Wednesday, October 29, 2003

In PTC and Tyrone, how I would vote, if...

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Part of my job requires me to attend meetings in Peachtree City and Tyrone. I attend the meetings so you don’t have to, though it would be nice if you stopped by once in awhile. When I attend the meetings, I am impartial, a silent observer. I document what is said on both sides of the issues and, though I have my opinions, I keep them to myself. Until now.

Now, a week before the election, I feel I can express how I would vote, because this is a column and it is just my opinion.

In my opinion, the bond referendum for the library expansion and renovation in Peachtree City should pass. It needs to be done. If you don’t believe me, take a walk inside the library and see for yourself. Sure, it’s still standing and there are definitely worse places in the world, but as libraries go, it could be a lot better.

It is small and the sight lines are terrible, meaning if you are in the adult section and looking for your kids in the kids’ section, you can’t see them. This also means that if you are a librarian, you can’t see into over half of the library from the checkout desk. This wouldn’t work in any bookstore or place of retail and it shouldn’t be acceptable for a library. The lighting is poor and the aisles are so tight that people in wheelchairs can’t maneuver very well. This is illegal, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, and shouldn’t be acceptable either.

There are dozens of other things that a library expansion will give the community including larger sections for children, young adults and adults, a larger audio/visual section, a non-leaky roof, a functional HVAC system, more parking, a clearer entrance, wider aisles, new shelves, new books and much, much more.

Now, is it going to cost you? Yes. How much? $25 a year per family.

25 bucks! Why, we spend that just going to the movies, which we go to over 10 times a year, not including concessions.

$25 is less than an oil change, which you do at least three times a year. I don’t mean to make light, but $25 isn’t that much and what you’ll get for it is a nice library that you won’t need to expand on for 20 years. The library is bursting at the seams. It can’t house all the kids that want to come in for summer programs and more and more people are using the library each year. You claim that reading is important and that nothing is better than a solid education, well, a library is necessary for everyone to further their education throughout their life. Do the right thing, suck it up and vote for the referendum.

Now, as for liquor by the drink in Tyrone, I say vote for that, too. I partied hard in college, so hard in fact that I no longer drink liquor, but I would never tell other people that because I don’t drink liquor that they can’t either. It is their business if they want to have a margarita. Adults should be able to choose whether or not they want a drink with their dinner. If you don’t want a drink, don’t order one.

I heard lots of arguments against the referendum that cited religious reasoning. People said that Tyrone would be going to hell in a handbasket if they allowed liquor by the drink. Yep, just like those evil dens of depravity: Peachtree City, Newnan and Fayetteville. Pure evil.

Other arguments cited an increase in drunk driving and underage drinking if the referendum passes. They aren’t wrong, but that’s because people will try to break the law and currently there aren’t places for them to do that in Tyrone. Although, I’ll bet if you check it out, there have been drunk driving and underage drinking arrests in Tyrone for years. You just have to trust that your friends and neighbors will do the right thing.

If the referendum passes, Tyrone is not getting a Cheers or any other type of bar. If anything, they will get a restaurant like a TGIFriday’s or a Chili’s. Scary, huh? People frequent those restaurants, a lot.

Tyrone would benefit from having those restaurants in town because they would receive the tax revenue. In fact, Chili’s in Peachtree City has a Starr’s Mill Night, where 10 percent of people’s bills goes towards Starr’s Mill and their projects. I bet Sandy Creek would like a program like that and I doubt that they would care that a portion of those proceeds came from a pitcher of margaritas.

If you attend the Tyrone meetings you know that they don’t get a lot of money from the county. They have been fighting to get money for recreation for years. When they want to put up lights or bathrooms or concession stands at the ball fields, the leagues and the city have to scrape to do it. There would be less scraping if the town got more revenue. The liquor by the drink ordinance will be tough and restaurants will have to abide, just like they do in any other town.

To me, this issue is about giving the citizens of Tyrone the freedom to decide whether or not they want to participate in a legal activity. That’s right, drinking alcohol is legal because Prohibition ended decades ago. There should be no question on whether or not it should pass.

As for the library, people should vote to enhance their community. I used to live in Peachtree City (in fact, my parents still live there) so I know people in Peachtree City aren’t arrogant cheapskates. They care about their city and their neighbors and the children. They should prove it.