A Farming Community?

Whenever I’ve been asked what kind of community I live in, I’ve always told them it’s a rural farming community. When we moved here 25 years ago this was definitely a small farming community. We grew the best potatoes, onions and corn around. It was easy to find the best vegetables because all you had to do was ask a farmer and end up with more than you could possibly eat.

Not that things were paradise. I remember more then one time being in a hurry and stuck behind a farm truck and unable to pass. For those who don’t know a farm truck only had enough power to do about 45 mph in a 55 mph zone. Now I’ll be doing almost 60 mph in that same 55 mph zone and get past like I’m sitting still. The question now is this still a farming community?

The answer is yes, we still live in a farming community but instead of the main crops being vegetables its houses. 11 years ago I made the decision to stop commuting to Boise and start my own company here away from the hurried atmosphere there. I never expected that Boise’s hurried way of life to reach here 60 miles away, but now it has. They say that growth is good. If you don’t grow you’ll stagnate and die. If that is so, how come the doc says that if I grow any more I’ll die.

Eight years ago I bought an acre from a farmer’s alfalfa field and thought I was in heaven. It was a ½ mile out of town with a wonderful view of the valley. I loved the smell and look right after he cut his field. Who could of expected that a freak car accident would take the farmer’s life and the field sold to a developer who wants to put 200 plus homes on 75 acres. To add salt the wounds the city wants to annex us into the city and double our taxes. For the cherry on top I found out that other developers are waiting to see what happens so they can buy the rest of the land around me and put in more subdivisions.

Trying to get answers from the city is like wrestling with a greased pig. The legal bull is so thick in the procedures that it boils down that the city can do what it wants because they have everything so confusing for those of us who don’t speak lawyer, that by the time you get it somewhat figured out, it’s all done. I have never had any desire to become a lawyer until now. The way that the world seems to be going you have to be a lawyer to understand anything in this world and that is still debatable. The one with the biggest or most lawyers wins. Is it just me or does that seem wrong?

To be honest, the land around my home is really best for homes. My concerns are the way that the homes a stacked in the subdivisions, the traffic, water and sewer. A neighboring town doesn’t have enough water now, to fill the subdivisions that they have already started and I read in the paper that they want to extend water and sewer out to the freeway for a new car dealership. I know that there is a “redneck” or “here’s your sign” joke in there.

The city engineer didn’t sound too positive about enough water for all of the proposals going in my town. But the City Council voted down a proposal to make it a little tougher for developers because they didn’t want to scare the developers away. If this wasn’t happening in my own town I would be able to make some great jokes, but the idiocy is too close to home.

I worry about the traffic, especially getting out on to the main highway. But the 1 hour traffic study says a traffic light is not needed. All that is needed, is for the intersection to be re-stripped, and it will handle the extra 2,000 cars a day just from this one subdivision. Remember there are several more that want to go in. Yes I did say 1 hour pm traffic study. There is no set time, so as far as we know it could be at 11:00 pm so it would seem then that traffic wouldn’t be that bad, but try turning left at 5:00 pm and let the game of chicken begin.

I wish I had some answers for you, but I don’t. The City Clerk is happy to get me information but answers are scarce. From the time I got the first letter about the proposed subdivision going in next door to me and annexing my property into the city to being a done deal was less the 50 days. During the City Council meeting many people entered documents full of facts, questions, and concerns but not one council member looked at them before making the decision. I would really like to be able to have faith in the city’s Planning and Zoning Committee, the City Council, and the employees in charge of the city growth, but I have not seen or heard anything to provide even a glimmer of hope.

I certainly do not begrudge people wanting to move here, for I personally do not know where else I would want to live. But I am worried about the way of life that we all are searching for is being pushed and squeezed away. There is room here for all of us if we are smart and acting as good stewards of the resources that we have. If we don’t manage the growth responsibly now we will always be paying for it.