A Fable for Our Time
"It was the most beautiful valley God ever made," said the neighbor, a long time resident. "Before the freeway went in, we used to ride over the open field to Runnymore and CharterWoods. One of my horses used to get out and go visiting over there."
No one remembered how the freeway came to be built through this beautiful land. But such a thing would never come to pass now, in a more enlightened age.
Things had changed in the town of Woodglen and the need for some of the old rules were considered unnecessary encumbrances to progress. It was decided that the town's General Plan needed to be revised and 6 out of 10 tennents that had long ago been set up to maintain the town's rural character were updated to reflect contemporary values. After that, things started to change even more rapidly.
People who loved riding had become disenchanted with the place as it was becoming harder and harder to keep horses there. The proliferation of tennis courts and large new houses next to stable facilities had caused so many conflicts that the horsemen found riding less and less enjoyable and either got rid of their horses or moved out of the area.
The town riding and hiking trails were converted to paved bike paths due to lack of use by what was left of the horse population. The private trails gradually became disconnected due to the town's shifting culture. You couldn't really go anywhere on them anymore, so they, too, dried up and the world's finest network of riding trails was lost forever.
The Stone Hill Expressway (Hwy 86) was built to accommodate the increased traffic from the neighboring communities of Mellon Park and Athwood to the Phelps-Booke Academy. At first it was startling to see all the grading and tree cutting that went on when the school project was begun. Like anything else, though, the residents quickly became inured to the change. Hardly anyone noticed the lights on the ball field or the gymnasium anymore. Some people said, "What difference does it make? I don't care what I see from a freeway!"
After awhile, it was only natural that the school project would be expanded to grades 6 through 12. After all, where were the K-5 students to go to continue on? Even though the new grades called for tripling the size of the original project, there was still more than enough land available on the 92 acres. The previously pristine woodlands had long since been despoiled, so what did a few more builidings matter?
Somehow, organizations that were set up to protect and preserve the last remaining open space areas didn't have the resources to save the property. It just wasn't the highest priority. No one else with the resources to save the property stepped forward in time so it was lost forever.
In the center of the little town of Woodglen other changes had taken place. Robinson's Market had sold to FoodWeb, who wanted to establish a "land based" presence in Silicon Valley.
The Bake Shop was supplanted by a new Starbuck's concept. Even Buckwheat's had fallen prey to the pressures of a changed cultural climate. It was now part of the Eatertainment Restaurant Group and was the flagship location for a new chain of casual dining places. It was much easier to drive and park there thanks to the new three-level parking lot in the town center. Since it had been carefully designed to be as rustic as possible, it blended in quite well and soon was just part of the scenery.
A lot of people were uncomfortable with the way things were happening in the beautiful little town of Woodglen, but some of them figured that change was inevitable. Others felt that they were powerless to do anything or that things had come too far and there was no way to stem the tide of increasing development. Others were afraid to speak up, for fear of alienating their business contacts and gave away their right to speak.
Some things are still the same, though, thank goodness! The famous Woodglen School Auction is still held every year. It's more successful than ever and a great party enjoyed by all who attend. This year, there will be a special appearance by singer Joni Mitchell. Everyone is hoping she'll play one of her hits, the one that goes like this:
Don't it always seem to go-
Ya don't know what you've got till it's gone.
They paved Paradise and
Put up a parking lot."
Happy new Millennium to all and to all, a good fight.
Printed from the official Joni Mitchell website. Permanent link: https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1200
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