Editor, Gazette-Journal:

The Gazette-Journal recently published a story regarding drainage ditches in Mathews County. In the story it was stated that the county had recently spent $40K on a study to determine the best way to address the drainage problem. There was also mention of another $19K spent for a report from some group of experts. The reported conclusion that was reached was basically that the county cannot afford to clean out ditches, VDOT is unwilling to clean out ditches and the residents should handle the problem on their own.

After reading this article, I took the advice to heart and decided to resolve the drainage issue on my property myself. I rented a mini-excavator, hired a man to operate the machine and over the course of a weekend, a brand-new drainage ditch was dug along my property line. To be clear, there was not even an indentation in the ground before this work began. This entire undertaking only cost $1K—that included the cost of renting equipment and&n...