Since no one commenting on our online version of the Westlake Picayune has submitted a letter to the editor for the record on the topic of the Rollingwood Women’s Club’s gift of $10,000 to a park projects, we felt it was important to clear the air here and with an article on the front page.

The article in this week’s issue addresses comments to mention of the RWC’s gift in last week’s article, titled “Rollingwood discusses interlocal agreement with county for street repair,” under the subheading of “In other Council action.” This week’s article points out that any perceived controversy surrounding this altruistic, civic-minded gesture is purely in the minds those few who disagree.

The facts associated with the gift are clear: approximately $10,000 annually is given to the community by the club, and this year the consensus among members was to split available funds among two park projects – a shade structure and a walking trail. It is unfortunate that anyone would would find fault with helping make an already beautiful park a little more beautiful. We hope that the overwhelming majority of Rollingwood residents are grateful to the RWC for making a concerted effort to help maintain and improve one of the true gems of the community.

Unfortunately, however, RWC’s contribution is being criticized anonymously online. It is nothing new. Readers are discovering that they can say almost anything online, without having their name and reputation in the community attached to it. The source may not necessarily be the same online critics who have taken verbal shots at Rollingwood officials during the past year. But the sniper-style mode is remarkably similar. Usually, someone with all of the facts puts such comments into proper perspective. The problem is that this doesn’t always happen, and online readers are left thinking they know the truth when they may only have a half-truth or worse.

We try to let online opinions go uncensored and only delete those that border on name-calling or clear unsubstantiated attempts to smear a person or nonprofit organization’s name. So we urge any reader of comments to assimilate the essence of comments with a grain of salt.

The bottom line is that the RWC gives $10,000 a year to good community causes and has been doing such good deeds for more than a half century. Nothing but praise is due such a great asset to the community.