DNR's Deep Dive into Our Hills

Well, I’ve been thinking about those new DNR plans to dig deeper into our hills—125 feet below where they were before, they say—just like they did with the old quarry on the south side of town, which I remember was just a little dip where the kids used to play tag back in the day, and now it’s a giant scar, and I’m not sure it’s right to keep going down like that, and another thing, I’m still trying to figure out how the county can let them do it without even asking the people who’ve lived here for generations, and you know who you are, the folks who think they know better than us about what’s best for these hills, and I’m not saying they’re wrong, I’m just saying they should’ve asked, and you know, it’s not like we’re against progress, but it’s hard to believe that the folks who used to come into town on the bus from Spokane for the weekly market now have to worry about the dust from a mine that’s deeper than the old well on Elm Street, which used to be so deep you could hear the water sloshing when it rained, and another thing, they’ve started charging for parking at the new community center, and I’m not sure how they expect folks to get there if they’re not going to let them park for free like they used to, and you know, it’s not just the parking, it’s the whole thing, and I’ve been thinking about the old days when you could park anywhere in town for free, and now they want you to pay for it, and I’m not sure how they expect folks to come to the community events if they have to pay to park, and you know, it’s just like the new online permit system they tried to push last year, but you can’t expect folks to get online if they don’t have the internet, and I’ve been thinking about how the county used to have a little park by the river where the kids used to play, and now it’s just a parking lot, and I’m not sure how they expect folks to enjoy the town if they can’t park anywhere, and you know, it’s just like the time they tried to put in a new traffic light on the main road, and it didn’t work for weeks, and now they’re trying to charge for parking, and I’m not sure how they expect folks to get around if they have to pay for everything, and you know, it’s just like the old days when you could walk to the grocery store and not worry about parking, and now they want you to pay for it, and you know, I’m just saying it’s a lot to take in, and I’m not sure how they expect folks to keep coming to town if they have to pay for everything, and that’s all for this week. You know where to find me.