A Horse Park in Aiken SC? That would be too Logical!

I am not one of the folks with "deep pockets" nor am I one of the old timers with a NIMBY (not in my backyard) attitude or that change is bad.

Aiken missed a great opportunity when the Sheik was interested in purchasing property in the downtown horse area. I know he is now selling the property he bought in place of the downtown property. However, just look at the amazing racing facilities showcased in Dubai a few years ago at the Kentucky Derby to get a feel for what could have been. Change can be good if it means some things are upgraded or improved.

I'm not saying we need a facility like that, but holding the Reining Championships in the Augusta James Brown Arena is a joke and losing the National Barrel Racing Championships due to lack of a facility was a sin. An Equine Community like ours should be ashamed we can't showcase all disciplines. Lack of space or facilities is not a good answer for an open and welcoming horse community like ours.

Yes we have facilities spread around Aiken that could be an adjunct for the Horse Park. However, they are not adequate to bring in the really big events that could bring jobs and an infusion into our economy. Now is an opportunity for Aiken to really claim it's crown as "THE Horse place to be".

I have never seen such an equestrian centered community. It's theme runs throughout all of our daily lives in some small way, even if it's just the horse head on all of the downtown street signs, or the life size statues of painted horses strategically placed around town. Yet "we" resist change when it could mean expansion of the horse community and the events held in the area.

I know there are folks for and against a Horse Park, and many of those against it probably have a stake in local facilities. If done right, the Horse Park could bring even more to the local facilities when folks see the variety of amenities already here, not to mention the welcoming attitude of the people.

I personally like the idea of an Aiken Horse Park. However I don't totally agree with the study's predetermined location north of I20.

After visiting the amazing Horse Park in Macon, GA, I never saw the town. Everything I needed was right there. If not inside the complex, hotels and restaurants have popped up along the outskirts of the facility. Why visit Macon in a busy schedule? Of course if I stayed longer I would want to get out of the facility. The way they structured it is a bit cold for my taste and not that inviting with only one open hamburger shop on premise.

Now if another location was considered, that "forced" visitors to travel, even along the outskirts of town, without disturbing traffic patterns, then it should be considered for many reasons.

The study location would make it easiest for visitors from the north or east. They could get to the facility and leave without ever experiencing Aiken.

Other locations are easily accessed from major Roads. If infrastructure is to be improved, why not look at other alternatives, especially those that would entice folks into town. That could help with one of the goals for local businesses and other horse facilities to do more business. Also a location that could revitalize a neighborhood in need should be considered. We have plenty of those not always thought about in our County or the Western part of the State in general.

Open your minds to the exciting possibilities a beautifully planned and built facility could do for Aiken. It would draw more horse people here to actually experience Aiken and maybe invest in property here.

Let's think completely out of the box and start imagining a light rail system that could take you to the Horse Park, to downtown Aiken, the Columbia and Augusta Airports, downtown Augusta; but that's a subject for another article that will be posted soon...

Whether or not the I20 location is cast in concrete, other facility amenities should be considered. The park should have a "Downtown Aiken" look and feel with sections named after places in Aiken. The walkways could reflect names like Laurens, Whiskey Road, Easy Street, Hitchcock Woods. 

It should be a welcoming place with landscaping and with a duplicate Aiken County Visitors Center Gift Shop in it staffed during expositions. If done right, it can host other events that are not horse related.

While you are at it, figure in a permanent place where County Shelter dogs and cats could be showcased for adoption during an event. Friends of the Animal Shelter FOTAS Aiken volunteers could encourage Travelers with horse trailers to transport some of our over abundance of animals to no kill shelters in other locations. 

Also build an area where local merchants could set up on prebuilt carts, wagons, carriages or "stalls" (you get the equine idea) and bring town merchandise to the travelers like they do at the Steeplechase.

You could even have a food court where some local restaurants or caterers could set up shop for a few days. That would mean that the fare offered would not only be hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries!

Don't charge the vendors and restaurant owners exorbitant fees and rotate the opportunity to be a vendor or food purveyor at the park.

