Part of my job requires me

to attend meetings in Peachtree City and Tyrone. I attend the meetings

so you don't have to, though it would be nice if you stopped by once

in awhile. When I attend the meetings, I am impartial, a silent observer.

I document what is said on both sides of the issues and, though I have

my opinions, I keep them to myself. Until now.

Now, a week before the election,

I feel I can express how I would vote, because this is a column and it

is just my opinion.

In my opinion, the bond referendum

for the library expansion and renovation in Peachtree City should pass.

It needs to be done. If you don't believe me, take a walk inside

the library and see for yourself. Sure, it's still standing and there

are definitely worse places in the world, but as libraries go, it could

be a lot better.

It is small and the sight lines

are terrible, meaning if you are in the adult section and looking for

your kids in the kids' section, you can't see them. This also

means that if you are a librarian, you can't see into over half of

the library from the checkout desk. This wouldn't work in any bookstore

or place of retail and it shouldn't be acceptable for a library.

The lighting is poor and the aisles are so tight that people in wheelchairs

can't maneuver very well. This is illegal, according to the Americans

with Disabilities Act, and shouldn't be acceptable either.

There are dozens of other things

that a library expansion will give the community including larger sections

for children, young adults and adults, a larger audio/visual section,

a non-leaky roof, a functional HVAC system, more parking, a clearer entrance,

wider aisles, new shelves, new books and much, much more.

Now, is it going to cost you?

Yes. How much? $25 a year per family.

25 bucks! Why, we spend that

just going to the movies, which we go to over 10 times a year, not including

concessions.

$25 is less than an oil change,

which you do at least three times a year. I don't mean to make light,

but $25 isn't that much and what you'll get for it is a nice

library that you won't need to expand on for 20 years. The library

is bursting at the seams. It can't house all the kids that want to

come in for summer programs and more and more people are using the library

each year. You claim that reading is important and that nothing is better

than a solid education, well, a library is necessary for everyone to further

their education throughout their life. Do the right thing, suck it up

and vote for the referendum.

Now, as for liquor by the drink

in Tyrone, I say vote for that, too. I partied hard in college, so hard

in fact that I no longer drink liquor, but I would never tell other people

that because I don't drink liquor that they can't either. It

is their business if they want to have a margarita. Adults should be able

to choose whether or not they want a drink with their dinner. If you don't

want a drink, don't order one.

I heard lots of arguments against

the referendum that cited religious reasoning. People said that Tyrone

would be going to hell in a handbasket if they allowed liquor by the drink.

Yep, just like those evil dens of depravity: Peachtree City, Newnan and

Fayetteville. Pure evil.

Other arguments cited an increase

in drunk driving and underage drinking if the referendum passes. They

aren't wrong, but that's because people will try to break the

law and currently there aren't places for them to do that in Tyrone.

Although, I'll bet if you check it out, there have been drunk driving

and underage drinking arrests in Tyrone for years. You just have to trust

that your friends and neighbors will do the right thing.

If the referendum passes, Tyrone

is not getting a Cheers or any other type of bar. If anything, they will

get a restaurant like a TGIFriday's or a Chili's. Scary, huh?

People frequent those restaurants, a lot.

Tyrone would benefit from having

those restaurants in town because they would receive the tax revenue.

In fact, Chili's in Peachtree City has a Starr's Mill Night,

where 10 percent of people's bills goes towards Starr's Mill

and their projects. I bet Sandy Creek would like a program like that and

I doubt that they would care that a portion of those proceeds came from

a pitcher of margaritas.

If you attend the Tyrone meetings

you know that they don't get a lot of money from the county. They

have been fighting to get money for recreation for years. When they want

to put up lights or bathrooms or concession stands at the ball fields,

the leagues and the city have to scrape to do it. There would be less

scraping if the town got more revenue. The liquor by the drink ordinance

will be tough and restaurants will have to abide, just like they do in

any other town.

To me, this issue is about

giving the citizens of Tyrone the freedom to decide whether or not they

want to participate in a legal activity. That's right, drinking alcohol

is legal because Prohibition ended decades ago. There should be no question

on whether or not it should pass.

As for the library, people

should vote to enhance their community. I used to live in Peachtree City

(in fact, my parents still live there) so I know people in Peachtree City

aren't arrogant cheapskates. They care about their city and their

neighbors and the children. They should prove it.