By FERNNELL BECHER | rural Norwalk
What great news!
Our local newspapers inform us, “Bug Tussel wireless Internet aims to bring Ridgeville into the 21st century with high-speed Internet service.”
As rural residents, we should feel privileged to be so lucky to get anywhere near the speed our city relatives receive. At our house, we have been paying to receive 1.5 mbps, but actually receive much slower speeds. Most of our time is spent watching the circle spin round and round.
Internet service has become necessary for modern times. Since May 12, 2014, our township has been convinced to have its own website (I well remember). We were told it would not cost much of anything (maybe $5). At that time, our township paid $250.20 for a three-year contract that included a 30-percent discount; they usually start out low and the price increases with time. So how much will they charge this May 2017, when we will need to renew our contract?
My preference would be to put our town meeting notices with a brief agenda in the County Line, where it is always handy to look at. A lot of townships do that. Some people do not have a computer or do not know how to find the information. (Personally, I find that using the computer can be very time consuming.)
It would help to have faster service when looking at websites, if that is your choice. The main objective is to keep the public informed as to what takes place at the township meetings. Our local newspapers do a good job reporting facts to us. (No fake news stories around here.)
We thank the editors and reporters for bringing us local news in a timely manner.
It concerns me when I read, “Residents expressed concerns over the company failing to follow the proper procedures for bringing a business into town,” referring to the town’s Smart Growth plan. Many of us do not and never have agreed to a plan such as this. We are a zoned township and can follow many of the rules as set by the county’s plan, rather than the township plan, which was made up by a handful of township residents.
Were proper procedures followed when the plan was developed? I am thinking it was lacking public participation as required. At the final hearing on Nov. 14, 2009, four residents signed up to talk about the wording of the plan, but were not allowed to voice their concerns over the plan. My opinion is this as rejecting public input and not following proper procedures!
Why have we always seen “Ridgeville” named on the same line as “controversy” ever since 2007? Maybe it is time for new management!
