Cary exudes the feeling of uncomfortable boxes, inside and out.

Date: Wed, 25 Dec 2013 12:50:50 -0500 (EST)
From: mphorn22
Subject: Thank you Jody, Jane, Sherri, Taylor, Sonny, Brad

Thank you Jody and Sonny and Brad for supporting me in my way of thinking regarding Chatham Park.  Jody and Brad, thank you for stating in more detail what you knew I was alluding to, i.e., a deep love of nature and the environment and how massive building destroys whole communities.  Thank you Sonny for sending on Blair Gallagher’s extremely valid words couched in what I call “legalistic” phrasings (even though I know nothing of legaleese) in respect to other communities’ experiences.  I hope those who are 100% behind Chatham Park will read your words and think of a possible or slightly different scenario from what they are hoping for.

And thank you Jane, Sherri and Taylor for expressing your own preferences.  Your views made me realize that my questions automatically assumed that the reason why you’re living here in Pittsboro is because you too like the rural setting.  From your statements, only Sherri mentioned a bit of that.  The other two of you assumed a different stance which I had not considered.

Now, as to my being one-sided and assuming everyone else should adhere to that, you don’t know me.  This is probably the best time for me to introduce myself to all of you readers, since I’ve been on this Chatlist for only a few months.  I have one sister and 3 living brothers, all of whom differ from me and each other in our life views.  I’m a progressive politically, and revere all world religions, bringing aspects of all of them into my life even though I go to St. Barts’ for my organized spiritual expressions.  One brother is far right-wing in politics and also a confirmed aetheist.  Yet when he and his wife visited me 9 years ago he wanted to attend Sunday church service at Duke Chapel.  He was enthralled with the cathedral setting, the magnificent organ and the superb brass quintet.  After the service he said if there were a church like that where he lives he’d go to church every Sunday!  Now that was a surprise to me and also made me realize he’s not so aetheist; he was wounded by someone in a church setting.  Unfortunate.  Another brother is a humanist in spiritual views, and right of center politically.  The third brother is Lutheran and votes both sides of the aisle.  My sister is Lutheran and votes sometimes, again both sides of the aisle.  Despite our many differences, we all love each other, visit each other when we can, and strive to find common interests and views to talk about.

I’m a former high school choral music teacher and came across all kinds of beliefs about everything.  I found I could “translate” from one jargon of belief/view to another, such as “what goes around comes around” in place of “you reap what you sow.”  I enjoy differences; they are exhilarating. The far right wing brother and I used to have a lot of political discussions and inquiries into each other’s “opposing” views.  We actually found a lot of commonality.  I believe that both sides of the aisle are necessary for our democracy.  Somewhere along the line we began to kill that democracy, and will do so if we don’t meet in the middle and work out what is best for the country.  In other words, look for our commonalities and seek to find compromise.

Now, as to my questions about Chatham Park, they were coming from a stance of Pittsboro as the rural town it is now versus the highly congested non-nature and non-wildlife environment like Cary and Apex have.  The first moment I drove into Pittsboro in May of 1995, I knew this is where I belonged.  It felt more “home” than anywhere else I’ve lived (6 different towns in 5 different states) including the 2000 population town where I grew up.  Nature all around.  Forests close by.  By “forests” I don’t mean “stands of trees”; rather, miles of forests all teeming with wildlife in all sizes and kinds.  I loved being outdoors a lot.  As a young adult, new to public school teaching, I worked as a Girl Scout Camp Counselor for 5 summers. Sleeping in open-air tents, or flat on the ground in pup tents when working with primitive camping units.  It was wonderful to be amidst all the tall trees, around wildlife, and always breathing fresh invigorating oxygen-infested air.  The first summer after I stopped that work, I felt like I was in a prison at night.  I visited my parents for 2 of the 3 months off, and would sleep outside on the grass under trees and starry skies every clear night.  It was safe in their town, to do that.  Probably would be today as well.  I don’t do that any more, but I do like to have an open window with fresh air pouring in while I sleep…cold and warm weather alike.  I would not feel as safe nor as healthy doing that if I lived in a city like Cary or Raleigh.

To me, this town has an ambiance about it that comes directly from the land itself as well as the teeming wildlife in the forests all around it.  Yes, there are birds, squirrels and deer in Cary and Apex as well; but there aren’t other forms of wildlife prevalent nor the forest habitats for them that we have here.  They also have lower air quality (and smog), congestion, density of population, less drinkable water, required manicured lawns, bricks & cement & dead-wood everywhere instead of fluidly growing nature, and what feels like sterility.

There are good, well-meaning and helpful people everywhere, in every town and city in this country.  But that is not what I was referring to when I said  a “changed demographic.”  My meaning refers to people who love nature, wildlife nearby, the feel of the natural land and wildness gently embracing the very air we live in.  There are a lot of creative people here, just as in other cities and rural settings in the world.  Each creative person gravitates to a life-setting that fits their nature.  Here in Pittsboro and its surroundings the people who express creativity tend to want this town’s rural ambiance. There is something about the land here that embraces each person’s individualized wilderness-loving creative nature, that a congested setting like Cary can not do.  Cary exudes the feeling of uncomfortable boxes, inside and out. Chatham Park’s current plans will erase this town’s ambiance, and the people who are like us “wilderness loving creatives” would go somewhere else, not here.  That is the changed demographic I refer to.

I also love being able to drive to Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill for a concert, art, shopping.  I just don’t want to live in that sort of environment..  I shop in our town’s stores even if a “big box” would give me a cheaper price.  The higher price is worth it, to support our local entrepreneurs.  And the walk to their stores is good exercise.

I hope I’ve covered your concerns.  I will write a separate letter to address what wonderful detailed information Randy wrote, as well as other concerns others of you voiced about those particular questions.

Sincerely,
Maryphyllis