Letter to the Editor, (My Local Newspaper) Your November 12 th front page story “HOVE Residents Debate Priorities” caused me no little concern as it was so incomplete and inaccurate. My wife and I moved to HOVE in 1997 because we deliberately chose to come here. We were newly arrived and would represent the newcomer perspective, were retired, and could make the commitment of time and effort. In 1998 we were asked to participate in the Kellogg Foundation’s MIRA Team community communication education project. Thereafter followed a year-long learning process for the broadly based OV MIRA Team. This was followed by writing a grant, and being awarded $15,000 to find out what community services Ocean View residents and property owners wanted. Next came the long, slow, expensive volunteer driven project of surveying the owners of property in Ocean View about their priorities for their community by mail. When the survey results were tabulated, with 9,000+ property owners responding: with the problems of police, fire protection, ambulance service, medical care, and schools having varying high degrees of support, the overwhelming priority of Ocean View property owners was improvement in availability of public water sources. The final report was filed in many public places in late 1999-2000: mayor, governor, senators, representatives, libraries, and OVCA. A copy should be available at OVCA to read. I was the Master Ceremonies for two well publicized and very well attended meetings at OVCA Community Center. There the results were shared with the community and questions were answered. The community had spoken quite loudly, and at considerable effort and cost, but no taxpayer funds were involved. Approximately two years later, I was involved with the O.V.Communuity Development Corporation, a 501C3 entity, effort to arrive at a Community Funding District which is similar to a Local Improvement District. This term will be more familiar for you newcomers from the mainland. The purpose was to fund water development costs by working with County government. When I stopped my work at that time in that effort, something like 60%, or more, of respondents, then about 55% of property owners were approving establishment of the CFD for Ocean View. OVCDC may be contacted to get the exact figures, if desired. Again the property owners of Ocean View were speaking their minds and ready to open their pocketbooks. They recognized the basic need for a public water source in Ocean View: water spigots close by for families with limited resources, and a loading facility for the commercial water haulers in Ocean View to reduce hauling time and costs for all the rest of us. Without public water it is unlikely that Ocean View will have a medical clinic, or the so desperately needed public schools for our children. That subject should by now recognized as a dead horse that no longer needs to be kicked. The property owners of Ocean View do want a local source of public water. My wife and I have recently expanded the storage capacity of our water catchment system at considerable cost as one tank rusted out and fell apart. And while I certainly don’t expect piped water delivered at my home within my lifetime, I for one, would trade in my expensive, ugly, space consuming water storage tanks, and my expensive water pumps, and my expensive filter system in a New York Minute because it would be a lot less hassle, be healthier, and be far, far, far cheaper. My best estimate for piped delivery of water to any large number of homes in Ocean View is somewhere around the year 2185. PS: a New York Minute is faster than you can blink an eye. Sincerely, George B. Wallace A Proud and Happy Ocean View Resident
(c) Copyright 2006: George Wallace recently published a book on religion which lashes out at nearly all of the comfortable ideas about God, the trappings of organized religion, and the priesthood. His pithy comments and suggestions for a return to a God-centered personal religion will interest everyone. This article may be freely reprinted so long as all copyright attributions, and the full content of this resource box are included. www.OhGodIsThatYou.com
Article Source: http://www.writerspenarticledirectory.com
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
# of Ratings = 1 | Rating = 4/5
Powered by Article Dashboard
