It’s a time that could be spent complaining about the economy and a host of “what use to be’s”, “why me’s” or casting the blame on whoever it was that didn’t see it coming.  The fact is our community in Allen Park has to deal with it.  Economist talk about the pitfalls of a “self prophesying prophesy” and how this attitude will add to the problem (I personally have chosen not to read the newspapers or listen to that part of the television news that deals with the problems of the economy).

I think a better direction is to look at the opportunities that exist now in our community of Allen Park, but would not have appeared if the status quo had stayed the same and to look at what is good about our community and our region.

Our community, our residents, through necessity and through innovation have taken steps in the recent past to adapt to the changes in our work lives that we are all experiencing now and it was done without our current circumstances in mind.

What do we have to be grateful for?  Allen Park’s school system is considered one of the best in the region and recent updates in buildings and curriculum will go a long way in filling the jobs of the future. Baker College moved facilities into Allen Park and is making education convenient and affordable.  The Allen Park Downtown Development Authority is making improvements to our small business community and creating opportunities for other businesses to move to our community of Allen Park.  We have an expanded Civic Center that is the home of our recreation department and provides increased services to the community.  Allen Park’s city council, as recently disclosed in the community, has been working to develop new employment opportunities in the movie industry, and let’s not forget the Detroit Automobile Salon that currently occupies space on Southfield Rd.

Allen Park is also a community with service organizations.  I happen to belong to the Allen Park Rotary.  Just prior to Christmas, we asked our local elementary school students to donate slightly used or new toys to be distributed to those in need.  The response was overwhelming and appreciated by the distribution centers that made the donations available to those families in need.

While most local communities are experiencing large inventories of foreclosed homes, Allen Park is at the bottom of the list and is one of the best selling cities downriver.  While prices have declined across the board some 30 to 40 percent in our community, Allen Park homes are moving if they are priced correctly.  During the last six months of 2008 Allen Park experienced 101 closed residential communities.  This is in comparison to 106 during the same period in 2007 and 135 in 2006.

The truth of the matter is these are tough times…times only historians can relate to.  But there are also many things to be grateful for.