Being a Gilbert, Arizona resident, I found this article more than noteworthy. In a post on Arizona Republic’s website referencing the inevitable forward progress of life in our thriving Valley of the Sun, Dale Hallock writes, “With all the congestion in downtown Old Gilbert today, it would be nice to have a back way across the tracks.”

I see his point, I do. Mr. Hallock’s once-convenient shortcut, among so many others, is no more. Having said that, we are all painfully aware that progress comes at a price, and that price is generally something along the lines of eliminating one convenience to make way for several more prudent amenities. The function of a city’s decision makers is, after all, to not just maintain but to improve the quality of life within their domain, and to attract new business, new residents and ultimately new revenue.

I truly appreciate, and am fascinated by Mr. Hallock’s knowledge of Gilbert’s past, and I thoroughly enjoy his recounting of stories from his childhood (what an awesome treehouse that must have been). I have to agree with Mr. Hallock on several points: It is almost always disturbing to see the obliteration of

Attribution: User:Marine 69-71 via Wikimeda Commons

buildings with a heritage. And it does often feel like life in the modern world is restricted to death. But I have to disagree with his assessment of downtown Gilbert as “congested”. Granted, at this particular moment there is road construction in the works and I find myself avoiding the downtown area unless I need something in particular there. But in general, downtown Gilbert is developing into an attractive mix of history and forward thinking.

In the last dozen or so years I’ve watched the city struggle with achieving just the right balance between preserving its heritage and appealing to the contemporary disposition of its residents.

The downtown area seems to finally be coming into its own with charming, historical buildings housing thriving businesses, and successful restaurants attracting such a dedicated following that there suddenly appeared, a brand new parking garage. The town buildings just south of Gilbert’s downtown business district are tasteful and architecturally appealing, and there is definitely a quaint charm not found among strip malls and grocery stores.

I can honestly say I am happy and in fact proud to be a resident of Gilbert, Arizona. The town seems to value of respecing its history while realizing that the future is not going to pause. Keep up the good work Gilbert! I can’t wait to see what’s coming next.