Today I am writing about my current hometown, Anderson, Indiana. I’ve only lived here a little more than two years, which makes me a mere neophyte, but nevertheless there are some local issues—one in particular, actually—that I wish to address. Hopefully I won’t come off as self-righteous or something else negative.
The hot topic around these parts these days is the proposed development of what is called the Mounds Reservoir. As I understand it, this would create a lake where much of the city now stands. If I have this wrong, please feel free to correct me. On its face, it’s hard for me to see this as a great idea. For one thing, what’s to be done about the residents and businesses of the area that will ultimately be underwater? I sincerely hope that somebody has thought to put provisions in place to deal with these folks fairly and equitably. I’ve read horror stories where imminent domain was used to basically trample over the rights of property owners for the sake of building something. I don’t know if imminent domain is going to be used in this project. I really hope not. It just seems unfair to me to displace people for something that really doesn’t have to be done in any event.
Also, it seems to me that a project such as this would drastically affect the character of the city, not necessarily for the better. One of the things I have been very much impressed with in the time I’ve lived here is the sense of community I feel here. Whatever else might be wrong with Anderson, there does appear to be a very strong sense of community. I haven’t felt this in any other place I’ve ever lived, with the possible exception of Spokane. I fear that a project such as this would turn Anderson into simply a bunch of people who just happen to share a few zip codes. The fabric of a community should be at least considered along with property values.
For the most part, I realize I’m talking from mostly ignorance here. I don’t know as much about the reservoir project as I probably should. I just feel like I found a good thing here, and it would be very sad to see what I think is a distinct character get sacrificed. Anderson has problems aplenty, no doubt. It just seems to me that there are better solutions to explore than flooding people out of house and home. If I’m wrong, I am open to being set straight.
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