Historical preservationists feel the importance of preserving our heritage is worth the cost. Both groups are rightly concerned. It there the possibility of a compromise? While I ask the question, I do not have the answer.
Recently, I was in a community where it appeared the city fathers and those who did not want to see their old school taken down had compromised.
Some of the building was taken down. Some was not. The front wall of the school and a part of two side walls are still standing. This includes the entrance to the high school, which is about the age of old Canton Elementary.
On the site is a huge park for children. One of the entrances to the park is through the doors of the old high school. The restrooms for the park are also in the remaining part of the school. This appears to be a compromise that worked.
Just before that I had been in a Burger King in Columbus. An old depot is located in the same area. That Burger King is the most unusual I have ever seen. It is built like a depot. As you walk in you see a life-like mannequin in a ticket booth. Part of the eating area is like a train car. Over the drink machines is a sign with "departure" and "arrival" times and places.
I wondered if that was a compromise between the neighborhood and the management of Burger King.
We live in a world of compromise. Of course, there are times when we should not and do not compromise. Our health, our faith, our morality, our safety and other important things are on that list.
Some compromises are very creative. According to newspaper reports, the zoo in Gaza City had major losses when some of the animals died from neglect during the Israel-Hamas war. Among those lost were two zebras. The zebras were too expensive for the war-torn area to replace. So, they painted stripes on two donkeys. Now crowds come to the reportedly dilapidated zoo to see them. It reminds me of the children's song, "The Horse with the Striped Pajamas."
Recently, I wanted a hot dog. In the Olde Towne Diner in downtown Canton, I was debating between a chili dog and a slaw dog. Jill Comer behind the counter and the owner, Mark Cressler, made it easy for me. They put chili on one end and slaw on the other. It was a perfect compromise. It was also a perfect hot dog.
Some of us cannot have sugar in our tea, so we use Splenda, etc. If we cannot afford the designer handbag we want, we settle for a knock-off, one that looks like the designer bag but costs much less.
The kids fuss and fight over who will sit in the front seat of the car. Parents may dictate a compromise. One sits up front going, and one sits up front coming back.
Why is the Georgia-Florida football game played every year in Jacksonville? Some say it is a compromise so that south Georgia fans have at least one game closer to home.
In Cherokee State Judge C.J. Gober's courtroom, a compromise may, considering the circumstances, be offered to some who has been arrested DUI. On one side is jail time. On the other side is entering a program of Gober's DUI/Drug Court. The program is tough, costly and time consuming. If a participant does not live up to its rigorous rules, there is no compromise. That person goes straight to jail.
The program is working. Of the 139 participants that have completed the program, the recidivism rate is less than 5 percent.
There are currently 124 participants.
I am a fan of country music. Usually, I know only a few lines or the title of a song. In this case, I know more than usual. The song goes like this: "I'd start walking your way. You'd start walking mine. We'd meet in the middle 'neath that old Georgia pine. We'd gain a lot of ground, cause we'd both give a little. And there ain't no road too long when you meet in the middle."
Perhaps those involved in deciding the future of old Canton Elementary School, now called Building B, can do what the country group Diamond Rio sings about. They can start walking toward one another and meet in the middle. Hopefully, they can find a way to compromise.
Marguerite Cline is the former mayor of Waleska.
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