Where was I?  Oh yeh.  I was talking about going down a slippery slope.  Now we sometimes heed a warning from someone or something that we can rely on.  In this sense we never have to “experience” what we were warned againest and will be better off for it (boy, my dad would be proud of me now.  Seems I paid attention sometimes but I have ingrained this wisdom into my children……yeh, right!).  Then there are those people (me included) that can be thick-headed, blow off the warning as crap, and run headlong into dilemma.  Now it all depends on whether you have jumped into the mire head first or feet first.  Heaveen County didn’t heed all the warnings and jumped in feet first.  They are now sliding the slope but working their way out before hitting bottom.  This is what they are doing:

Heaven County noticed that its little Sterling Park had grown teeth.  Builders and land aquirers were starting to run the show at county meetings and the county was facing the threat of lawsuits if these peoples’ demands were not met (sound familiar?).  When the county showed its underbelly and conceided to these “few” demands, those builders and land aquirers sprouted wings and the bloom was on.  The county, now feeling duped, and seeing the monster that was taking shape suddenly “grew some” (and you know what I’m talking about here).  They decided to show who was in charge and initiated changes.

The Sterling community that was starting to grow could not develope without one thing-infrastructure. Heaven County is built and consists of well and septic. For a community of businesses and “dense” housing you need public water and sewer.What the county thought would support this community for long term was evaluated and shown that growth was too fast and infrastructure needed to be expanded already. Where was the money going to come from? The county learned all too quick that regardless what businesses were brought in, regardless how many homeowners contributed taxes in the community, regardless of the proffers given and promised by the builders, it just wasn’t ever enough to offset the expenditure of the county. And who was going to make up the difference of monies needed? Those farmers, those landowners, those people eking a living in the rest of the county. These citizens that I just mentioned were having none of that and in no uncertain terms, relayed this to the supervisors.

Now Heaven County works like a county ought to. They are pretty much pay as you go. They tax the people enough to take care of the requirements and then some for the “rainy day” till. The school you attend today may be the same school your parents attended in their time. Just because buildings are old doesn’t mean they loose their usefulness. Updates and modifications take care of present needs. The education given may not be the best that money can buy but there are many notables that have come from this county on a public education. It is never the price of the teacher or the glamour of the surroundings but the aptitude of the pupil. These citizens are making a living. Sometimes it is enough to pay the bills. Others make a nice profit to afford a new car every 8 years or so. The understanding is not about the amount of wealth you can accumulate but the wealth of life. These are Christian based people and the quality of life is something you just can’t buy. The promise of new jobs promoted by the Sterling community turned out to be jobs taken by those living in the city. The new housing was sold to those wanting to live outside the city but continue to work there. This also sounds too familiar. It is common to see the “wealth” of the citizens in Heaven County by going down any rural road. You will see a single-wide trailer next to a brick rambler next to a California-style stucco next to a double wide trailer next to a Victorian 3 bedroom. “Communities” in the rural part of the county consist of about 8 to 12 houses. You have to own so much land to have your well and septic. There are no HOA’s governing you and your property (except, of course, in that Sterling style community) and you live within your means. Some of you are cringing right now thinking about the diversity of housing and neighbors. This area and lifestyle is not for everyone but it is right for me. I not only don’t have a problem with it, I sought it out with this understanding in mind.

Roads are rural for the most part. They don’t get that heavy traffic of loaded vehicles “just passing thru” so they don’t need much maintenance. You own vehicles to handle the road and area you live in. You don’t demand that the county make roads of concrete, kept in pristine condition, and big enough so you don’t destroy your Cadillac. You live in the country and you drive the appropriate transportation for the area where you live. Simple enough. The county will take care of the potholes and property owners take care of the road frontage where they live (I have over 1600 feet of paved road frontage that I keep clean). Community (volunteer) service is a way of life and people don’t need to be asked to help. You trade skills with your neighbor and everyone, for the most part, helps each other out. Again, these people are not wealthy monetarilly but they make due and are happy.

Because the county listens to the citizens and has seen its own mistakes, it devised a few ways to curtail this growth any further than necessary. It will not expand public utilities any further than a planned timeframe. This means that when the water treatment plant is at capacity, it stays at capacity until the county “thinks” it is time to expand (in relation to having enough money in the rainy day fund to pay for this expansion as well as maintaining the difference what it isn’t receiving in taxes”. The county has also tripled or quadruppled its fees for inspections and permits so that those “builders” are disswayed from building. Understand this; artificial inflation does not exist. When you price something outside of peoples means, you have an albatrose around your neck. Builders won’t build if they can’t sell.

Does Heaven County need to grow? Only if there is a reason. The population usually stays pretty stagnant. Kids grow up and a chunk of land is sliced off from their parents property. Some people die off and the land is sold to “new” comers with this lifestyle in mind. Taxes remain low (especially when you get exemption for forestry-no subdividing-and agricultural). Does the county need more cash? No because it doesn’t need to “be on the map” or prove anything about who they are. Heaven County lives “within its means” and that is why living there is a blessing. Time may not stand still but how many of you long for the old days when…..or just wish things would slow down rather than progress in the blink of an eye?

I have touched on work but I want to talk about work further as well as immigrations’ effect on Heaven County next. Till then….