Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Open Letter to Darke County Parks by William Light

At a time when our political leaders are fractious, and our fellow citizens have been led to fear too much, I am writing this note to you as an open letter to the general public to express my sincere desire for people of Darke County to fully support the Darke County Parks in the upcoming elections.

When the last local election was held, fear kept a majority of Darke Countians from voting when confused and fearful Ohio politicians closed the polling places and did a very poor job of explaining to the electorate how people could still vote. Unfortunately, I believe the Darke County Parks’ millage initiative suffered because of this confusion.

In addition, I have noticed for many years that our public educational system has done a great disservice to our youth by trying to rewrite our magnificent and colorful historical record for political reasons. In my youth I was much more interested in science, engineering and music than history; however, this changed dramatically with age, and recently I became involved with a group of educated patriots who are busily trying to restore the truth about what happened in this area of America that literally help change the world for the betterment of all mankind.

A group of us formed what is known as the Friends of Fort Jefferson, a not-for-profit organization that is trying to reclaim the Fort Jefferson Park, get the park turned over to the Darke County Parks, and turn the dilapidated park into a modern and well-used education center to teach the history of the once head-of-the-line fortress that paved the way for the settlement of the Northwest Territories during the late 1790’s. 

I cannot tell you how instrumental it is for our organization to work in tandem with the Darke County Parks to restore Fort Jefferson, and your help in this program has been wonderful. Since you took the helm of the Darke County Parks it has grown into well-oiled machine that serves all of Darke County regarding the teaching of nature and history. And, the low cost to run this successful organization is remarkable.

The Friends of Fort Jefferson will continue to support the Darke County Parks, regardless of the status of the bond issue renewal; however, we do believe that every effort be made to tell the citizens of the county that the bond initiative is literally a small millage (.5 mill) with a very slight increase ($1.46 a month on a $100,000 home) to defray the continual operational and maintenance costs to run and maintain the numerous facilities. When Fort Jefferson Parks comes under the auspices of the Darke County Parks, the Friends of Fort Jefferson will still be a partner in the development of the facilities there, and artifacts found and knowledge learned will remain in Darke Country for all to see, touch and educate themselves.

Thank you, your staff and your many volunteers for providing Darke County with a wonderland of learning. Hopefully my fellow residents will recognize the beneficial services your organization provides.

Respectfully submitted,

William C. Light
Greenville, OH 45331


No comments:

Post a Comment

Featured Posts

/* Track outbound links in Google Analytics */