I have owned my property in Port O’Connor since 1985. I bought it as a fishing camp, a place to get away from the public and fish until my heart was content—which it never was! I have made Port O’Connor home since 1989, even though I have worked in several cities during that time. I choose to continue to make Port O’Connor my home even though I could live just about any place I choose. I know very few people here—as my work and hobbies take me away for different lengths of time. But, I have a great deal of knowledge about people in general and that drives me to write this letter.
As soon as I bought my property I recall two specific incidents that relate to the purpose of this letter. First, a person that I got to know during my search for a place to buy used a phrase: “Down here in this land of fun and sun, you never flush for number one!” I quickly learned what he meant! The second incident came when I had a stopped up system and sought the assistance of a local plumber. He came to my place and searched for the septic tank. He found it right beside a concrete slab which I was told during the purchase process to be the outdated water well—out dated because now the house had “running water”. To solve my problem the plumber simply took the top off the septic tank, inserted a sump pump, and began to pump the septic tank empty—pumping it out onto the lawn of a neighbor—who thankfully was not at home. The plumber turned and said that should hold for a few months.
Fast forward to 2014! Today, I do not have to worry about my water coming from directly beneath my septic tank. I can flush any time I desire. That system has not failed me since its inception. Today, people who leave Port O’Connor after a weekend of fun, do not have to load up their trash and take it home with them as was the common practice when I first bought the place. Yes, I vividly recall truck beds loaded with plastic bags of trash leaving Port O’Connor every Sunday afternoon—much of which was blown out of the trucks and landed on Highway 185, sometimes before they got out of town.
I do not know one person who is serving on the board of directors who are implementing the public water/sewer system. Are they the most intelligent, well prepared individuals? They might be. They could be. I doubt it. Are they well intended? I bet they are! Are those who complain about their work well intended? I think they are. I do know that most every person wants to do well, wants to please, and even though the work they do or the project on which they work is less than satisfactory to everyone, they are, for the most part, well intended, decent individuals who have given their personal time to serve. That concept is true in just about every walk of life. When things do not go as one desires, often time civility is lost, blame is thrown about, yet, working together in a sensible, productive manner to resolve any issue is often overlooked.
I am like most everyone else—I do not like higher taxes, unplanned changes, unexpected utility issues, bad water, on and on. I also am like most everyone else, I do very little to resolve the differences. The water issue(s) like most any other contemporary issue facing us, can be resolved by working together in a civil manner. Generally speaking, problems cannot be resolved by casting blame, taking sides, inspection, or incivility. We should know this by looking at the model of the United States Congress.
As I write this I want to say that each time I turn on my faucet and get water, each time I push the commode handle down and it flushes, and on each designated day my trash is picked up, I am grateful. I also, want to say that I am happy to know that my neighbor will not have to pump his septic tank on my property. And finally, I want to express my appreciation to those who have served the public in different roles to enable the above to take place.
Larry R Vaughn
Letters to the Dolphin:
P.O. Box 777, Port O’Connor, TX 77982, dolphin1@tisd.net
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