Friday, December 26, 2008

Community Facilities

We have known about the planned move of the Central Baptist Hospital to the Hamburg area since about this time last year. We have also seen the continued building of the residences in the Gleneagles and Blackford subdivisions.

So, why is it a surprise to the residents of these areas that, services will follow the people to these new residential parts of the county? I have told many of the posters on the forums that I frequent that retail always follows the people. And services will follow the retail.

The first pioneers did not just travel until they came to a trading post and decide to settle down. I can see it now, Daniel Boone walking into the bluegrass meadow and settling down at a roadside tavern and outlet mall. Today's explorers, the driving tourists or the family out for a Sunday drive(although they are a thing of the past), will stop when Dad sees some interesting countryside and Mom sees the local shopping outlet. They also cannot get out of cell phone service nor the reach of the GPS locater.

This morning, on WKYT, there was a story about a planned KU substation in the Gleneagles subdivision. The neighborhood spokesperson was concerned the the people had not been considered in the planning of the facility. She cited their concern about the environmental and health issues of an electrical facility on the residents and especially the children. Also among their concerns were asthetic and property values being lowered.

I wonder if they even thought about the services that they take for granted every day. How does KU currently supply their power needs? Might they be on the far end of a tenuous thread of the power grid? Will they fight the next cell tower or multi-story building and still need their cell service, because they have no land line? Will they be the first to contest the next residential subdivision because it is in their "lovely view from the porch", though few houses have them.


Typical Gleneagles scene

These are the same people who have no problem with a substation near their office or shopping, but won't have it near where they spend far fewer hours of the day. Has the substation or cell tower in Lansdowne-Merrick Park had a negative effect on health or property values, either when it was built or when it was quadrupled in size about ten years back? Next thing you know they will want a fire station just a little closer to the house, but not so close that you hear sirens all day.


1 comment:

Ahavah said...

Here's your solution: Explain to the "nice" residents of this neighborhood that in their area of the electric grid, there is only so much carrying capacity available. So, when the new Central Baptist Hospital goes in, it will have first "dibs" on the available power, since people's lives depend on it. IF there's any power left over to transmit to their neighborhoods, then they can have some. Obviously, that means they are going to be without power most of the time. So if they're ok with that, then there's no need for a new substation. If they're not OK with that, well, that's their problem, isn't it?