Pentwater resident says voting against bond proposal is ‘foolish.’

Pentwater resident says voting against bond proposal is ‘foolish.’

Letters to the editor are opinion editorials submitted by readers. Letters to the editor are a long tradition in American journalism. The views and opinions of the writer do not necessarily reflect those of Oceana County Press, its staff or its parent company. For more information, please refer to OCP’s Op/Ed policy.

Dear Editor:

My wife and I have been Pentwater homeowners for over eight years. My wife rented this home in the summer for more than a decade prior to our purchase. She has been a summer visitor since an infant; as has her now 96-year-old mother. Since the beginning of our times in Pentwater there has been an undercurrent of discussion wondering “how will we develop the business infrastructure or jobs to maintain, much less grow, our lovely small community?” I can speculate with some certainty that neither Ford, GM, GE or US Steel have any designs on a Pentwater location. Frankly, I’m not sure I’d like it if they came.

In the early 80s, my two kids went to kindergarten two years apart with the same teacher. She was the only kindergarten teacher in the only grade school in the small relatively undeveloped district. The parents were very committed to a system that met the highest standards in education. From the beginning, there was concern about how they would fund their aspirations for their children. Twelve years, later my kids graduated in this same district.

Over a 1,000 students in the graduating class of a high school routinely rated in the very top of the state academically. Ninety five percent go on to college. The school by the mid 90s was a perennial player in the finals of the state 5a (top level) football championships. Industry never showed up to pay the bills. The community stuck to its standards. Turns out, if you build it, they WILL come. Folks all over the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex relocated to get in the district. Then, professionals that were able, came from out of state to the Carroll school district. The influx were largely young professionals that prioritized their children’s education and community values.

Is that the type of growth we might like? I will leave you to your own assumptions about what this might do to your property values, retail environment, local tax revenues and quality of life. It seems likely that these new younger folks might bring us lots of other nice growth as well. While industry never showed up in the Carroll School District in Southlake, Texas, the most popular national and international retailers did when they saw the quality of the community. Turns out these out-of-the-district shoppers now pay most or all of the bill.  During this period, my real estate taxes were similar to what I pay now in Pentwater. These folks accidentally built one of the most desirable communities in the state around their school values and community commitment and it continues today.

I’d be proud to be part of a thriving community known for the quality of its schools. I think we should do it on purpose. Let’s build a system so irresistibly desirable to young parents that they can’t even think of living elsewhere. Families that move here for the quality of the schools will also be here all winter creating a potential for a four season community.  Seems foolish to consider voting against our own future on the basis of curmudgeonly negativity and curious math.

Mike Curtis

Pentwater