Fruition

Sometimes things we work on take a very long time to be accomplished.

This press release from David Greisman of the Columbia Association caught my eye yesterday. Reporting on ongoing construction at the Dorsey's Search Meeting Room property, he states:

Work on the Meeting Room began in mid-March. The project will double the size of the building, which will provide more opportunities for the daycare facility that rents space there, add more space for meetings and expand the bathrooms and changing rooms for Dorsey Hall Pool.

Something about that rang a bell to me. Didn't I read about that somewhere? Oh, here it is in Tom Coale's blog, HoCoRising, from October of 2013:

When I first came on the CA Board back in 2011, I asked the Dorsey's Search Village Manager to tell me her "wish list". After reviewing some of the smaller things like a replaced vent, new paint, and window shutters, she said "that Meeting Room is too small." Dorsey had rented out the space, not much bigger than a metro car, to a woman operating a day-care. Due to the size, the waiting list was long and Dorsey residents would have to drive outside of the neighborhood for reliable day-care. Anytime there was a leak in the roof, a problem with the HVAC, or power outage (all of which occurred with some regularity), day-care would need to be cancelled for the day. It was a bad situation.

So that was 2011. And now it's 2015. It takes a very long time for projects like this to move forward to completion. And it takes people like Tom Coale, and the people who worked with him to convince the CA Board, and the vote of the CA Board itself. And that's just for approval.

Around town I see a variety of projects in varying stages of progress--the Wild Lake Village Center, work on the widening of Route 29 (which I had a hand in as a part of the Oakland Mills Village Board), and the beginning of plans for the Crescent neighborhood downtown. The Inner Arbor plan for Symphony Woods has been approved and has entered a new phase in its development. The Bridge Columbia project is a great idea in search of funding. (Call me if you have some.)

It all takes time. So much time. I admire people who are in it for the long haul. I get frustrated. I want to see people get the point and get moving to make Columbia a better place. It just doesn't work that way.

So, a tip of the hat this morning to Tom Coale for his work in helping these improvements for Dorsey's Search become a reality. And a tip of the hat to everyone out there working on a project or a plan who has the determination to see it through.