A Lifelong Piedmont Resident’s Plea: How Did Our Beloved Town Come to This?
| I remember when Piedmont took pride in doing things right. When a promise made was a promise kept. When our community projects reflected the excellence we expected from our schools, our parks, our local government. That Piedmont seems to be fading before our eyes. The pool debacle isn’t just about swimming – it’s about who we’ve become as a town. What happened to the Piedmont that planned carefully and executed flawlessly? The Piedmont where $19.5 million meant $19.5 million, not $34.9 million and counting? The Piedmont where “spring completion” didn’t mean “maybe by summer… or later”? As someone who raised children here and watched them grow up enjoying our community amenities, I’m heartbroken to see what’s happening: • Our hard-earned tax dollars treated like an endless slush fund • Basic project management failures becoming routine • Excuses replacing accountability • A disturbing pattern where no one ever seems responsible for mistakes The pool is just the most visible symptom. Around town, I see other signs of decay – projects delayed, standards slipping, that famous Piedmont pride being replaced by shrugs of resignation. We’re becoming the kind of community we used to pity in other towns. To those currently leading our city: We entrusted you with our home. You’re breaking that trust. Every day this drags on, every dollar wasted, every unmet deadline chips away at the special place we’ve built together over generations. I’m not writing this out of anger, but out of love – and deep concern. Piedmont deserves better. Our children deserve better. The residents who work hard to afford living here deserve better. It’s not too late to turn this around, but we need: 1. Immediate transparency about the pool’s real status 2. A full accounting of where every dollar went 3. New safeguards to prevent this from happening again 4. Leadership willing to take responsibility The Piedmont I know and love is still in there somewhere. Let’s find our way back to the standards that made us proud to call this town home. Our community’s future depends on it. |