Mike Rice, chairman of the Downtown Development Authority made some good points last week when he made it known he didn’t like the former properties owned by The Peoples Bank being allowed to fall into disrepair.
While Rice, who used colorful language to drive his case home, is correct in what he said, I wish the DDA chairman would have addressed some other locations which are much bigger eyesores in Winder.
I’ve harped on this before but since nothing continues to be done, I’ll mention it again: what about the former Peskins Building with its collapsing infrastructure and open windows with rotted boards?
What about the decaying Holly Hill Mall location with the parking lot a complete disgrace on all sides. What a chamber of commerce point of pride it is to have our school system’s headquarters located just off to the side of Holly Hill Mall. Why is nothing being said about these — and other — locations?
I’ve asked before and received no answer. The solution to the property at the former bank locations is a simple one: bring in someone to cut the grass. The solution at the other locations will take a little more work than a lawn mower to correct.
Perhaps Mr. Rice can generate some action on these other locations as well.
•Summer can be a great friend, but I think it’s past time for this friend to go home.
The hot weather continues to beat down on us, not just in Georgia but in a large portion of the country. We are entering the final stages of September, yet it continues to feel like June or July.
Hopefully, we won’t miss out on fall this year. It seems lately our neck of the woods has been burdened by one extreme or another. I know many of you may have forgotten (or is it that many of you want to forget?) but last winter was one of the most brutal experienced by these parts in many years. It reminded me just why I would never want to live in the Northern part of our great country.
I’m not sure why summer refuses to give us relief this time around. It can’t be global warming, as any good right-winger will quickly tell you, but something definitely seems off. In some parts of the country, the temperatures are still in the high 90s even though the calender says we should be experiencing much cooler weather.
The extremes have never been something I’ve wanted. It seems it’s too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. Maybe it’s always been that way and I’m just getting older and grumpier.
•A sure sign that the economy continues to be in the tank: one can see an increasing number of homeless people in Winder and throughout Barrow County.
In recent weeks, I’ve noticed several people living in vans or cars. Some have cardboard signs in the windows seeking work or help of any kind. It doesn’t take much to realize how people can end up in situations like this. Many people live paycheck to paycheck, not making enough to have any kind of savings.
Once the job goes, it becomes difficult to find work — any work — and the downhill roll begins, sometimes with people ending up on the streets. These people don’t have to be lazy or deadbeats. Many times they don’t have a family to fall back on during the bad times and with no financial safety net, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where one ends up. Working minimum wage jobs won’t pay for many homes, whether renting or buying. That’s a fact and it has nothing to do with being lazy.
Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
