Soap Box: After quiet fall, busy year for city nears end

by Larry Schuster

December 1,2007

Where has the year gone? Such is the question of a phat guy who officially greeted middle age by name. The year 2007 burst from the starting gate at breakneck speed. A quietly proposed portion of building code revisions included the loss of grandfather rights for Greek residences within the University of Missouri community. Downtown sign and awning ordinance changes were painfully hammered out with the skillful aid of Blake Danuser, MU's associate vice president of employee relations.
   
In the meantime, elections in the Third Ward and Fourth Ward were gearing up and the visioning process was in full swing. Karl Skala won a narrow victory in the Third Ward, and Jerry Wade won the Fourth Ward seat. The visioning process is in the final stages of completion as the adoption process begins long-term implementation.
   
Our non-motorized lottery winnings, courtesy of U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, are being spread about for wise use. Alleys are rising from humble stature to the glorious seat of Europesque quaintness. First Ward city council candidates are coming out of the woodwork. Incumbent Council Member Almeta Crayton currently faces four opponents, each of whom wishes to focus on inner-city needs. By the way, do we have an inner city? We have a downtown. Crime in downtown is an oft-verbalized issue of Ms. Crayton's challengers.
   
And finally, how can I not mention the glorious plan to save North Central Columbia from those evil, nasty, hard-working, spend-their-own-money business types? Instead of being a transitional neighborhood with a very aged housing stock, maybe this neighborhood should become a transitional neighborhood with the addition of many vacant commercial buildings slowly declining into a state of disrepair that no longer warrants use. Are we not trying to revitalize the entire city core? Why place so many hurdles in the way?

Time flies
Time, time, time: where does it go and why is there not more of it? We Columbians seem to be the busiest of all ant colonies. We scurry about with many a task. Most activity seems to revolve around saving ourselves from each other and the ever-elusive, narcotic notion that we can change the heart of man. In other words, we have too much time, money and energy on our hands.
   
We are spoiled and unappreciative. Any parent knows this is the perfect recipe for mischief. Much like water, kids and adults often follow the path of least resistance. Regretfully, again as with water — an essential life element — too much of a good thing is erosive. We can drown from our own good intentions or merely be swept away by the euphoric feelings of doing good.
   
For the well-intentioned residents of our community who "act locally and think globally," a fine line exists. To be fair, the same line exists for business types who seek public aid for risky, ambitious projects with much purported public benefit. None should be dismissed out of hand but given fair consideration. Money is always the issue. Who pays and how much do they pay? From my profound seat of middle age, it seems that the larger the investment of public dollars the more scrutiny each "save the world" proposal requires. Similarly, it would seem that a higher cost benefit should be expected on the public's behalf.
   
Guarding what prior generations have graciously gifted us requires quiet reflection and humble thankfulness. Families such as the Sorins, Barths, Prices, Rollins, Gentrys, Sapps, Nifongs, Gordons and many, many others have handed us a fabulous community. We are a proud and accomplished lot. Failure to remember our humble beginnings on the banks of Flat Branch Creek, though, will certainly ensnare our future. Grateful remembrance of the blood, sweat and tears invested by the developers known as The Smithton Land Co., along with our ancestors who fought for the flagship University of Missouri campus to remain following the loss of Academic Hall, however, will certainly ensure a bright future.

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