PROGRESS NOT PERFECT
Just because we seem to be leading the pack does not, of necessity, mean we are ahead of them. Progress can be, and often is, deceptive.
Hardly a week goes by in which I do not read of a business firm suddenly finding it must vacate its well-established location. The building, which they have used successfully for many years and maintained in top physical condition , is, suddenly, declared to be unfit for use by humans. The owners, often the very people who designed and built the building, are, in effect, evicted.
The situation has all come about, not because of any negligence on their part, but because, years before, they had taken advantage of the very latest construction techniques and installed asbestos materials throughout the premises to achieve the utmost insulation. fire protection and other supposed advantages deem to be essential to protect their property.
I have seen , in recent years, such displacements in just about every line of business and in public buildings inc including public schools, churches, Individuals and preen punctualities and others been cased great,unanticipatedly expense when ordered to remove the offending materials. There have been marked losses in real estate and undue hardships in the business world because of this unexpected factor. Those who cannot afford to make such changes are subjected to conditions
which cause they to have to sell their property and usually at a discounted price far be;pew the generally accepted values of the holding. This has been made to be even worse by some very questionable estimates concerning the costs of the removal under government scrubby inn keeping wish precise redirections of the moment.
One such building I have seen is owned by a small town. It was build as a private mansion. It has a large, circular tower at pond and then wanders off in a series of ells, wings and ad-ons. A lacy web of porches is wrapped around it all giving it an illusion of unity. The original owner died and his heirs willed the property to the town government to do with it as they wished. They decided to make it an inn and it became modestly successful with promise. The place is closed today awaiting the removal of asbestos materials. Notice, that is “removed” and not just “taken out”. It must be done by the book following precise instructions as if it were a surgical procedure and by qualified, fully-trained hazardous materials personnel only who are yet to be found.
Certainly we cannot deride the concept of attainment. Without advancement, we die. It does illustrate, however, that we, at times, tend to confuse that which we might desire to have with what we already have at hand
Make haste with hesitancy. Let progress assist rather than demand.
A.L.M. March 19, 2004 [c429wds]
