Hillary Seeger: Fire horn as a nuisance? Consider preservation efforts

To The Daily Sun,

Many years ago, a family moved from out of town into the house that now houses the town hall annex. They had an elderly relative living on the third floor and the bells from the Congregational Church were bothersome to her, so the family filed a lawsuit against the church. Never mind that for decades people got used to the bells and even looked forward to them.

If I'm not mistaken, a moritorium was put in place for certain hours and once that family left the bells started ringing again.

The fire horn can be thought of in a similar fashion. People who have been in town for a while are used to it. More importantly, the volunteer firefighters who augment the full-time and on-call members don't have to be tied to their phones while out and about in the community. Furthermore, during large events, the fire horn let's the auxiliary know that something is going on so they can prepare and ready to serve those on the front lines.

We've since moved from Meredith, where my family had a home for over 40 years. Not because of the bells or the horn, but because of the AirbNb homes in our residential neighborhood that hosted parties and thought our front porch was a place they were welcome to sit anytime because it attached to the street. Maybe taking a look at the things that adversely alter the character of the town rather than those that preserve it would be a good idea.

Hillary Seeger

Alexandria