Give something back
I attended the Florence city council meeting Monday night just as I usually do on the first and third Mondays. A stray comment by councilman Randy Mills at the end of the meeting started me thinking on the way home and bingo
Florence is no different than most other small communities this year. The council is struggling to keep the city going with a decimated budget caused by declining valuation, state and federal funding cuts, and slow economic growth.
A line item in the Florence city budget provides about $14,000 to keep the city swimming pool open each summer. Given the rocketing costs of city government, $14,000 isn't a formidable sum. But Mills warned that someone should be thinking of some fund-raisers or civic support for the pool. It seems that gross receipts for last summer were only $3,800. Ouch! The pool expenses were not extravagant, but staff salaries, chemicals, and maintenance outstripped income by a bunch.
Before anyone goes into a tailspin here, Mills said he was not suggesting the pool be closed. He acknowledged that when it was built the community knew it would probably never pay its own way, but allotted the funds and pledged support because it was a good thing for Florence. His point was merely that something might need to change to keep it open. Staff may have to be cut. The number of days or hours it is open might be reduced. His comments were a "heads up" for the community. A solution would be for citizens and civic groups to step up to the plate.
And that is certainly a topic I believe in — community giving. We all have special feelings for the town in which we were raised or the town in which we live. There is a personal history with these places that makes them special. When you have that feeling about your community, act on it with a contribution of your time or money (or both).
Whether it is support for a community swimming pool, a scholarship to the local high school, a donation to the library or historical society, or a contribution to Christmas lights or a preschool, your support is vital. Churches offer you a chance to help the less fortunate. Community foundations help you support the local charity of your choice for decades. Local chapters of the American Legion, VFW, Kiwanis, Lions, and other organizations need your involvement. Senior centers, nursing homes, and hospital support groups could use a boost.
Look around your community or look back at your hometown, and step up to the plate. This newspaper reaches a lot of former Peabody, Florence, and Burns people as well as current residents. Our small towns have given much to all of us.
It is time to give something back. You'll be glad you did.
— SUSAN MARSHALL
