We Owls appreciate things. As you know, I whisper stories into the ears of my typist. Sometimes he tells me stories, too, like how proud he was of his first home. It was an old but functional duplex on a military base in the South. Located on a remote ridge, surrounded by forest, it was on a single block about a quarter mile long. It had once been home to many who secretly worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. Now, we Owls are happy with a nice nest too, so I shared his delight in a tiny home for his growing family. People must feel the same way here in Limestone County when they come to discover the county is full of nice things. That’s why they come here to live, because we have such a great atmosphere and good services.

For instance, we have a recycling center. No, that has been closed. Now you can fend for yourself when it comes to getting rid of those bottles, card boards, and papers not accepted by your recycle pick up, if you still have that. What should we do? Recycling is a way to show our family and neighbors we care about the future, and so, care about them. Let your representative know you care and want to see something done.

We also have a caring, considerate team which runs our animal shelter and veterinarian office. No, that’s going away too. The contract for this vital service ends in October. To be sure, there are lots of people fighting to save it. This will be difficult, as some on our county commission and city council don’t see the problem. Our current vet is truly caring, sensitive to animals, and a good man. Will our government support the continued existence of our shelter? A new contract to support our shelter languishes. Woe is us. Or, better said, woe is the neighborhood walker, bicycle rider, or little kids playing around who will be confronted by loose, abandoned dogs and other animals previously cared for. Our neighborhoods become less attractive when you can imagine a dog setting upon your little ones while they play, and you have no one to call for help. Our children, and the little ones of others deserve our protection. And who would harm any of these? Without a shelter, we’ll go back to “every man for himself.” That’s not how a society is supposed to work.

Animals need our care, not abuse. Who doesn’t like puppies? You can literally get one now, complete with shots and all, when you visit our animal shelter. In fact, people who manage our shelter will drive the pet to your home. They care so much for animals that they make sure the new owner loves animals too. They make sure the new owner isn’t into animal abuse. Sad to learn too that there are those who, when they go on vacation, simply abandon their pets rather than see they are put up with friends or at a pet shelter. Did you know thousands of animals were rescued in just six months by our shelter? We also have a program to spay and neuter animals, the better to keep that population under control. Now, since we no longer will have a shelter, imagine those animals on the run, in the fields and neighborhoods of Limestone County. Anyone feel like a hike? How about a run through the streets? Just play outside, little Timmy.

Oh, and we have lots of places to relax. Nope, seems that’s not big on the cocktail mix of housing developments going up in Limestone. And they’re going up all over the place, to the tune of thousands of new houses on the board now, not counting those already under construction. In some counties, 40 to 50 percent of a development site must be designated “green space.” Some governments insist on that. Instead, here any man-jack who proposes plowing mother nature under so a line of boxes can be built wins the lottery in this county. What are we afraid of? Why do we only give incentives, roads, and tax breaks to mega-corporations but don’t require they add to our quality of life? Look around and ask, why are these houses going up here when we don’t have the road capacity to handle all the traffic? A neighbor once mentioned, “All the reasons for living here are disappearing an acre at a time. We have no lakeside cafes. We have no active plans for parks. Swaths of land go undeveloped when they could easily be made into small parks.” Ah, you might say, there’s the Pilgrim’s Pride area. That will surely be a park one day. Sure. We hear that, but then remember the movie “Romancing the Stone?” Danny DeVito called desperately to his departing partner who was leaving him in the lurch. “When will you come back?” he cried. “Sooooon.” they said. “How sooooooon?” he cried. “Very sooooooooooooon.” I might add, “When will the park be built?” Sooooooooooon.

At least we can get around, no? No. It took over a year to build a single traffic circle at Lindsay Lane. A giant Greenbriar Parkway was built for the big corporations’ ease of access, but the trip home gets even worse. Now thousands of cars pour into our city center. We only add more and more traffic. No plans are underway to circumvent our town with a ring road, nor to alleviate the bloat of cars and trucks. We have no public transit. Recently, a tiny German oceanside town introduced “park ‘n drive.” Crowded beachgoers no longer pack town streets with parked vehicles. They are directed to a parking lot far inland, and a regular, every-ten-minute bus takes them to the shore. We can use park and drive here. A company could do this for its people.

We build as if West Limestone doesn’t even exist. All the jobs, throughways, and developments are oriented toward Madison and Huntsville. Yet it is becoming harder and harder to reach those areas. We are becoming, whether we want to admit it or not, a suburb of giant Huntsville. Huntsville builds amphitheaters, baseball stadiums, and recreation centers while we talk. Quality of life becomes more and more a slogan, not a reality. A walking, biking, and riding trail through our county, from east to west, has been proposed. Where is it?

“Things ain’t like they once were,” said every geezer who ever lived. Things could be better though. But how? We hear of all the money rolling in from “new taxes.” However, most serious giant tax income is waived to encourage big business to move here. Did anyone offer to waive your rent so you would move in? Or how about your small business? Anyone offer you an abatement so you could start a coffee shop?

Good people working together can see these problems, and solve them before they overwhelm us. We have lots of good people in government and among our fellow neighbors. Let’s act together to solve these concerns. People are funny. Our county’s future is not.