To the Editor,
I have lived in Amherst most of my life.
For years, Amherst seemed to be lolling around in the doldrums and not moving ahead. In fact, it was becoming stagnant.
About 20 years ago, more or less, things started to move. South Albion Street, Robert Angus Drive and the industrial park came to life.
This action seemed to instill a lot of the old-time pride citizens of Amherst had seen in our past. With this renewal and rejuvenation the owners of older homes gradually got on the band wagon and started fixing up their properties to stay up to date and enhance the value. Even as all this was going on the town upgraded the Stadium, soccer fields, ball diamonds and are now in the planning stages of a skateboard park.
I am retired and so I can drive around town at my leisure and although there are vast improvements, there are still a few buildings that fall under the category of unsightly. These properties are detrimental to progress.
We have an unsightly department and unsightly committee whose criteria is to have these upgraded in such a way so that an unreasonable financial burden is not passed on to the owner. Having attended a few meetings, I would suggest that anyone who has their property deemed unsightly should attend a meeting and work out a schedule that is within their ability to pay and will satisfy the committee.
We must all work together while we are on this roll and hopefully it will continue and the Old Shire Town will prosper.
Although the owner of an unsightly premises may not realize it, his or her property, because of its condition, can depreciate the value of the adjacent properties.
William Brown, Amherst
