I’ve heard a number of people lately talking about the new development on the horizon for our fine city. I’m talking about people who want Anna to remain largely how it’s been for the past 100 years.

I think this sentiment is something we can all relate to on some level — those who have been here for generations are hesitant to see the town they’ve grown up in succumb to the ever expanding urban sprawl. Many of those who have moved here in recent years did so because they like the small-town character Anna represents.

Unfortunately, I’ve got some bad news for those who prefer an Anna with more cornfields than developed land: The growth is coming.

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I was driving to a friend’s house today - an oft-traveled route between Hwy 5 and West Crossing on Hackberry, when I once again found myself doing the “Hackberry Slalom.”

For those unfamiliar, the “Hackberry Slalom” is the fast and furious dodging of deep, wide potholes in the unpaved section between the old city road and the newer section paved by the developer of West Crossing.

Why, oh why, do we have a 30 foot section of a relatively major road that is effectively nothing more than a pockmarked dirt and gravel road?

The developer paved quite a bit to the west - more than I would expect, really - but why stop 10 yards from the paved section? Why hasn’t the city done more than occasionally toss another truck load of rocks on the ground?

I know that the city isn’t swimming in cash, but really — this is embarrassing, unappealing, and unsafe.

Given that we’ve collected record sales tax payments lately and the fact that the budget was estimated low to account for the possibility that alcohol revenue would be gone, it seems reasonable to assume that there’s a budget windfall that should allow for some road work to be done.

Perhaps the City of Anna should take some of that cash and invest it in laying down some new blacktop.

My vehicle’s suspension would sure appreciate it.