OPINION
Growth surrounds us. It frustrates some of us.
It slows us down sometimes.
When it happens too quickly, growth hurts as much as a teenager's growing pains.
When it's done right, it provides us with more opportunities.
I've spent quite a bit of time in the last couple of weeks looking in depth at what Chandler Cabinets has done in the community.
They, Pilot Point's largest employer, work to keep their culture even as they expand toward the 350 mark.
That type of intentional growth matters.
I see a similar approach in the work Tioga is trying to do in updating its subdivision ordinance.
Without a plan in place, the growth we face can drive us to places we never wanted to be.
That planning is especially crucial for our communities because of the hamstringing they face from state and federal laws.
It's so important in this high-growth zone that we keep looking forward to develop a plan that can mitigate some of the chaos that comes with new buildings and new faces. There are no crystal balls that will tell us perfectly what is coming down the road. However, there are models and examples we can look toward to figure out how to tweak our approach so we don't get run over when the growth keeps coming.
My hope is that our communities, like Chandler Cabinets, can hold onto their identities as we become a larger version of ourselves.
Change doesn't mean we have to lose the characteristics we love.
We just have to work actively to keep them instead of letting them be pushed aside by the new and the shiny.
Abigail Bardwell is the Editor & Publisher of the Post-Signal, and she serves on both the North and East Texas Press Association and the Texas Press Association boards. She can be reached at [email protected].
