Out of My Mind | Pull together for the good of all

— Blackhawk basketball fever has risen.

The high school boys’ basketball team won first in the Northwest Arkansas District Tournament and second in the state Regional Tournament.

Now, they’re headed to the State Tournament.

Even during the regular conference play, the high school gym was full for most of the basketball games.

Many people, not just students and parents of players, have been in the stands to watch the Blackhawks at the regional tournament games 150 miles southeast of here.

Some of the youngsters today have a long history in this town. The fans know them. They were their teachers, or bus drivers, neighbors or Sunday school teachers. In some cases, they remember their parents and grandparents as youngsters.

Others are newcomers, but have chosen to make this town their home.

Pea Ridge is a close-knit community. It is a community with a rich history and loyal supporters.

The town has changed.

The population has doubled. That increased population means there are people who don’t know the history, people who are newcomers who aren’t third and fourth generation residents.

There are more businesses here, lessening the need to drive to a neighboring town for shopping and eating out.

There are also increased demands on the city’s services including, but not limited to, streets, water, wastewater, police, fire and ambulance personnel.

We can chafe and rail about the changes, complaining about all the traffic and the newcomers, or we can adjust, accept the changes and newcomers and work to improve ourconditions.

It’s encouraging to see the fans attending the games and cheering our basketball team. We need to help those boys understand that they have WON. Although they lost the last game, they won second place and they’veachieved what hasn’t been achieved in the last several years.

As our city officials adept to the changes and attempt to meet the increasing demands, we need to adapt and do all we can to help.

There was a water rate increase in 2008. The city is now seeking a sewer rate increase. Prior to these increases, there were no increases for several years.

Some long-time residents believe that only the newcomers should pay for the increase since they caused the increased quantity of sewage, but old lines must still be maintained and, sometimes, replaced.

The Fire Department increased the pay of the volunteers and began hiring personnel to staff the office seven days a week, but there had been no change in staffing for years.

The Police Department has increased in number.

In the past decade, the school population has increased dramatically and new buildings have been constructed.

Some people long for the “good-ole days” before the change. Change is neither good or bad. It’s here andwe can’t change that. The city must stay current to maintain as well as improve its ability to serve the residents.

A charming older movie is “Yours, Mine, and Ours” starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. The gist of the story was that a widow and widower, both with many children, married one another and combined their households leading to much strife and dissension. There was a constant battle over what was “mine” and what was “yours.” Eventually, the couple gave birth to a new baby, now deemed “ours.”

We can do that here - fight and squabble over “my” town if I’ve been here longer than you. But, that serves no productivepurpose. We are all here now and we all must work together to have a thriving, successful community.

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Editor’s note: Annette Beard is the managing editor of The Times of Northeast Benton County. A native of Louisiana, she moved to this area in 1980. She has nine children, one grandson and another grandson due in April. She can be reached at [email protected].

Opinion, Pages 4 on 03/02/2011