Great day for a drive around town. Fort Erie was especially beautiful as sun streamed through almost bare trees and bounced off water surrounding our perfect location. The ceremony at Mather Arch was solemn and eerily quiet. Even the Canada geese feeding on the periphery were silent, heads bowed, as the ceremony continued. I didn't stay long as such events really upset me. Too many memories of my lost generation and those of us who were destroyed by the Viet Nam War. Now there's another such war in Afghanistan. Can't even go there; it hurts too much.
One thing that stood out as I traveled through town was the high number of "For Sale" signs all over the place. (When I got home, I checked the MLS listings and saw over 350 homes for sale. And prices have dropped since the last time I checked out prices several months ago. ) Then I opened my electric bill and I was shocked (LOL) at how much it has risen since I moved in here five years ago. Then, my bill was somewhere between $30-$40 per month. Now it's $103. If anything, I've conserved electricity since then. I have never had an air conditioner. I do my laundry late at night and I keep TVs and appliances unplugged when not in use. The computers are my only vice - and my sewing machines. Could these simple pleasures cost an extra $60. per month? Everyone expects rates to go up, but this is ridiculous. Was this the response to Smart Meters? Add to that the 40% raise in taxes through 2010 over the last three years, a terrible job market and you have the makings of a major Clusterf**k to the Poorhouse. A friend of mine is in such dire straits that she can't afford to live in her own house - and she can't sell it for what she has invested in it. So, she rents it out and lives with family.
Further along on my trip, I went by the park on the lake near Waverly Beach. The parking lot was full of cars and people were enjoying the beautiful weather at the park. And then it hit me. That's a good-sized piece of town-owned property on the water, replete with ample parking and room for two twelve story towers and then some. Why is this piece of land not on the town's list of assets to give away to a developer like the Molinaros? Could it be that certain town officials, large campaign donors and former councillors live nearby? Better for those wishing to "age in place;" near "amenities;" close to the "H;" and it's secluded and quiet. Much better for all those well-heeled senior citizens who are to be the demographic that will "turn the area around." (Really, I do not want to see that nice park turned into condo towers any more than I want to see the Bay Beach Properties turned into condo towers, but it does make one wonder, doesn't it?) Why is Crystal Beach being hacked up and given away to developers while other waterfront areas remain pristine and untouched? Just askin'.
