Little town, big progress

Words: Jennifer MorrellI live in the small, North Georgia town of Cumming. With all its charm, this quaint city is exploding with growth — both residential and commercial. A close proximity to Atlanta is coupled with an excellent school system to make Forsyth County nearly irresistible to executives and young families alike. And, the mountain views don’t hurt, either.

But let’s focus, for the moment, on the “quaint” factor. Cumming boasted a beautiful brick courthouse, appealing to the eye and the heart. So, you can imagine the initial response of our residents, when we saw an enormous new courthouse breaking ground across the street from its predecessor.

“Why do we need a new courthouse?” many asked. “And why does it have to be so darned big?”

Well, flash forward about 18 months, and our new courthouse is up and running. It stands mighty and proud, constructed fully of masonry. Now that the building is there, and I have grown more accustomed to its enormity, I have to say that I have grown to love it. It’s modern, dignified and just plain gorgeous.

I guess the message here is that, sometimes, “new” isn’t always a welcome thing. But, sometimes, it is.
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