To The Editor,
In 1974, as a young, 26 year old professional, I purchased 9.2 acres located on a private dead end lane just off of Sunnyside Road. It was a quiet, rural, safe and peaceful …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, or you are a print subscriber who had access to our previous wesbite, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you have not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber and did not have a user account on our previous website, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
To The Editor,
In 1974, as a young, 26 year old professional, I purchased 9.2 acres located on a private dead end lane just off of Sunnyside Road. It was a quiet, rural, safe and peaceful community where one never needed to lock their house or take the keys out of their car. My family and I have been residents of this community ever since.
As circumstances changed in 1992, we decided to sell our nice cobalt ski boat, equipped with a powerful mercruiser inboard/outboard drive. Without hesitation I towed it to the corner of Highway 47 and old Highway 40 where Walgreens is now located.
There I unhooked the trailer, posted a for sale sign, included the asking price and our home phone number, and then drove away. The boat was not secured. All one had to do was hook up and tow it away. It never occurred to me, nor should it have, that the boat might be stolen, vandalized or disturbed in any way.
True to my expectations the boat remained safe and was sold within a week.
Who among you could imagine doing such a thing today? That is what “progress” has brought to our community.
Our civic leaders are all about progress it seems, without regard for its impact upon the surrounding environs or its residents. If progress is counting roofs, then St. Louis must be the gold standard, as that city has lots of roofs.
If progress means heavy traffic, noise, pollution, crowding, drugs, crime. If progress means an ever increasing demand for social services while the area experiences a declining per-capita tax base. If progress means having the area’s highest sales tax, school systems overwhelmed, increased demands upon law enforcement, the fire department, community services. If progress means hearing sirens wail all hours of the day and night, the glow of city lights blocking out the stars and a reduction in resident quality of life — then our civic leaders have succeeded in their goal.
My wife and I are senior citizens now long since retired. Our children are grown, educated and spread across the globe. We travel a great deal but intend to live out our lives hidden from as much local progress as possible. However if we were young, we wouldn’t even consider moving to the Warrenton area.
That is sad.
Bob Ritchie
Warrenton
