All of the kerfuffle over the proposed lagoon has stirred up a healthy debate about what this town needs. We have heard about a pool, recreation center, movie theater and lagoon. These are all valid suggestions. However, I have a question to pose. Don’t we love our town becauseit is small and beautiful? If so, why are most of these proposals on such a grand scale?

Take for instance the idea of a movie theater. I have seen and heard a lot of support for this but it is usually dismissed because of sustainability. Well of course we can’t sustain a Harkins theater, or some other big chain. Would our small, beautiful town be the same if it could?

Instead, how about a smaller movie house that shows classic movies, and a select few new movies? We could even run a small poll in the newspaper where people vote for a movie of the week out of some pre-selected choices. The winner gets shown on Fridays or Saturdays.

We need to bring into town things that appeal to the families and businesses already residing here and not put our sole focus on drawing people from places like Mesa and Scottsdale.

The proposed lagoon sounds like another project that is too big for our small town. A community center with indoor pool (not a massive water fun world), arcade (some classic games and a fun place to gather), specialty shops (boutiques, not cookie-cutter stores) and great food are the key. If we grow to fit our true size, our small, beautiful town will draw people from surrounding areas naturally.

We are a small town, so how about we adopt plans that keep it that way?