There will always be concerns. Our town is small; we have a lot of people living in a very small space.

In a letter written recently, one citizen was concerned about another citizen’s concern over the possibility that his property value might be adversely affected by some development planned by the parks and rec district.

Let me say first off, the one silver lining in the current economic downturn is the beautiful lack of development in our small town. Believe me when I say I’m sorry if this has caused any problems for a family who may rely on the money made from constructing new development.

But our little town is overdeveloped, and the empty townhomes on Tapo Street and the Mountain Gate Plaza provide a very poignant example of this.

Every citizen has different concerns. One may not be worried about the development of a small golf course because they golf and the course is not directly behind or adjacent to his or her property; on the other hand, that homeowner doesn’t want to see any more pressure placed on his property value at this time.

We need to work together to make this a better place to live. Reassurances must be made, and community meetings must be held and attended, and the concerns of the citizens in attendance must be respected.

We have plenty of empty space that could be used for this project without adversely affecting a homeowner.

On a side note to that, it would seem that the parks and rec comes up with money for this type of project but pleads poverty when asked about sporting fields that would be used by a much greater slice of our population—$19 million is a lot of money. How about some lighted football fields that can double as soccer fields? More of our children play soccer than any other sport; I would like to see public fields free of gopher holes and lit up for evening play.

Always remember that we live in a small town; our projects should benefit more than just the few, and property owners’ concerns should not be trivialized by stating that some are living in the past. Mike Judge Simi Valley