On a hot Thursday evening, the community celebrated the groundbreaking for Texas Health Azle’s new Outpatient Services and Education Building. There were carnival games, food, prizes and even a text messaging contests. Many families were also able to pick up some school supplies for the new school year. As we celebrated on the dirt where a building stood just a few weeks ago, I had to reflect a bit about the past.
The old Lester’s building is gone and some small part of me is sad to see it go. During the last nine years, I have many fond memories of working and teaching in this one of a kind place. I would like to list a few things I will miss about the dearly departed building. First are the many poles. As many know, these poles support the ceiling since there were not many walls. While teaching exercise or line dancing classes, it was always fun to “dance around the poles.”
The second thing I will miss about Lester’s is the really cool basements. There were doors in the floor which lead to a staircase into the basement. It was always fun to carry items up and down the stairs wondering if I secured the doors so they would not fall. Of course, after the first time of NOT securing the doors, it was much easier to remember!
In light of all the many things I will miss about the old building, I try to comfort myself with thoughts of what I will be gaining. There will be three classrooms instead of one. With more space, we can offer more options such as support groups. Organizations, such as the Alzheimer’s Association, have already been in contact to discuss future endeavors. What a comfort it must be to know there is support available if someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia related illness. Support groups can not only help the affected person, but also the family and the caregivers. What a wonderful service to offer the community of Azle.
In addition to the new classes, there will be the latest in audio visual aids. Of course, it will be hard to retire the overhead projector. It is also time to retire the VCR. This may not mean much to most people, but it was getting very difficult to find VCR tapes. It is even tougher to find cassette tapes. Recently, I was talking to a sales person about music for my line dancing class. I asked it the music was available in the cassette tapes. He asked, “Available in what?”
I could go on and on. I could even talk about the additional parking when the project is complete. Imagine coming to the hospital and NOT circling several times for a parking spot. I cannot fit into one article all of the many great things about the new building. So, I will just leave you with the best thing about the new building. With more space and better equipment, we can teach more people how to have better health. What better investment can there be.
- Marsha Ingle
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