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Show The Co-op/Academy building is not worth saving just because its old. It is not worth saving just because its historic. It .t~. worth saving fOI~ the simple fact that it has the potential to become a key element in a bold new approach to Ephraim's future growth and development. What is the best thing that Sanpete has to offer new businesses? Well, it has a good labor force, and ample recreational opportunities; but what seems to me most attractive about the valley is its wholesome small-town atmosphere, what city people would call a good "quality of life." And it is important to str'ess the fact that the quality of life of the valley is directly related to its historic identity the survival of the older village system, the continued presence of many fine older homes, and the existence of a strong pioneer heritage. There was and there continues to be something unique about the Sanpete Valley. 1 hear people talk about it after a trip there, or even just a visit --_. its a gt'eat place. So when we talk about pl~esel~vation in the Sanpete Valley, it's not just buildings we think about, but rather, about a way of life. Change is inevitable, and welcome. But change must not be accepted at any price (I just returned from New Jersey where they have plenty of factories but you wouldn't want to live thel~e!!), nor should it be vif~wed --... and this is a point I want to stress -- simply as the replacement of the old with the new. True progress involves combining what is good about the past with what will be best for the future. History is very much a part of the Sanpete persona, and should not be ignored as a device for marketing the place to outs idel~s . I am son~y that thi s became Sl.lch a lengthly lettel~. My colleagues have wal"ned me that such wordiness will discourage people from reading much beyond the first paragraph. Yet I could not address such a subject in a way that obscured its true complexity. The is s ue that I have not touched upon here, of course, is one of a more practical nature. How can the money be raised to rebuild the Co- op/Academy building. All I can say is that if and when a decision is made to t' estor'e the stt'uctul'e -_. . when its presel~vation becomes pal~t of the lal~ger clevelopm~mt plans of the college and city ......_- then 1 think the money will come. The two parts of the preservation process cannot be resersed; you cannot raise money until the project is legitimized through the active participation of the local power structure. When this happens, I think you'll be surprised at the positive response you'll receive . I strongly ul~ge YOl.1 to look at pl"eset'vation, not as an enem'y, but as a way of creatively, and bravely, facing the future. Sincel"ely, Thoma s Car·te j~ AI"chi ·t;(~chwal Hi stcwian |
