VIEWPOINTS
April 7, 2011
EDITORIALS | LETTERS | Editor Nancy Daly | ndaly@nky.com | 578-1059
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Education a priceless gift
Teachers have held the national spotlight for weeks. They are so important to our country. A dedicated teacher is the gift that keeps on giving. I was blessed with excellent teachers when I attended public school in St. Bernard, Ohio. However my English and literature teacher was exceptional. She was so vibrant and engaged. Chaucer and Shakespeare escaped the printed page and became real and intriguing. She taught respect for the proper use and purity of our language. For example, we learned how to use the gerund correctly. The gerund is a verbal noun and is modified by an adjective. Therefore, “I appreciate you being here” should be “your” being here. It suffers daily misuse
by TV anchors, presidents, lawyers, journalists and many learned people. So, I thank you Mrs. Kathryn Boyle for the legacy you have left. Your name will bring a smile of appreciation from any one you have taught. The gift of language will live on through the generations because of your dedication and enthusiasm. How fortunate I am to have received such a gift. In 1952 the government was not impeding the quality of education. Excellence could flourish in a non-political environment. Commitment and caring dwell in the heart of the teacher, not an organization. What a shame that tenure can deprive students of this priceless gift. Carol Woods Burlington
About letters & columns We welcome your comments on editorials, columns, stories or other topics important to you in the Recorder. Include your name, address and phone number(s) so we may verify your letter. Letters of 200 or fewer words and columns of 500 or fewer words have the best chance of being published. All submissions may be edited for
length, accuracy and clarity. Deadline: Noon Monday E-mail: kynews@community press.com Fax: 859-283-7285 U.S. mail: See box below Letters, columns and articles submitted to Recorder may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.
COLUMNS
|
CH@TROOM
Florence Recorder
Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Florence
N K Y. c o m E-mail: kynews@community
A9
RECORDER
A profound sense of history “A Profound Sense of History” is the best way I can think to describe it: a feeling that combines nostalgia and wonder with a deep respect for the past. It’s something I have personally felt maybe half a dozen times my decade as Boone County’s “Historic Preservation Guy.” It always comes unexpectedly and seems to physically wash over me. The first time I can recall this feeling was on a visit to the Gunpowder Creek Valley in the dead of winter, not long after I started here. It was bitter cold and snowing lightly and my two companions and I were bundled in coveralls. Walking down an old roadbed that ran along a high ridge, I spotted the ruins of a homestead a short distance off the road. Further inspection revealed the foundation for a small building with a collapsed stone chimney. The site was perched on the only small level spot in the otherwise steep slope of a tributary of the Gunpowder. I came across three other such homestead sites that day on either side of the frozen stream. Built in the 19th century, at a time when a well-used road followed Gunpowder Creek, I suspect that all were likely inhabited into the 1930s. I have since seen many homesteads like these scattered across Boone County’s rural landscape. They are a powerful reminder
that some of this county’s rural population were clinging to the edge of survival. A n o t h e r instance when I felt that profound sense of Matthew E. history was my Becher first visit to the John White Log Community House, which Recorder was built c. guest 1840, eventualcolumnist ly abandoned and ultimately relocated and lovingly restored to another site in Boone County. Even after years of abandonment, the building’s logs walls were plumb behind the asbestos siding and the shakes of its wooden roof survived beneath layers of later roofing. I also found myself affected by visits to two other unique properties, neither of which have been as fortunate as the White Log House: Federal Hall and the Rev. Jeremiah Kirtley House. Both are located on bluffs overlooking the Ohio River in northern Boone County. This region was among the earliest settled by Europeans moving west, but today it is sparsely populated. Reverend Kirtley built his timber-framed residence about 1796 and Federal Hall was built of stone about 1805 by Jacob Piatt. Both houses were mansions in
As I left the Post Office, Buddy Rice yelled at me from across the parking lot. I walked over and he explained that Matt Becher was looking for me. “Who’s he?” I asked. He replied that Matt was involved with Boone County’s Historic Preservation and wanted to talk about my having written my name in the bell tower of the old court house. “I’ve never been there,” I countered. “And even if I had, why would I write my name up there?” “Go see him anyway. His office is in the old court house.” And with that, Buddy drove off. As I stood there puzzled, I felt my face flush as it had when I was 9 years old and was sent to the principal’s office for carving J.B.’s initials in my desk. This time, however, my righteous indignation took charge. I headed toward Becher’s office, determined to clear my good name. What’s he planning to do, I thought, charge me with desecrating a historic site? As I entered his office, he looked up. “I’m Harold McFarland,” I said. “You looking for me?” “Yes,” he said, with some interest. “You’re one of the few guys left alive whose names are in the bell tower.” “Never been there,” I replied, quickly. “Listen,” Becher said. “I’ve got some time now. How’d you like to see the tower?” Not waiting for my answer, he guided me through the old courtroom into what was at one time the judge’s chambers and opened a small door. We began ascending an ancient staircase. With every step I took, I became increasingly disoriented, as the sounds and smells of long ago began insinuating themselves upon my consciousness.
