Barnegat has been making the news lately and for all of the wrong reasons. We all must be aware by now of the horrific discovery at 21 Potomac Court. For reasons unknown, the abandoned townhouse contained the decomposed bodies of at least 50 long-dead animals, abandoned and left without food or water. This act is certainly cruel and unthinkable to any decent person.

I noticed when my neighbor starting walking just one of her dog's instead of two, I feared that the other dog might have passed away. I asked her when I had occasion to speak with her and she mentioned that her "other dog was getting too old for long walks." I was relieved. Do you think the fate of those poor defenseless animals would have been different if the neighbor's of this townhouse asked a few questions and made a few phone calls?

There has been much talk about the area that surrounds Potomac Court, Lexington to be specific. Wherein people from that neighborhood made several negative quotes about Barnegat, the Lexington area, to the barrage of inquiries by the news media. There were also unfavorable comments from former residents that moved due to their views of the neighborhood deterioration.

I believe it is very easy and safe to blame "Lexington" and its resident's for "lowering property values and increased crime and mischief." That is the position of many in this town who offer a negative opinion but no solution. Well let's look at the facts folks! "If takes a village to raise a child", how many neighbor's will it take to save a neighborhood? If what is going on in Lexington bothers you, why don't you do something about it rather than pointing the fickle finger of blame?

We are a community, full of diverse people from all levels of socio-economic strata. Instead of turning a blind eye to the problems that exist in Lexington, why don't we reinvest in this community? This neighborhood is not unlike yours, it consists of hard working people who would like to have some civic pride and a safe place for their families too.

It is considered to many that the "renters" in Lexington are the problem. That may be partially true; some disenfranchised people may feel that they don't own their unit and they are not responsible for the up keep, but they could only be part of the problem. Not every renter is of this mind-set; I rented for several years and always took pride in my surroundings.

A renter's commitment to their home is as good as his landlord's commitment to his property. Why aren't the landlords enforcing their leases? Why aren't these landlords including in their leases that keeping the unit clean and kept neat in conjunction with local ordinances is mandatory and fines will occur if there are violations found? For that matter, what kind of ordinances does Barnegat have regarding up keep of property and are the codes being enforced in Lexington (as well as other areas)?

My point is, we can make a difference in this community if we have enough people who care. Whether you are from Lexington or Rose Hill your sense of community pride should be the same. I believe we can make a difference. I believe that if we started a community garden we could restore pride in our neighborhood! It all starts with concerned citizens with a willingness to make a difference. A community garden is any space where plants are grown and maintained by a community to meet the needs of that community. It can serve many purposes. They can be designed for any or all of four major purposes: food production, neighborhood beautification, environmental education and horticultural therapy.

I am not a politician; I am a concerned citizen who is equally appalled at what happened on 21 Potomic Court as you are. The acts of the people responsible for that atrocity will be played out by our legal system. But we are all part of the same community and the negative impression left by this incident stains Barnegat's reputation

I think it's time we put some civic pride in this neglected area of town. Helping the least in your community can only increase positive results for the whole community. Would you rather be part of the problem or part of the solution? "Settler's Pride-Community Garden" is it one woman's fantasy or can we care enough to make it a flourishing reality?