The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1951-04-09
This Rock
Of Our"
BY BILL GLIB

How many of you know lat
Dick Hunter tie gay who sells
tires out on Truman Ave, wae-
shall we put i. mildly like hey
do in Hollywooo?-'Phe World 5
Champion Parachute jumper?
Dick has made over q nous
and jumps at various air meets ell
over the country. He still likes %
attend these events as a specta-
tor
tried to get story out of him.
No luck. The only thing he want
ed to talk about went something
like this:
Look. everytime l go 10 Mi
ami after tires some idiot fishing
off the bridges will run in 'front.'
of my truck. They get a nibble on
their line and they forget they
are only couple Of feet away
from cars tipping along at 'orty
miles per hour. They run back
wards and only God and good
brakes save their lives.
I've made plenty Of parachute
jumps but l was never in half
the danger that careless bridge
fishermen put themselves in
daily"
Dicks right, of course. It's
amazing that SO few people have
been hurt on the bridges when
they are so indifferent to danger.
I've argued for years that some
sort of cat-walk should be built
outside the ratings of the main
bridge to permit people to fish
safely. 1t would be expensive of
course, but bridge fishing is one
If our greatest attractions in this
area and eventually, we're going
% have to spend money to main
ain this attraction. Such fishing
platforms on bridges have been
successfully built up the state.
This entire subject really be-
longs to Jack Delaney, however
Maybe he will take ii up in
Walls and Scales"
incidentally
l asked Jack the other day to
nlighten me a little on zoning
equations, etc, here in Key
Vest. He is on tho Planning Com
mission as you pfobably know.
l won't so into details about
)ur conversation but l was i'm
pressed by the sincerity and en-
husiastic desire Jack displayed
with regards to what he thought
he town should do.
He wants a long-range plan
ling program that will permit
he people to know the type of
zone in which they are investing
their money. And also give them
he assurance that they won't
wake up the next morning and
ind that, for instance, their Resi-
lential classification has been
hanged to Business, and vice
versa.
1uaintness
There is always an argument
lbout whether a town should
preserve it's old-fashioned atmos-
)here ard charm, or whether it
hould adopt a progressive and
nodernistic style. l should modify
hat statement and say there is
always an argument if changing
conditions warrant one"
Key West is lucky enough to
,e one of the towns in which such
IN argument is warranted. We
are forging ahead rapidly in both
population and business growth.
In few more years it will be too
late for us to decide what type
Of architecture we want to keep
and what type we will permit to
be built.
Personally, l like old fashioned
Kings. But only when they do
1ot cause discomfort and/or haz-
ards.
If we're going to have unpaint-
ed wooden buildings in town,
let's try to keep them in one Sec
ion, and let's be sure that they
are not fire or storm hazards.
New Orleans offers one of the
finest examples of the mainten-
ance of old and new architecture
within zones. Why don't we
study some of their regulations
and plans?