Dear Editor,
Good day Chestermere, sitting here at my computer on another beautiful August morning, I felt compelled to reflect back on my many years living in this wonderful city, a city, where you can bike around the lake, play a round of golf, push your baby carriage down the bike path, go for a water ski, or enjoy the various beaches we have here.
I can remember back, when we were but a few hundred people living here, it was so quiet, you could leave your doors open without worrying about being broken into, ride your quad down the middle of the street, or have a pig roast at a neighbour’s down the street, no worries about people complaining about the noise, yes, those were what we all call the good old days.
But, as we all know, the world moves forward, development takes place, new families move into the area, and we grow, real fast, and of course, with that comes more noise, more complaints, bigger problems, and complex issues, all part and parcel of growing up.
Many years later, I look out the window, on a beautiful morning, and I see why I chose to live here, regardless of the challenges of growth, this city we all call home, is still my choice to live in, I have never lived in one place this long, there must be a good reason why?
Well folks, there are many reasons why!! As I take my morning bike ride along the lake, I feel a sense of how lucky I am to be living in a small city in the middle of the country? Yes, it’s kind of unique isn’t it? We have a lake to enjoy, a golf course at our doorsteps, many recreational activities to enjoy, and the most important element of any place you live, the people! It’s the people that really make a community, and when you couple this with the many amenities we have, this place still sits number 1 in my books.
Yes, there are no shortages of challenges that lie ahead for this city, just take a look around, and you see houses going up, land being cleared, and you can see just how many issues need to be addressed, like roads, access, keeping in mind, wanting to keep that Chestermere feel? You know what I mean.
So in conclusion, instead of complaining lets start to look at all the positives of living in this unique place we call Chestermere, it has so much to offer, time to stop the screaming and look forward to solving some of the big challenges we face as a city, remember, it’s the people who will decide on how the future looks down the road, not social media, or the politicians, the people will decide our future.
P. D. Graham
Chestermere Resident.
