Wednesday, May 9, 2012

The Poor Old Horse


E. Boyer

Last week's developments brought to mind an old saying, "pigs get fat..hogs get slaughtered."  It seems the PRFO pulled the plug on the proposed sports field due to the city's inability to control costs. Oh, sure, the verbiage was was a little different..the PRFO will recommend the city rescind its approval of the project, but the message is pretty clear, "This train is leavin' the station!"  Was it not enough that the project was being served up on a silver platter, free of charge, through generous donations to benefit the children of Piedmont?  No, I guess not. Far better to beat the life out of it, water it down beyond recognition and strip the proponents of any enthusiasm or hope that the project would ever actually happen.  And, just to punctuate the idle, changeless inclination, let's "what if" it to death and break the bank with redundant oversight costs. Well, geez..this is embarrassing. "Sorry, guys. We really wanted to donate this project to the city of Piedmont, but we were hoping to accomplish it in our lifetime and frankly, the poor old horse just can't hold it's mouth open anymore!"  Who could blame them, really?  Generosity and patience are fine virtues. But, if we allow our virtuous attributes to be abused, well, then we just feel like chumps.  So, there you have it.  Six years later and...drum roll please...you still have a dried-up dirt patch on Moraga Avenue. Well done!

Piedmont is beautiful, relatively safe and nicely located. I've always felt fortunate to live here.  But, as time goes by I'm beginning to wonder about it's unwillingness to move ahead.  Normally, one might say that clinging to the past is a bad idea, but even Piedmont's past was more current than it is today!  After all, we used to have a hotel with a hot spring, a bar and restaurant, a railroad and a swim and tennis club that was up-to-the-minute for the time. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Piedmont quickly sprang up out of farmland. Now, it takes a decade just to get to the approval stage of a soccer field!  Good Lord.

As parents and grandparents we take steps to remain relevant to our children and grandchildren. We embrace technology, stay active and engage in things that interest them. We stay interested and interesting.  Couldn't our city benefit from this same example?  Neighboring cities are paying attention to the things that will keep them current. No surprise that I've mentioned this before, but it isn't unreasonable to imagine a decline in young families moving to Piedmont.   Potential new residents are finding that, other than our test scores, Piedmont comes up short with respect to the offerings available for their children.  We have sports programs but not enough space to actually do the sports.  If memory serves, another group tried to build a new swimming pool years ago and they too, got the hem-haw. The result?  A fifty year old swim facility today that hasn't met the requirements of the community in ages.

If the path we're striving for is something similar to Rossmoor then, bravo!  we're on the right track. But, if the idea is to build upon Piedmont's reputation as the place to buy a home and raise a family then, we really are sorely lacking.  It isn't enough to rest on the laurels of a once stellar reputation. Every day, as a community, we have to demonstrate our relevance. Towns that don't evolve become undesirable. 

During the height of the depression, it took just four years to build the Golden Gate Bridge.  Today, in Piedmont it takes nine years just to think about a soccer field?!?   Good Lord, guys..even a cow plodding in the field, with little else to consider but the grass around it, could have been more effective.