Caught in the Middle… By Choice

    Traffic, new subdivisions, road construction, state-wide mandates on our schools, roundabouts, strip malls, a new bridge over the Amite River at Hooper Road… All of these are certainly legitimate sources of complaint for many Central residents.
    In most or all of these issues Central is caught in the middle, feeling the pressure from one side, the parish or the state or the forces of economic growth, and on the other side the pressure we impose on ourselves in our desire to have a quiet, enjoyable, rural lifestyle community… with all the conveniences we can get.  We ARE caught in the middle, but remember that this was our choice, and it was a good choice.  Consider what we have gained by forming our city and our school system.
    The Central community has always been right in the middle of the traffic from Livingston to Baton Rouge.  Becoming a city was never going to make the traffic problems magically disappear, but it has given us a voice that is heard through our legislators at the parish and state level to participate in and help shape the projects that impact our traffic.  And, as a city, we now control the design of local surface streets that can alleviate traffic and better serve Central residents.
    Prior to incorporation the Central area was viewed only as a rural and bedroom community suburb of Baton Rouge, with no intentional plan to create a community and bring goods and services to this area.  As a city we now have made our own set of rules to attract the types of commercial and residential growth we find desirable.
    Creating our own school system did not exempt Central from the mandates of state and federal government.  However, it did give us the ability to create an educational environment that can work within those rules and still give our children one of the best educations in Louisiana.
    For me, what this all boils down to is this: Central is certainly caught in the middle of a struggle to meet traffic, economic and educational challenges, while creating and maintaining the lifestyle this community desires.  But remember, we chose this, so let’s make the best of it.  More importantly, that choice has given us options, and the ability to meet these challenges on OUR terms as a community.  That choice that Central voters made almost ten years ago has certainly turned out to be Good News for a Great City.