It is just a shame how this community can be so negative and how people can write so many nasty comments about this Crystal Lagoon project.

I am a business owner in this town and have lived here for 12 years and have enjoyed this town very much. I am also one of the people asked to be on the Committee for the Crystal Lagoon idea, along with many other business people in this town.

As we attended these meetings and were educated on this project, we all had many questions about the why, how and what-ifs regarding this project and we discussed many of the issues that I read in this paper and on the Fountain Hills Connection page. What we all knew is that this is a complex project because of the reclaimed water, the fountain itself and how we make it all work together and keep the character of our fountain a town.

One thing we all agreed on is that whether it be this Crystal Lagoon project or another project presented, our town does need a niche to call our own so we have visitors coming to Fountain Hills for the day to relax and spend money in our town, which will support local businesses and create a thriving community and downtown area.

If this can be accomplished (no matter what the niche is) you will see families wanting to live here, which will help every aspect of our town including our schools, real estate values and local businesses. The question to ask ourselves is what do we want Fountain Hills to be? Do we want our town to be a vibrant, thriving community or do we want a quiet, retirement community? That answer will sway your vote on any project presented.