To the Editor:
I read with interest the complaints of Mr. Marszalek published on April 30, “Native Ocalan bemoans progress as unappealing to seniors.” I can imagine clearly the kind of Ocala he recalls from his fond memories. I lived for 36 years in exactly the kind of community Mr. Marszalek describes from his past, but my community was in the rural midwest. The things Mr. Marszalek detests in our community here in Ocala, would be very welcome in many areas of our country. Because, you see, communities are not static. They either grow, or they die. There is no in-between. There are countless communities across our country where the downtown is a row of crumbling empty buildings where once there were storefronts, banks and restaurants. Without a tax base, local police departments are closed down and it sometimes takes a half hour (or more) to get an emergency response. In our old community the closest hospital is an hour away. There are no buses, in the entire county nor taxis. There are no floods of people swarming to live in that small community, in fact the young people flee to other, better places to live with more to offer. I understand that change is hard, but change and growth are evidences of Life and if a community doesn’t have Life, it is in decline.
In short, Mr. Marszalek, count your blessings that you live in a vibrant, active, living community where people desire to settle and build. I am a senior too, but I find everything Ocala has to offer, very appealing.
DeVonna Allison
Ocala