“Let’s start listening to our people and start taking action on what matters in our hometown of Elmira.”

To the Editor, WHEN RUNNING INTO A friend and his wife from Elmira we were able to do some catching up on life. I noticed they had sold their home and I was interested as to where they had relocated and how they were doing. After 70-plus years in Elmira and being very involved in the community, they had to move to Kitchener due to the fact that Elmira didn’t have much to offer in a senior/retirement living, with nothing projected in the future.

It has been on my mind for quite some time as to what does Elmira have to offer when I wish to sell my property? I enjoy going into town and walking the streets just to say “hello” and meet up with the folks that have been a part of Elmira for generations. What is Elmira becoming? Does anyone wonder or are we too busy in our lives to care? Where are people of the 60-plus generation having to go in order to live a more simply comfortable lifestyle? We are moving them out. What a shame.

We have had in the past some land that could have been used as beautiful location for condos. They were sold for individual homes. Fortunately there are still a couple locations that could be used for one-floor condo units with lovely center-core gardens if someone would just use their imaginations. According to my friend, township council is saying it’s the builders’ fault and the builders are saying it’s the township’s fault. Do we need to point fingers? We should be working together to make “our Elmira” home for all.

I look around us and see that Elora, St. Jacobs and even Floradale have taken into consideration the aging population, with Elmira people moving there. Elmira is continually building single-family homes – two-storey, putting them on smaller lots all the time in order to build more. Why can’t we be a bit more creative?

We have drug stores, banks, post office, restaurants, jewellery stores, hardware, health stores, convenient store, library, medical buildings, thrift stores, transit, LCBO and even ice cream and coffee shops, just to name a few, all within walking distance. Who’s going to use these in the future? If a huge percentage of our building is for young couples and young couples with families, they will go to the city for shopping, the arenas and the parks.

My question to you all is, do we not want to hang on to the people that love Elmira or do we want to lose them to other small towns, communities and cities?

We gave Elora the raceway and look how they have grown. Maybe we need to observe and learn from this. Let’s learn to hold on to what we have and figure out how to best use it – hold on to the opportunities that are given us and be proud of what we have been blessed with: families and community caring.

Let’s start listening to our people and start taking action on what matters in our hometown of Elmira.