By Jane Palen
I remember so clearly the angst associated with the new millennium when the calendar changed from 1999 to 2000. (Technically the change in the millennium came at the end of 2000, but that fact was overshadowed by concerns on how our computers would adjust their clocks).

And now, itís almost 2005. Although our country continues to deal with a number of challenges at home and abroad, things look promising at the local level.

Several new businesses opened in 2004, a sign that there are those who take an optimistic view of the future in Caledonia.

The health of the retail sector has been a concern in small towns like ours for many years. But despite competition from malls and big chain stores, I think the town has a strong retail presence. I canít think of any other towns our size that have two jewelry stores, two hardware stores, two flower shops, two banks, two drugs stores, three gift shops, two new car dealerships, a number of hair salons, a variety/discount store, and numerous restaurants. Many of our businesses have been under the same ownership for 10, 25 and even 50 years.

There are several new housing developments in progress, and building new homes in a community is always a good sign. Thereís plenty of housing available, and plenty of room in our schools to accommodate new families.

In January, weíll have two new city council members, a new mayor and a new police chief. There are bound to be rough spots, and there is bound to be criticism of how things are handled. But before we are too hard on these elected officials, we should remember that there were no candidates on the ballot this year. Why not? Maybe itís because in a small town, being on the city council leaves you open to criticism. So does being police chief.

Letís give these people our support and ideas, and of course, our opinions. This is the time to be constructive, because there are bound to be conflicts as the town grows and differing opinions on how things should be done arise. By working through these issues and keeping in mind whatís best for the city, we can be stronger and more resilient than ever.

We have it in us to be a vibrant and progressive community and not lose our small town values in the process. Letís work towards that in 2005.

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Caledonia Argus
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