THE BATTLE FOR PITTSBORO – ROUND TWO
Round two of the heavyweight battle for the right to determine the future
of historic small town Pittsboro takes place next Monday night at
7:00 pm in the Superior Courthouse
located in the center of the REAL downtown Pittsboro. This is a classic “winner takes all”
struggle of two opposing forces vying for the very heart and soul of a
community. Your presence at
this defining moment in the long history of Pittsboro is not only kindly
requested, it is most fervently sought.
Over 40 citizens committed to preserving the true identity of Pittsboro
have yet to speak their piece, and if you aren’t already among them, then they
need your ears, your support and your physical presence. This will be one of THE more critical public meetings in the
220 year history of this town.
The second round of this battle was necessitated when a
standing room only, overflow crowd packed the chambers and staircases of the
courthouse at ground zero for a near four hour marathon. Then with over 40
speakers to go it was evident that to do justice to this epic drama, an
intermission was needed before continuing the fray the following week. Southern courtrooms have before provided
the grist for grinding out classic stories of debates that cut to the quick and
define the core values of a generation of people that hold the fate of their
community in their hands.
It’s one thing to “kill a mockingbird” or any
individual. But to potentially kill
an entire Town is the ultimate injustice.
Don’t be one who reads all about it after it is too late. BE THERE as an active witness to an
evolving saga that is being written in one way or another by every concerned
citizen that tells their story before a five person tribunal who must ultimately
cast the deciding vote that seals our collective fate.
- Will it be “thumbs up” for the cabal of
undisclosed partners driven into our town by the profit motive and self
interest under the guise of the benevolent “Big Daddy?”
- Will our elected leaders be mesmerized by
the Pied Pipers of Pittsboro Place and lead us all down a path of
destruction?
- Or will the history lessons from our past and
the wisdom of the ages combine with a sustainable and unique home grown
community-building vision and plan for OUR future overcome the smoke and
mirrors of slight-of-hand interlopers to win the day?
To plagiarize from Meredith Wilson: “There’s a whole lot of Trouble right
here in ‘Circle
City’.” Please become a part of the solution
next Monday
night at 7:00 pm in the Superior Courthouse in the REAL Town Center! Should you be too ill to attend in
person (your ONLY excuse), PLEASE write down your reasons for opposing
Pittsboro
Place and send or hand deliver them ASAP to:
Pittsboro Town Board c/o of Town Clerk Alice Lloyd (aflloyd@nc.rr.com)
PO
Box 759 (635 East St.)
Pittsboro, NC 27312
FAX 542-7109
And while you are thinking of it, please visit the following link:
http://www.pittsboronc.org/boc/index.asp to learn more about how to be an active citizen
participating in ongoing Pittsboro town government.
To learn more about the history of Pittsboro from a neutral perspective,
visit the link: http://www.hsl.unc.edu/phpapers/pittsboro01/Pittsboro.htm and then click on the heading: History of
Pittsboro & Implications for the Present (under Part 1: An Outsider’s View
of Pittsboro). The following
paragraph from the document speaks volumes to the great issue before us all, and
challenges our vision and resolve to find solutions that preserve the best of
the past while addressing wants and needs of 21st century
citizens:
“A careful look at Pittsboro's history yields several
implications for the present. A sense of community pride in the well-preserved
history and roots of Pittsboro is a strength, and means that many in the
community have a stake in looking after the town. However, a tension exists
between the outlooks of residents dedicated to preserving the historical, small
town character of Pittsboro and adolescents who do not see much available for
them and are eager to welcome shopping malls, movie theaters, and Wal-Mart's to
town. It may be difficult to develop recreational facilities acceptable and
accessible to adolescents which do not destroy the historical atmosphere so
important to others.”
We believe that together we, the people, have the intelligence,
creativity and resolve to address these conflicts and build an intergenerational
town that can be a model of sustainable community that is the Pride of the
Piedmont.
Please circulate this Bulletin among your other e-mail friends!
