Thursday, December 2, 2010

 See what I mean?!!?  The Post doesn't always print 'em like I write 'em!  They left out the underlined sentence below...the cornerstone line!!  Geez!!

One Chicken Pot Pie, Please
E. Boyer

It’s happening.  House hunting folks are looking at Piedmont and moving on.  Why am I suddenly  hearing that funeral parlor organ that comes on in movies to indicate that something bad is about to happen?  I’ll tell ya why..because the jig is about to be up!  The word is out!  People from other parts of the country, relocating to the Bay Area, have determined Piedmont to…oh dear…not have much to offer the kids.   Holy Lord.  It gets worse.  They have decided that there are more offerings…gulp….through the tunnel!!!!!!!  AAAARRRRGGGGG!!!!!!  NOOOOOOOO!!!  How could this be?  There must be some mistake, right?  We have all the good restaurants!  We have all the diversity!  We have the easy access to San Francisco!  We have all the charming, older houses!  We have all the culture!  We have all the hip, broad-thinking residents!  Well, the word on the street is that apparently what we don’t have are the facilities and programs for the kids that are available through the tunnel.  True story.  As the word of local real estate agents goes, so goes the way of the world….at least in Piedmont, anyway.  All jokes aside, this is what I’m told from a friend in the business.  Disturbing to them, the real estate agent, because Piedmont has been such a slam-dunk in the past and disturbing to me because I’m wondering if the value of my home is still secure!   I knew it was just a matter of time before our “stay the way we are” mentality would catch up to us.  Like everything else, if you don’t evolve and keep up with the times you get left behind.  Is that happening to Piedmont?  Are we on the brink of being left behind?  According to the real estate professional with whom I had the pleasure of sharing an evening, more and more potential home buyers are questioning exactly what it is they’re getting for their money in Piedmont and everywhere.  Gone are the devil-may- care days of throwing our money about like there’s no tomorrow.  No sir.  Today’s homebuyers want to see and touch the value.  This may be the bad news for Piedmont because we’ve been resting on our laurels, assuming that our reputation of being the best is enough.  Unfortunately for us, in this market, buyers need more assurance than just reputation.  After all, you can’t see or touch reputation.  A little embarrassing when someone researching the area asks where our Community Center is and we take them to a banquet facility that is merely rented out by the hour…nothing much for the community to do there day to day. Or the Recreation Center which has administrative offices and little else…not much recreation going on there.  Or the community pool which doesn’t seem to attract much of the…community.  These three things alone are what often tie a town together and give it a sense of unity.  A sense of…community.  Piedmont is sorely lacking in this department when compared to communities elsewhere which provide state-of-the-art recreation facilities that the entire community really does use day-in and day-out.  These centers are often the life blood of many communities, providing adults with everything they need to meet their fitness goals and a pleasant space for relaxation and socializing.  For the children, these centers provide all of that and so much more.  They serve as a familiar place where they feel welcome, safe and happy.  Children often go to their Community Center immediately after school to do their homework, talk to friends, relax and to simply decompress after a long day at school.  Often, they will transition right into their after school sport at their Community Center without rushing around to various other locations.  It’s all right there for them. The soccer field, the pool, the football field, the track, the weight room, tennis courts, basketball courts.  It is often the place where children grow from Kindergartener to high school Senior, from child to confident young adult, a familiar face, surrounded by the support of their community, day in, day out at their Community Center.   Certainly, we’ve all heard the mantra from so many of our Piedmont teenagers  “There is nothing for us to do here.”   There’s another biggie on the list of reasons homebuyers are looking elsewhere.  It’s no secret, by now, that I believe the PUSD can do better.  You may find it hard to believe, but my criticism comes from a place of love for my community.  It’s kinda like watching your sweet, intelligent, beautiful daughter proclaim her undying love for a motorcycle gang member with full-body tattoos, and whose redeeming qualities seem non-existent.  You love her so much and you know she can do better.  I believe we can do better.  Our town and our schools.  We need more stuff, guys!  For corn sakes, our schools don’t have cafeterias!  Our High School baseball diamond doesn’t have a real right field!  Our High School swim teams don’t have a pool!  Some of our sports programs don’t have adequate coaching!  Many of our student’s needs aren’t being met in the classrooms! Our children are suffering under the outrageous workload of school all day and tutors all evening.  We don’t have a Community Center or a community space where our community wants to spend time!  Just leaving one of the school libraries open after hours for community use would be a phenomenal baby-step!  I know, I know….then move out of Piedmont, you crazy Piedmont hater!  No.  Just like you don’t give up on your beautiful, albeit, misguided daughter, you don’t give up on your town.  My criticisms of Piedmont are all from a place of love, care and genuine concern for my town and, more importantly, for the children growing up in it.   They also come from a place of holy terror thinking that the value of my property will plummet if we don’t pick up the pace!!! No, not a put-down by a seventh grader, as one reader suggested,  but rather, decades of humor-laced perspective from one who has seen little significant change occur as a result of Pollyanna’ism.  People are taking notice of Piedmont.  But these days, it’s not for what we have to offer but what we don’t have to offer.  Geez, guys…I’m worried.  Well, I have been known to make a chicken pot pie for someone in need of a little reassurance.  It helps!   I think I’ll make one for myself tonight.  Seriously.