on the Susquehanna River. - Editor

SHARE BURDEN: Horrifying. And bound to get worse. This doesn’t just reflect poorly on Pennsylvania and New York - it’s time for Exelon to share the burden of cleaning up the mess behind the dam. While they make money on a public resource, the Bay and surrounding communities suffer.

POOR MANAGEMENT: This is not simply about New York and Pennsylvania. Poor management, by Exelon, of the Conowingo Dam’s reservoir and spill gates is fueling this crisis. The dam is meant to trap this garbage, but the pond behind it has reached dynamic equilibrium. And the rain wasn’t a surprise...why not open fewer numbers of spill gates earlier and try to avoid the scouring?

CLASS ACTION: I still feel a Federal class-action lawsuit against Exelon and all states involved in regard to the livelihood of those who work the Bay and those who recreationally use the bay – who are no longer safe – and the property owners of the shoreline is in order. This could have been commercially cleaned prior to release of flood water into the Bay. If any one farmer, boater, commercial resident, or individuals had been even slightly responsible for a disaster of this magnitude would be paying…both in fines and potential liability…you can bet on that.

TO THE GOVERNOR: We applaud your efforts to find solutions to the upstream threats to the Bay, including the reservoir above the Conowingo Dam. We appreciate your acknowledgement of our multi-year effort to bring this threat to the forefront of discussion so that we may work to find a way to clean this up before it undoes all the progress that has been made.

Editor’s note: Town Square – your public forum – is moderated by Dorchester Banner Editor Dave Ryan. Email your comments to bannernews@newszap.com.