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Even gift horses require maintenance

Published 12:01am Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Somewhere in the back of our minds, we’ve all wondered what it must be like to get that life-changing call, the one in which you’re informed something very valuable has just fallen into your lap.

It might go something like this:

“You’ve won a prize worth millions of dollars, absolutely free of charge,” the caller tells you.

“No way! I’ve never won anything in my life!” you say. “This is great.”

“All you have to do is agree to a few small stipulations, before we can give you the prize,” the prize giver says.

“Sure, sure, absolutely, I’ll do anything.”

“First, you can never sell it and you must take great care to maintain it, or its value will diminish quickly.”

“Absolutely, sign me up.”

“Lastly, there’s an issue about the maintenance. You must agree to maintain it, and it costs $250,000 to maintain it properly,” the caller tells you.

“Whoa, let me think this through. So the million-dollar prize will cost me $250,000 more each year, just to maintain it? I don’t have that kind of money.”

Even in the hypothetical euphoria of having just won a million-dollar prize, it doesn’t take long to realize the real cost of something can be far greater than its face value might suggest.

The City of Natchez is working to secure another $2 million in grant funding to help build a riverside park, and we’re thrilled, absolutely thrilled that the city is working to develop its greatest asset.

But just like our hypothetical prizewinner, the city must make a reasonable plan for properly maintaining any additional infrastructure to the city.

If they don’t, citizens may find additional taxes may be ahead.

 

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  • Anonymous

    The ND never asked this question about the “rec complex” nor the bus station.  Why now?

  • Anonymous

    See number of comments on the article, most all are in agreement.

  • Anonymous

    I BELIEVE IN MY HEART OF HEARTS THEY’LL WORK IT OUT.

  • Anonymous

    No worries…the City of Natchez will just seek more grant money to support the park, the bus station and rec complex that was built with grant money. That’s the solution to everything, “grant money” ourselves into complete oblivion.

  • Anonymous

    Hey!  Have you EVER, EVER, EVER heard of investing in our future?  Under your logic, why have children? Are y’all the ones that thought that killing all the grass around town would be better than paying to mow it? Do you like to go to Memorial Park? Maybe we should just go ahead and kill the grass and the trees, dry up the fountain put gravel everywhere. Maintenance Free!! That would be lovely wouldn’t it?

    Also, you neglected to iterate where “gift horse” came from. As in “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

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