English clergyman and poet John Donne was right when he wrote, "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. ... "
So, you ask, "How does that thinking relate to us here in Hot Springs?"
From my personal perspective, I believe it means that the way we live and the way we conduct our business affects others in good or bad ways.
Donne's familiar adage came to mind on Wednesday when I read that the Hot Springs Board of Directors had unanimously tabled action on a proposed ordinance to change existing public health and property regulations.
Having perused details of the new guidelines regarding overgrown lots, outside storage, the parking of boats and vehicles on front or side yards and most importantly, life safety violations, I feel the directors were prudent in Tuesday's vote to put off a decision about the code elements until they meet in March.
There's a lot to mull over here -- for property owners who must adhere to stricter directives that might be adopted and for city officials who must enforce them in a fair and equitable manner.
And, of course, no matter what happens to this proposal next month, there will be the inevitable cries of "Foul play," from some individuals who don't like any kind of rules or governance pertaining to themselves or their properties.
The way I look at it, we all have some obligation to consider others -- whether it's keeping our pets from being nuisances or threats to neighbors or passersby, whether it's protecting property values by making certain our own homes and gardens are well kept, whether it's ensuring the well-being of renters or other occupants who spend considerable time in abodes or commercial establishments that we own and for which we are ultimately responsible.
I am admittedly piqued by the oft-heard complaints that the Thermal Basin Fire District requirements for downtown structures, many of them legacy buildings, are "onerous and too costly." Well, property maintenance is an ongoing and seemingly never-ending reality. And the upkeep of historic properties would be a lot less burdensome for all concerned if addressed and taken care of on a regular basis and in a reasonable amount of time.
Surely, no one who owns a store, attraction, hotel or house expects to pay the same for repairs and improvements as he or she did 10, 20, 30, or 40 years ago. I no longer have a mortgage on my condominium, but the price of living in a place that is secure and where everything works as it should is important to me and to the neighbors in our unit. Updating appliances, replacing heating and air conditioning systems, painting assessments, makeovers and flooring changes -- nothing's cheap, but then cutting corners and ignoring problems just means taking risks and taking more out of one's pocketbook sooner rather than later.
And we've all witnessed the terrible toll that neglect can take.
I remember the time when code enforcement, zoning and planning were spurious at best in Hot Springs. If as they say, "The past is prologue," then we have those olden days and olde ways to thank for some of the difficult challenges that confront us now
Unfortunately, if we all chose to live by The Golden Rule, there might not be any need for ordinances that many find so bothersome an bureaucratic.
N'est-ce pas?
Editorial on 02/23/2015