In the News

Letter to the Editor: Time for Action

Dear Editor,

I have been following your articles concerning the Charrette and Early County 2055 with great interest. There is nothing like seeing a community come together to create a better way of life for themselves and their neighbors.

My family and I are relative newcomers to this area. I moved here from Macon, Ga. Over the past decade, Macon has also been going through a similar transition. MACON NEIGHBORHOOD CHALLENGE was established to create a better living environment through housing and economic development. We have seen continuous successes; however, it certainly was (or is) not without many roadblocks and bumps along the way.

Since Early County 2055 has come along, I have heard and observed an enormous amount of differing opinions. Some opinions have been negative, while a good number have been positive. As with anything new and challenging, there will always be the "naysayer" who will be unwilling to put forth the effort to make this a success. They will look for any negative aspect because they are scared of change. There are some citizens who are concerned with profit, focusing only on what is the total pay off for them as opposed to what the pay off would be for the community in the long run. Furthermore, some do not have a goal or do not dare to hope. They are simply mired in apathy. Any of these directions is not conducive to creating the type of life I am sure we all want for ourselves and, more importantly, our children.

Our community has the strength to bring everyone together and to actually construct the vision the Charrette has created. We also have Charles Rice ... a man who has reached out and wanted to help, to give us the "kick start" necessary for this project to succeed! Let's not let his generosity pass us by. We have to take advantage of this now! We have been given an opportunity not many smaller communities have. In order to make this happen, my hope is for all of us to work together, one brick at a time. Ego, pride, greed, and other selfish motives are to be left behind. This includes us coming together by crossing all socio-economic lines as well as any racial lines. No one is to be left out. Now is NOT the time for negativity. Now is NOT the time for racism, elitism, or any of those other "isms."

... Now is the TIME for action.

Laura W. Merrill

Blakely, Ga

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