At the conclusion of his article “Talking Trash” (1/26), Paul Ruffins makes reference to the contentious Tenleytown tower issue, stating that “[o]ne of the main concerns expressed by nearby residents is the fear that their homes would be damaged by falling chunks of ice….[Therefore] it should be inexpensive for the tower’s owners to reassure its neighbors by buying an insurance policy to pay for any damages.”

Tenleytown residents have never made such a claim. Rather, they have repeatedly expressed their concern about the possibility of sheeting ice killing or maiming pedestrians on the sidewalk immediately below the tower. Although it is true that insurance might mitigate the costs of damage done to parked cars by falling ice in the general vicinity of the tower—or, worse, to cars traveling up or down Wisconsin Avenue—it goes without saying that no amount of insurance coverage could ever adequately compensate for the loss of human life.

Stop the Tower Coalition

Tenleytown