The Post recently shared an article about how older middle-class people are spending more in search of better lives. They are buying expensive homes, furniture and taking upscale trips. They are, according to the author, searching for the good life, a bit late, but with enthusiasm. According to the article, this has been a significant reason why the economy has been booming.
Searching for the good life, those things that fulfill the needs, wants and purposes of our lives is the stuff of philosophers, theologians, lyricists, stock brokers and a group as yet to begin its work for the village of Marcellus. Seeking input from village taxpayers, residents and non-residents who use the services of the village, this assemblage will explore what quality of life means to assorted stakeholders/interest groups.
The group will be contributing to the building of a comprehensive plan, a road map into the future that will guide the village as it addresses the changes that inevitable occur. Marcellus has an outdated … I hate that word … comprehensive plan. This forward-looking concept or blueprint outlining wants and needs that contribute to a quality of life is an exercise that is reconfigured about every five to 10 years by municipalities, corporations, not for profits, etc. It is exceptionally valuable as a guideline for development, for successful grant writing, for support for implementing its goals with assistance from government and other resources. It is a place to start in decision making rather than depending on the caprices of any specific person or persons.
My spouse and I debated about volunteering for this planning group. We decided that it is more appropriate for us to encourage participation rather than to add our 25 cents, but I have this problem – I am a recovering “know it all.” My opinions are just that, my opinions. Keep that in mind.
We moved into our modest house on First Street over 55 years ago and we began the process of becoming locals. One of our neighbors then was Mr. Woodford. He was in his 90s at the time and he welcomed us with open arms, sharing his knowledge of the village and its inhabitants and their stories, some quite colorful and unverifiable. He was a treasure.
Now, we, in our early 80s carry some of the same kinds of memories of past years in the village. We can count off who lived in what house, what stores and services have come and gone as well as which have stayed. Our children’s memories of the village are written with the names of people and shops that make up what they define as their hometown. Those memories, the interactions between and among villagers, visitors and the shops, personalities and change, has established the identity of Marcellus for us.
And what is the good life in a little village? There was a time when our doctor’s office was here. He lived next door to us. We shopped at both grocery stores, the Big M and the Red and White, bought our washing machine from Snyder’s, our hardware supplies from both Masters and Nightingales, purchased gasoline from the Sunoco station. Our kids will add to that with memories of going to Whitfield’s to have a snack after school or to the candy store on Main Street. I remember buying colored hair spray to use in one of the high school plays from a variety store on Main. Mail delivered to the old post office would reach your house even if it didn’t have a street address. Most of these experiences are connected to shops and services that no longer exist for any number of reasons, some good, some less so. I should also mention that I bought my Vega, the car that fell apart as I left the Chevrolet showroom, on North Street. That’s life.
Over the past few years we have added a great book store, a small but interesting boutique, a craft brewery and two sandwich shops, but we’ve lost a pharmacy, a fine dining restaurant and now a full service grocery store. If all goes as being planned, we will have three convenience stores, two pizza shops – maybe four if the current rumor about the purchase of Daniels is true – and three gas stations where we can purchase fuel so that we can drive to Skaneateles, Camillus and Fairmont to purchase medications and groceries.
I have no problem with convenience stores and pizza shops, but I do question why we will need three gas stations. No one is worried about not being able to get gas. What I would like, in my search for a quality of life, is local access to a full-service grocery store and a pharmacy. I don’t enjoy driving to other towns to get medicine and food. I want to spend my food and medication money here. And, even though our existing food purveyors are good at what they do, I would also like to be able to sit down and enjoy an upmarket meal once in a while without having to drive far. That is also keeping my money in the village.
I am hoping that those who are working on this comprehensive plan see the village not as a wide spot in the road that reacts to change rather than is prepared proactively about what change can occur as a thriving community where the quality of life is captured in providing the basics and the extras, the “only in Marcellus” shops, services and events that give the village the identity that drew us all here in the first place.
Just look around: where will you find a village that is awakened with church bells at 8 a.m., a widely-known and appreciated ice cream shop in a bowling alley, a world class library, a hardware store that is a garden center, a highly-rated school system, stores where you can buy feed for farm animals, what was, at one time, the only small pharmacy that was giving covid shots, a fine eatery establishment that drew diners from far afield and a grocery store where the meat department was legendary, drawing cutomers from as far away as LaFayette.
Each of us has a vision of what the quality of life is. We can, as those middle-class spenders are doing according to the Post, put our money where we find that quality. Do we want it close to home, part of village life or will we outsource it to other places?
And I should also add that the bartender at Daniels made the best Cosmopolitan cocktail ever.
