I know there are problems in Watonga. It is too small, too far from anything, no place to go, nothing to do. They roll up the sidewalks at 10 p.m.
The little town I am from was also that way. Going to the bank was a half-day affair because it was downtown, at least 15 miles away, and there was only one way to get there. One highway, a two lane stretch of blacktop past farms and fields until it reached downtown where the bankers and lawyers and politicians lived and worked.
Shopping for anything except regular groceries was the same. It took all day, sometimes several days, because there were clothing stores and shoe stores and sporting goods shops, each with its own specialty. With several children in tow, that took quite a bit of time. Not like today with a one and done stop at a mega department store.
Going to town for any reason was torture for a tomboy like me.
It was a similar undertaking if we wanted to go to the beach. It was a long way – close to 20 miles, and in those days you took your lunch and drinks and anything else you might need because when you got there, well, all there was on site was waves and sand and the occasional picnic pavilion. Public restrooms, maybe. It was like setting off with an army.
That was a long time ago, between 50 and 60 years. There are banks and fast food joints and shops, stores and vendors of all ilk on every street corner. It has really changed, and not for the better.
All you can see, where there were once homes on big lots, the occasional shopping center, woods and fields, is ugly urban sprawl. Everything is covered in asphalt and concrete and that is covered by bad drivers in a terrible hurry to get anywhere but here.
The beach is even worse, packed to the gills with visitors and the view obliterated by hotels, high rises and condos. Gone are the cotton-candy colored cottages we used to rent for the week after high school graduation, bulldozed to make way for more sprawl.
Don’t misunderstand me. I want growth for Watonga. Planned, controlled growth that places stores near other development, not stuck in the wheat field behind the high school. I want the infrastructure to keep pace with the population, not too many people traveling on too few roads where workers are rebuilding the thoroughfare while frantically dodging traffic.
I also know that Watonga isn’t as highly sought after as my oncesmall hometown only 20 miles from the Gulf. But we still have the chance to make it look like we want it to look 30 years from now. I hope that city council, the city manager, planning and zoning take the opportunity and put protections and protocols in place to ensure the flavor of the town doesn’t get paved over in the mad dash for money.
Because I have seen the alternative, and it ain’t pretty.