As we stepped into the bell tower itself, a blast of cold air opened a floodgate of memories. I had been here before. I could hear the Hal sounds of our McFarland laughter as my friends and Community three I climbed the Recorder stairs, some 59 guest years ago. Peter Cropper columnist was our guide, haivng been there often; no doubt shown the tower by his uncle, Judge Carroll Cropper, whose chambers incorporated the secret door to the tower. Gayle’s father, Irvin Rouse, who a few years earlier was a central figure in the Joan Kiger murder trail, had probably told him of it. Kay’s father, Courtney Kelly, in the 1940s was in charge of the local draft board and had an office not far from the judge’s. Ray Holbrook and I knew nothing of the tower. The dizziness from the rush of memories was so profound that I had to lean against the crumbling plaster. As I looked up, my eyes automatically drifted to a spot in the center of the wall, about eight feet high. There it was – boldly written: Harold McFarland – April 7, 1951. Suddently, I was aware of how I felt back then ... Matt’s voice interrupted my reverie. “Is that your signature or not?” My eyes canvassed the room, taking in the 20 or so signatuers: Fred Bentler, 1898; Grover Jarrell, 1913; C.A. Fowler, 1917; Howard Royle, 1930; A. Kirkpatrick, 1930; A.G. Stephens, 1936; Jack Patterson, 1951. Without answering Matt, I looked over at him and asked,
their day but both now lie in ruin, ghosts of their former grandeur. The first time I visited the upper rooms in the 1889 Old Boone County Courthouse was another profound moment. Some signatures in the room above the judge’s chambers date back to 1898. One records a meeting of a young couple in 1906; others recall severe winters or floods. Some are quite recent, including those of a Boy Scout troop which visited in 2002. There is also a series of names written by three young men in 1951, one of whom I have since had the pleasure to meet and who has since written about his “return to the scene.” I know that before I move on to the next chapter in my life, I will be compelled to sign my own name upstairs. Until then, I look forward to the next instance when that strong sense of the past takes me by surprise. The Boone County Historic Preservation Review Board meets at 4 p.m. the second Thursday of every month. Meetings are open to the public. For more information about historic preservation in Boone County please contact the Review Board at 859-334-2111 or mbecher@ boonecountyky.org. The Review Board is at www.boonecountyky.org/pc. Matthew E. Becher is rural/open space planner for the Boone County Planning Commission.
Unfunded mandates drive up sewer rates Returning to the bell tower An unfunded mandate from the EPA is requiring Sanitation District 1 to make millions and millions of dollars worth of upgrades to our sewer system. This work is not negotiable. It cannot be put off. And if it isn’t done, SD1 could add fines to its list of expenses. The most fiscally responsible course for SD1 to take now is to direct all the funds possible into these upgrades. It’s a decision between raising rates now an average of $5 a month or passing $200 million in additional expenses on to our children. And unfortunately our community isn’t the only one in this situation. In fact hundreds of other communities are facing similar consent decrees. And after these increases, our rates will be below the median in comparable communities. During my 12 years of service to Boone County, I have never imposed a new tax. In fact, the property tax rates are 9 percent lower than when I first took office. So clearly my vote to ratify the board’s 7-0 decision to raise sewer fees was a difficult one. I had to vote in favor of the rate increases to comply with the federal court order to clean up our water. But putting money into this aging system isn’t just about avoiding legal repercussions. It’s also about investing in our community’s economy and environment. Without improvements in our sewer system, our ability to grow is limited. Parts of Boone County could have been placed under a development moratorium if it weren’t for the western sewer plant now under construction. You can’t create jobs without building sewers. Period. Perhaps more important than
anything, these funds will keep our raw sewage from spewing into the creeks and streams behind our homes. Portions of Northern Judge- K e n t u c k y ’ s executive sewer system Gary Moore are 100 years old and built for Community a much smaller Recorder population. When SD1 guest took responsibilcolumnist ity for the majority of these sewer systems in the 1990s, it was handed an infrastructure that poured tens of billions of gallons of diluted sewage straight into the natural environment. It’s an expensive process to update this system but it’s hard to argue against keeping our excrement out of the environment. This discussion is more complex than mere finger-pointing and more complicated than simple talking points. SD1 has to balance legal requirements with financial issues and common sense. By complying with the consent decree as mandated by the federal court order, we can improve our environment while avoiding a moratorium on future growth. A vibrant economy and a clean environment are two of the factors resulting in Boone County being a leader in the commonwealth and the nation. We are leading in population growth and job creation. We were just named the healthiest county in Kentucky for the second year in a row. We continue to be a great place to live, work, and raise a family. I am blessed to lead our community into a prosperous future. Gary Moore is judge-executive of Boone County.
A publication of
Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Florence
RECORDER
Florence Recorder Editor . . . . . . . . . . .Nancy Daly ndaly@communitypress.com . . . . . . . . .578-1059
And in that instant, I made my decision to return to the tower, April 7, 2011, on the 60th anniversary of my signature. And I would bring a ladder. Boone County history – or life has not seen the last of me! “Why did you want to talk to me?” Motioning to the wall, he said, “All of these names, many from the early 1900s, are part of our history. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know who these people were and how they helped shape Boone County?” “So you’re not going to charge me with defacing the tower?” I said, relieved. “How could I do that? You and all the others here are linked through time for as long as this old building stands.” I looked around at the names again. There was no indication that any of these folks had made a second trip to the tower as I had – so implusively, I pulled out my pen, with the idea of writing just below my signature, something to the effect that 59 years later, I had returned. I reached as high as I could, but was not able to write comfortably. As I panned the room, hoping to located a bench or chair, I saw Matt looking at me in a bemused fashion. “Want to stand on my shoulders?” He asked, laughing. “No.” I said. “But I’ll be back!” And in that instant, I made my decision to return to the tower, April 7, 2011, on the 60th anniversary of my signature. And I would bring a ladder. Boone County history – or life has not seen the last of me! Boone County author Harold McFarland is a member of the Boone County Historic Preservation Board.
s
Office hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday | See page A2 for additional contact information. 283-0404 | 228 Grandview Drive, Fort Mitchell, KY 41017 | 654 Highland Ave., Fort Thomas, KY 41075 | e-mail kynews@communitypress.com | Web site: www.communitypress.com