The Shock

One of my favorite sayings of Don Sheehan, was that there were basically just three kinds of people: Those who make change, those who respond to change, and those who are dimly aware that anything has happened.

O.K. that was oversimplified. But nevertheless, change can be a shock. Years ago I planted some 12 arbor vitae trees during the week that my oldest daughter graduated from Evansville High School, and they were 1 foot tall. As I gazed out the window at them the other day, which is the picture on the blog, I realized that if they were now 12 feet tall, I must have aged too. O.K. That was a shock.

The other night at the Evansville Common Council, Mr. Michael Pierick made a statement that was startling for some: He said, " Even if development is held to the levels outlined in the Smart Growth Plan, the District will probably outgrow one or more of its buildings before the high school payments are complete."

It has been assumed by many that the Smart Growth Plan assumed, even without any impact analysis done, that somehow magically even though we build it and people come, no additional expense would be required for our schools prior to the current bonds being paid off. Now the shock. This is not so.

This week, the consultants, Plunkett Raysich, went on a walk thru of the Middle School. On Monday night, at the Evansville School Board, there may be some general remarks on what they found. I hope to have the audio for residents who cannot attend this meeting.

It is important to read Mr. Pierick's speech and listen to it---This is like making Blueberry Ice Cream. He explains that analogy in his speech. This is all about responding to change and about being realistic about the impact of development. The input of the community will be important in this response. So---stay tuned.