Letter to the Editor “Hey, Garland…Say it isn’t so…”

Dear editor,

Hey, Garland…Say it isn’t so…

We took a drive over to Pleasant Valley Road to take a look at the new bridge we’ve heard so much about, and we were amazed and amused. The bridge represents an entry into the City of Garland from Sachse. But it’s a back door entry! Because of where it is, the two towers look out of place. Federal funds were available, or maybe it was state funds, but the thing cost somebody $25 million. Only 10% city funding, we were told, and that probably went to pay for those towers on a bridge that has very little traffic. It’s a back door entry to Garland, with a shooting range being the first business seen and possibly heard by visitors.

The Garland logo is proudly displayed on the towers, probably the last thing you see coming over that bridge before you hear gunfire. Welcome to Garland. We respect everyone’s second amendment rights, but it’s still a shocker when gunshots are the first thing you hear upon entering the city. The bridge may have been necessary, because the creek was flooding and washing out the road. The operators of the shooting range wondered why they just didn’t make the creek wider, but that was most likely an EPA issue.

So we have a bridge next to the shooting range, but that’s not the only thing that made us wonder how this stuff happens. A small farm with a big red barn sits right next to the shooting range! The guy at the shooting range told us his neighbors are GISD students, and the property is occupied by Future Farmers of America. The Future Farmers of America are learning about farming next door to a shooting range! Just imagine how shell shocked the poor animals must be, if there are animals at that location.

What a trifecta! We found a $25 million bridge with weird looking towers that the city apparently paid good money for, next to a shooting range. Now everyone knows that shooting ranges are usually located in obscure places for safety’s sake. Then there’s the young future farmers next door, probably hovering in fear, next to their shell-shocked livestock. We don’t know if that’s altogether accurate, but it could be. As one very annoying person once said, “…it is what it is…”. Go see it for yourself, that spiffy new bridge could use some traffic.

Thank you for taking time to read my letter and allowing me to express my opinion.

Jesse C. Moore