Letters to the Editor: Freedom Village leading the way in technology, efficiency
Freedom Village leading the way in technology, efficiency
Can you imagine while visiting your dad or mom at the senior community facility your car is getting energized for the next leg of your trip or the dinner engagement in the next town? You don’t have to imagine for if you are visiting a loved one at Freedom Village, you can charge your car on one of four Level 2 charging stations in their visitor parking lot while visiting. The voltage is 240, the charging time is 12-40 miles/hour.
Tim Rietman, director of facilities and Steve Stickel, director of sales and marketing, said that even as early as 15 years ago, they have had a goal of being environmentally responsible, conserving and transitioning to clean energy sources, yes even solar energy. Saltwater pool, recycling, LED lighting, smart timer water systems, and now electric charging stations … Kudos to Freedom Village.
Their motivation, to accommodate their residents, helped them move on the electric charging station project. This time, they helped George, a Freedom Village resident, who had ordered an EV through Crown Motors. With the construction of the street leading to their parking lot under construction, digging up their parking lot to run a 220-volt line to George’s parking space and to ask BPW for more power was timely.
Tim and Steve project there will be more need for charging stations, but for now, these four charging stations’ which are for residents and their guests, will be monitored for use and cost.
Freedom Village is an inspiration and a leader in our community as they invest in earth-friendly projects.
Can you also imagine while getting your hair done, while eating at a restaurant, while watching a basketball game, while worshiping in church, your car is being charged up? Can you imagine ...?
Moira Poppen Gargano
Holland
Take an honest walk down memory lane
Memories are fickle things. They have a way of shapeshifting over time. The trout caught a few years ago grows larger and it takes a box of old photos to recall how much skinnier we were. So, the question asked every election year, “are you better off today than you were four years ago?” draws from that mangled trove of “facts.”
Four years ago, we didn’t have enough toilet paper. Grocery store shelves were not fully stocked, schools were closing and preparing to teach remotely, barber shops and movie theaters were closing, masks and ventilators were in short supply, the vaccine was not ready, and the sick littered the hallways of big-city hospitals. Remember now?
Four years ago, COVID-19 was killing 200 Americans a day. One month later, it would grow to 2000. President Trump reassuringly said, “A lot of people think (COVID-19) goes away in April with the heat.” Two weeks later he doubled down: the infection rate was “going very substantially down, not up,” he lied. A month later, Dr. Trump offered helpful home remedies like injecting household disinfectants and shining UV light inside the body.
Four years ago, unemployment was 4.4 percent, and a month later it would spike to 14.8 percent before it slowly tapered back to 6.7% by December. The stock market suffered in 2020 with the Dow falling to 19,175. (As a reference, today it’s over 38,000.) Four years back, the GDP was falling and the so-called Misery Index was spiking, violent crime shot up to levels not seen since the 1970s.
Today COVID-19 is under control, all economic indicators are setting record highs, and crimes are declining across the board. So, when people recall the rosy days of four years ago, they’re remembering a past that never was. God bless their hearts.
Richard Kamischke
Grand Haven Township
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letters to the Editor: Freedom Village leading the way in technology, efficiency
