No Sooner Said...

I just got an email from Point Interface announcing at least the first community meeting sponsored by the local library staff to discuss the issues around the Community Center's needs and the community's needs for the Community Center.  I think we'll need more than one of these and it will probably be discouraging at the beginning: that is, turn out will be small.  But we are going to have to persevere.

Turn out is good when people are angry (as, in the past, when the border practices have caused tempers to rise, or fury driven at the thought of some big development devastating a beautiful tract of land).  But nobody is angry about the Community Center's current excess access to atmospheric water.  Or about the library's space or lack thereof.  If everyone were angry, then we would get a good turnout at the meeting, but a good turn out driven by anger is not likely to provide a thoughtful discussion about defining our current needs and our future needs.  For that, we need open minds and information.  We can start getting that at this meeting, which is to be held Tuesday evening, July 26th, at 8 p.m.  Please try to come to it and let us begin this process.

I did get one suggestion from the previous blog posting on the question of how to pay for the Community Center repairs.  First, said the commenter, construct a sheltered area behind the building with a tarp, say, and put some bicycles under it.  Then, ask Chairperson Reber to repair the Community Center roof and underparts in order to ensure that the bicycles are protected, which would surely be permitted under the requirement that the funds be used for transit.  I mean, if we had a local bus, surely we could use gas tax funds to make that sure the bus was adequately protected from bad weather conditions.  Why not bicycles?

That's the kind of creative thinking I like.  But I wouldn't count on Reber, the County, or the State being convinced by it.