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Van Horn Advocate

Opinion

Wednesday, Aug. 13, 1997

ALL THINGS
CONSIDERED

By
Cara Alligood

Positive attitide can help
our little town grow


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Being positive about Pecos would be easier if we had more to be positive
about. When we see and constantly hear about the dirtiness, the lack of
opportunity for shopping, careers and recreation, so on and so on, is it
any wonder that many of us are negative?

If we heard more about the low crime, successful schools and healthy
climate, maybe we would we be more positive. Not only would it be easier
for those of us who already live here to be more positive about our
town, it might help some of our future residents decide to hurry up and
get here, too.

When Pauline Moore from the Chamber of Commerce's Economic Development
Committee spoke at a recent school board meeting, I listened. She said
that other West Texas towns which have economic development
professionals are growing.

The winds of change are blowing, and we can either ride those winds or
let them blow us over.

Our chamber volunteers work hard and accomplish many things, but when
you have a committee comprised of people with other jobs, they can't
possibly do everything. A full-time professional working to attract new
business and industry would be a true boon to our town and its economy.

With someone to guide us, we should be able to attract industries which
would employ people who live here, and maybe attract some new ones. The
tax abatement program would also be a big help in attracting new
business and industry, as well as providing an incentive for expansion
to those presently here. Tax abatement is another issue, though.

Of course, when the business and industrial base begins to grow, we may
be able to attract more places to shop and enjoy ourselves. Those types
of things will help attract people to live and work in our community,
also.

The county is onto something good with their recreation center idea.
Personally, I really, really wish we had an indoor pool available that
the swim teams didn't have first dibs on. I would pay to be able to take
water aerobics classes, even though I probably wouldn't pay to have to
exercise in any other way. Amenities like that are another thing this
community needs, both to keep our townspeople happy, and to make this a
place where new people will want to live.

It isn't bad to think "Positively Pecos." That might even be a halfway
decent slogan. But thinking positively won't help much if we don't
actually do something to make Pecos a place that is easy to be positive
about.Cara Alligood is an Enterprise writer and advertising Administrator.

CRITIC'S CORNER

Alaska information found in new book


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Alaska's Glacier Bay: a traveler's guide by Karen Jettmar is a
pocket-sized book with lots of color photographs and information that
would be very helpful to anyone considering a trip to this beautiful
Alaskan paradise.

This handy guide gives the reader a working knowledge of how glaciers
shaped the terrain, where to go in and around Glacier Bay National Park
and Preserve, how to get there, and what to look for once you're there.
It will help anyone considering a vacation to the area in getting the
most from their visit.

Readers will find out about a wide variety of subjects, from why glacier
ice is blue to when bird watching is at its best in this region. The
book contains many short sidebar articles on a wide array of related
topics which really make the book interesting, even to someone who isn't
actively planning a journey to our northernmost state in the near future.

Alaska's Glacier Bay: a traveler's guide ISBN 0-88240-486-5, $12.95, is
available in bookstores, or may be ordered from Alaska Northwest Books,
P.O. Box 10306, Portland OR 97210, 1-800-452-3032.

--Cara Alligood

Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail: news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP Materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing.

Copyright 1997 by Pecos Enterprise
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