Here’s a roundup of news from elsewhere that touches on issues we face here in Davidson. First, a note from Hawaii raising the question: Should homeowners associations be allowed to ban backyard clotheslines, which could be an environmentally friendly alternative? Second, a story from Baltimore about what happens when a longtime privately-owned recreation club decides its land is worth more than its community-focused business. And finally, a Connecticut story about a group of teens who turned an overgrown lot into a Wiffle ball field – and ran into trouble with neighbors and lawyers. Click on the links to read and offer your comments below.

CLOTHESLINES GOOD OR BAD?

In Hawaii, Gov. Linda Lingle has vetoed a bill that would have made it illegal for homeowners associations to ban clotheslines. Supporters said the measure would have given homeowners the option of saving money and electricity by eschewing their electric dryers. In an editorial Thursday, July 10, The Honolulu Star-Bulletin called the veto – and the Legislature’s capitulation – “a loss for conservation.” Link: July 10, 2008, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, “House, Lingle failed to see sunlight on clothesline bill.”

Here in Davidson, we’ve had a bit of discussion about clotheslines and the environment. Shelley Rigger penned a commentary last year titled “Time to preserve the right to dry,” in which she talked about the benefits and issues surrounding clotheslines.

PRIVATE GAIN, COMMUNITY LOSS?

In recent discussions about whether Davidson should join a project to add a public recreation center at Davidson IB Middle School, some have questioned whether local government should provide recreation facilities, or whether that task is best left to the private sector.

In Baltimore County, Md., residents are about to find out what happens when a longtime and respected private organization decides to call it quits. Owners of the 49-year-old Padonia Park Swim Club in northern Baltimore County announced recently that they have agreed to sell the 30-acre property for $10 million to a large church. It’s got swimming pools, summer camps, a day care center and other recreational amenities. Other private swim clubs are nearby, but members and others in the area think it will be a big loss. Meanwhile, the county also will lose revenue as the tax-exempt church takes over. Link: July 8, 2008, Baltimore Sun, “Time for a long, cool farewell: Padonia Swim Club is being sold to large church.”

[Here’s a Dec. 8, 2008 update from The Baltimore Sun: The church has scrapped plans to buy the club and build a church. See “Church drops project.”]

VACANT LOT, OR WHIFFLE-BALL FIELD?

The New York Times’ Peter Applebome reports from Greenwich, Conn., about how a group of neighborhood kids built a Wiffle ball field to occupy their time this summer, then ran into flak from angry neighbors, who brought in lawyers and police. It’s a story of how a seemingly harmless venture can turn out to be pretty complicated in well-to-do suburbia. July 10, 2008, New York Times
“Build a Wiffle Ball Field and Lawyers Will Come.”