It was just over 21 years ago that we were en-route to our 'new' community with expectations of a friendly, caring and cooperative community that would meet the raw beauty of the environment where we planned to retire. Our expectations included neighbors working together with each other, cooperating together as in going together to facilitate contractors or service providers coming to our area and sharing the travel costs. Living in a remote area we don't have all the providers a larger community would have. For example hiring a chimney sweep would require going to Taos, NM, or Colorado Springs. 2-3 people could use the same service and share the mileage costs making it better for all.
What we found when we got to our 'new' community was quite different from what we anticipated. Divided groups who were not given to cooperate with each other, disputes and infighting for control of the association, backbiting and a more hostile community than we could have imagined. It was so bad that we finally chose to stay by ourselves and not even try to contribute or engage the community. The backbiting, gossip and efforts of some to destroy those who did not agree with them or who they couldn't control made self imposed seclusion a necessity for our survival.
The Spring wildfire raged through our community destroying about half the homes and many will not rebuild or maintain their property. Old power struggles, character assassinations and gossip mongering seems of little consequence now that the community has been torn apart by a wildfire. Dreams have been destroyed, lives have been seriously disrupted, old alliances have been ripped apart and the community is left in shock and disbelief as the number one fear has now come to pass.
As leadership now struggles to put the community back to some semblance of what it once was it seems to me that this could easily be a 'second chance' to have a much better community. Second chances are rare and when opportunity for a second chance appears it should not be wasted.
To start again on having a caring community will require some to put old grudges aside, leave old hurts in the dust and ashes and change their attitude in moving forward. A viable community should be inclusive of ALL members and not a fractured community. It will be up to every member whether they are willing to do this and move forward together or if the same old mistakes will simply be embellished and perpetuated. Egos, grudges, hate and divisiveness will have no room in a new and improved community that will serve all the members and not just a few. People will need to work side by side to have a friendly and cooperate community.
From what I have seen thus far it appears to be status quo as to the same old community. I believe instead of jumping right into trying to restore the community the leadership should instead step back and do some thinking on what the community should be and work toward that as a goal. Members need to do some soul searching and identify where they need to make amends and change their attitudes. That doesn't necessarily mean that everyone has to like each other but what it does mean that they need to 'get along' together and work first of all on making a more caring community and not the hateful one that existed prior to the wildfire.
The landscape is now very ugly but the residents can brighten it up with proper attitudes toward each other and becoming more adult. Those are my observations and that is my opinion. I think the status of the community needs to be addressed first and then the physical restoration. Leadership and members need to take a look at what was a fractured community and what they desire it to be in the future. This point in time is a "second chance to get it right". A second chance is not something to be taken lightly or wasted.
3 comments:
Bruce...You are so right. This is really a second chance. I hope and pray members of our community will bury some of the negative feelings of the past and try to move forward and improve our community. I know that you and I can do it. I just hope that others can also. I would really like to start over again and see if we can't forgive and not repeat mistakes we've made in the past.
I think this is very good thinking...but won't work as long as some in the community continue to disregard the very thing that made this community so lucrative to people like us....the Covenants. I have seen what the property of one prior member of the ECC looks like. Apparently to that property owner the Covenants are nothing more than a piece of paper. Covenants are deed restrictions and are to be adhered to. Otherwise the community is always going to be divided. ATVs/UTVs on the roads and other Covenant violations/violators will continue to make this a contentious community. Sad but true.........
As former landowners in FP we were truly upset hearing about and seeing the destruction of the environment in a place we very much loved. Bruce, we certainly appreciated the information you provided of the fire's disastrous effect on the community and we were very happy to read that your home was spared. We very much agree with your recent comments discussing the financial loss to the community, the local businesses and the county. That was one of the first things to hit us when we saw the early reporting. Living in an over 55 community with an active HOA we certainly agree that the community has to work together to maintain its appeal while providing support to the local area. We still remember the constant bickering that was present when we used to come during the summer, although also remembering the many residents (including you) that we met and enjoyed seeing year after year. Such a pleasant, peaceful area. Hard to believe that many residents had problems getting along. We can only hope that as you all move into this new, second stage that everything works out for the better.
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