At the same time, in my day-to-day work at Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, I recognize similar dynamics of change currently under way in the Oak Ridge community. We welcome our new city manager during a time unprecedented change. This includes accelerated environmental cleanup and modification at our Department of Energy facilities and the unprecedented Spallation Neutron Source project under way, along with the development of exciting new residential initiatives and challenging retail opportunities.

At home and work, I am constantly faced with the dynamics of change. This exposure has led me to conclude that the essence of change is the same, regardless of the setting.

For example, it is obvious that change generates stress. Some people embrace that stress, and some resist it. For the record, I am a great embracer of change. I'm intrigued by all the possibilities of where change might take us.

Whether change impacts a couple building a new home, or a community in transition, I believe success lies in first acknowledging that change is inevitable.

While some would hearken back to an earlier time, I believe that you can't simply stop change. To attempt to do so is to immediately begin falling behind, while nature moves forward and the downward cycle of regression kicks in.

The only way to move forward is to do so collectively. Successfully building a home would be impossible without a team that lays the foundation, frames the walls, and installs the roof. In a community, as in a marriage, moving forward is not one person's decision.

Another basic of change is that, while you can't stop change, you also can't run roughshod over everyone in the name of change. The challenge is to actively, consciously look for areas where you can work together.

The desirable outcome of change is to achieve things together that appreciate the various positions of both or all parties. That being said, obstructionists have no role in this worthwhile endeavor.

CROET exists to help stimulate the area's economy as it transitions from dependence on the federal government to a more independent economy that thrives on the private sector and successful commercial ventures. That is a huge transition.

As we have developed Horizon Center on the west end of Oak Ridge and as we work closely with the DOE at Heritage Center, we see the west end development of Oak Ridge as the perfect place to take a positive and proactive approach to change.

Like my new house, the west end of Oak Ridge is an ideal laboratory and, hopefully, the ultimate beneficiary of change.

Fortunately, Evalyn and I had no problem discussing the many decisions we had to make on our new house, prior to the crunch time for those decisions. So far, we've avoided unnecessary surprises.

I like to imagine that same dedication to a common goal within the diverse, rich population that makes up Oak Ridge, that same willingness to handle change by seeking out the opportunities where we can work together and be better off as a result.

To me, that means discussing Oak Ridge's west end development now, with a broader concept of development, while we still have time to talk and before development pressures inevitably force a solution that no one is particularly happy with.

As opinionated as I am, I am only one among many who stand ready to help Oak Ridge embrace the future. I encourage everyone who has an interest in our changing Oak Ridge to be willing to come to the table and to find those areas where we can work together for the benefit of the entire community.