If done right, a Cultural Festival or other large event could be scheduled annually there during off peak from scheduled horse events. Music, art, plays and dance, with strolling musicians and performers in the alleyways! It could be the perfect place for a family oriented First Night New Year's Eve celebration that are so popular in other large towns. An Ethnic Festival like they have in Augusta could be so much fun with the variety of foods they showcase. With a good Event planner on staff, a lot could be done with the right facilities.

Wouldn't it be nice if all of that revenue helps our County tax base and allows us to increase aid to the education of the children of Aiken County without increasing our taxes?

Yes, I am a dreamer and have a positive outlook on life. I believe it's time for Aiken to really embrace change for the better and build a Horse Park that reflects the beauty and spirit of the Aiken Community.

Now all we need are some folks with deep pockets and a dream to make it happen!

Post Office Locations, Routes, Mailing Addresses and a Lost Identity

For the past 30 years I have physically lived in 4 different houses where the town I lived in was not recognized by the local town Post Office. One had a small Post Office that was protected by the local Congressman. It provided PO Boxes to residents who wished to convene in the former Town Center for gossip and sometimes flaunt their address. That town habit cost the Post Office and the town a lot of money to rebuild a few years ago, although it is now a lovely new facility connected to a Deli. The old Deli across the street went out of business with the demise of the old Post Office next to it. The Town Center activity has since shifted to the Municipal Building and the new Library that the folks decided to build; but that's another story for another time.

I currently live in Aiken, SC in an Equestrian Development that is divided by a Road. If you live on my side of the road, you have a Beech Island mailing address. If you live on the other side of the road and live in the same Development, under the same Home Owner's Association, the same Bridle Trail system, etc., you have an Aiken mailing address.

By the way, there is no Post Office in Beech Island, or Town Center for that matter. If I put my zip plus 4 into the Post Office search engine for the nearest Post Office to me, it comes up with Langley, SC, another small town with an old cemetery, no Town Center and a 4 Lane Highway running through it. Langley is about 7 miles in the opposite direction from where my life takes me. Did I mention I am a horse person and I live in Aiken?

I have gone through the logistics of this several times with local Postmasters and even written to the Almighty Post Master General, Congressmen, Senators, etc. I understand, under the current policy, that it can’t be changed due to postal routes that were established over 100 years ago based upon then existing rivers, streams, etc. I also understand, based on the comment I received from a PO employee in charge, that it made sense to change my address. However, they would never recommend it to their superiors as it would not be received well or go anywhere if they recommended it...status quo - good, speaking up with an idea - bad.

Here is where it gets interesting. I am serviced out of the North Augusta, SC Post Office, which is about 13 miles away and overseen by a Post Master who currently works in Augusta GA. The Aiken Post office is about 7 miles from my house. I’d much rather drive 7 miles to an area that I visit almost daily than 13 miles to a strange town to pick up a letter I must sign for, etc.

In addition, within 7 to 10 miles from my house and within less than 1 to 2 miles of the next Post Office, on the same stretch of busy highway, there are 5 Post Offices: Gloverville, Langley, Warrenville, Bath and Clearwater. Not exactly Town Centers today where people are convening for gossip and a cup of coffee. Google maps shows the Bath Post Office located in Beech Island!?! They get their data from the same data base that the Post Office uses for their routes.

Some of these buildings were put in place at the request of Senator Strom Thurmond, many years ago, and frankly continuing to have any or all five of them is a waste of current tax payer money and resources. One of these offices only services about 200 people. However, the resident employee does have a lot of time to catch up on their magazine reading…

The Post Office has plans to deliver mail 5 days a week. That's OK with me. They want to do more online services, also OK with me. However, while they are at it, why not add some updated logic to mail delivery. I know they use GIS Systems (Geographic Information Systems) for mail routes, etc.

Why not give people what they basically really want, a mailing address from the town they live in? It should not require a physical brick and mortar building to be in the vicinity to accomplish this. If the Post Office uses existing technology and tweaks their systems, they could give me an Aiken mailing address and have whoever is physically closest to me deliver the mail to me.

