Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

What's Happenin'

Residents of Nevada County should take great pride in the things that are happening all around. Our county is blessed with potential for growth in both business and industry and in a high quality of life. To seize the opportunity we must work together for the betterment of the community.

Sometimes I hear people complaining about "how" someone is working toward trying to make the community a better place to live and work. Often it is because the person in question hasn't done things exactly like someone else would want them. Or maybe they are working on a project that others might not consider a high priority.

We, instead, ought to support those who are working, even if the area they develop isn't a priority to us. We all have one goal: "to improve Prescott and Nevada County." I believe all our elected officials sincerely want to do this. Yet, we all bring smaller goals along as we try to make our county better. One might want to improve law enforcement, another fire protection and another the school system. Supporting one another in reaching these smaller goals will help us reach the main goal that we all desire.

One project that comes to mind in this process is the new library. I've heard several citizens questioning why we are building a library. They feel that we have other needs more pressing than a new library. While everyone may have a different list of priorities, here we have a group of citizens trying to improve our community, and while they are working on it people are complaining about it. A library may not be on the top of your priority list, but if you are honest you have to admit that it will be an improvement for the community. It will be a place that young people can go to learn more about reading, access the internet and conduct research for school projects. The library will offer a lot to adults in the community who regularly visit it for books, information and assistance.

Another question that I've received is, "Why don't we use that one million dollars on something we need more than a library?" The answer is very simple. We can't! The grant was for one million dollars for a library and education center. We either build a new library or we send the money back. Those are our only two options. The local governments work hard to find grants and funds to help make our community a better place. A multitude of grants are available to the city and the county each year. However, the grants are only offered for certain things and can only be spent on the things for which they were awarded. Prescott and Nevada County have been fortunate to garner as many grants as they have over the last several years, a large number of projects have been completed with those funds.

I want to commend those who have worked long and hard on the library project and those who work on hundreds of other projects from the southern tip of our county to the northern boundary and from east to west. Every day I hear of new projects that are being developed by local citizens and groups. Keep up the good work, because even if everyone doesn't share your vision, know that there are a lot of residents who truly appreciate the work you are doing.