If someone lives in New Vernon NJ, votes in New Vernon, is a member of the New Vernon Fire Department or the New Vernon School Board, they should be able to have a New Vernon mailing address instead of a Morristown or Basking Ridge NJ mailing address for mail delivery or a New Vernon Post Office Box to pick up their own mail. Folks could keep their Gloverville, Langley, Warrenville, Bath and Clearwater SC addresses, but not have to be serviced by a brick and mortar building physically located in "their town”.

We had a recent uprising in this area where a local Representative got involved because of a route change that changed peoples mailing addresses from the town they lived in. Imagine that? Maybe that's the opposite of what people want?

It has always been bad enough over the years trying to explain why I have a different mailing address than where I tell people I live. Directions are always a nightmare. However, think about the safety aspect too. In a small town where the local government rules and the Fire Department and Police Officers service the town, that's one thing. I now live in a large County with a large population. The County Sheriff's Department is stretched so thin over such a large area, they sometimes have trouble figuring out where I live! We have two wonderful Volunteer Fire Department's in our area. Because Beech Island's Fire Station is over 22 minutes and 13 miles away from us, the local Aiken Fire Station Volunteers will come to our side of the street as back up, because they are less than 5 min and 2 miles away!

The Post Office location or route should not determine a person’s address, but the town they live in should. The Post Office has zip plus 4, which narrows down physical locations. They could probably give me an Aiken mailing address with the same Beech Island Zip Code using my zip plus 4. They could change my zip code; I don’t care. Better yet, use this intelligence to reroute where mail is delivered from, with much more centralized delivery.

I could receive mail where I live, where I tell people I live. It's why I moved here in the first place; to live in Aiken and partake of it's equestrian lifestyle.  I'm not a wealthy person with a stable full of expensive horses. I am only a disabled Senior Citizen who likes to walk the trails quietly, commune with nature and my horse and enjoy the scenery. That's why I moved to Aiken.

The Post Office could reduce brick and mortar expenses tremendously. Some specific jobs may be lost, some gained and some relocated. I  would imagine based on commuting models that it would be better for the environment if routes were planned more efficiently. It would mean that a few workers may have to travel farther to work rather than the Post Office's larger vehicles traveling farther to deliver mail to illogical locations.

I realize this would stand the Post Office's hair on end and have people running into walls thinking the sky is falling. It would force Post Office employees to think out of the box, throw out the existing model, based in some cases on rivers and streams that have since rerouted themselves, and do something totally different. 

The Post Office needs to start thinking in terms of servicing people who live in specific towns. Recognize people's identities and the buildings that service them become less important.

This may not sit well with politicians who want to protect the status quo. Many government workers and people here in the South are afraid of any change, even if it benefits everyone and saves money. Many political careers were made in the past by doing favors for the locals, like giving them their own Post Office building.The South is full of favors and relationships. But this would have to take place everywhere the US Postal Service delivers the mail. The South will just have to go along with the change or maybe follow Strom Thurmond's way and stop change through filibuster, a political way of holding your breath until you turn blue and get your way.....

For once, use some new logic and updated technology. Ask people the right questions to find out what they want and they may find that many are lacking an identity when it comes to their mailing address. Look at the solution, the cost savings and the impact. Initially it will be big on all counts. Yes, people will have to change their business cards, mailing labels and stationary. Oh wait, most of that is created digitally anyway. It’s happened previously, maybe before some reader's time. People were upset about change when standard Area Codes were changed and new ones added by the old AT&T, as the number of people with landline telephones expanded. Somehow we all survived that change. 

The Post Office has to realize that changing existing Postal Routes, that made sense over 100 years ago, is not just about a mailing address. It's not just about efficiency in a needed business that is losing billions each year. It all rolls back into many small Post Offices that still may need to be in a Town Center. Some of these needed buildings bring their resident's together over more than coffee and gossip. In some rural cases, it's the place where needed help and support is found. They help keep the town's identity alive. 

A mailing address is just that. It's all about an identity, who I am, where I live, the home team I root for, the place where I volunteer, my town, Pride of Place, who I am. It's not only the town's identity, it's part of my identity. This is something that many Americans need strengthened: an identity and Pride of Place.

Hi, I'm Linda and I am proud to say that I live in Aiken South Carolina, USA.