BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON -- In a community facing an uncertain future, Vivian White meets every week with a handful of women to preserve a skill from the past.
Wednesdays are reserved for the quilting bee. Ms. White and the other women have met for eight years now, making quilts that the Lebanon Council of Garden Clubs auctions as a fund-raiser.
Sewing machines would make the work a lot easier, but the group is "preserving a way of life of another generation," Ms. White said.
It's not quite so easy for the city of Lebanon to figure out how to preserve its way of life.
Long considered a quaint, provincial community, Lebanon has undergone rapid growth, from 10,453 residents in 1990 to an estimated 13,700 in 1998. By 2010, the population is expected to reach 17,400. During a three-day series this week, The Cincinnati Enquirer examined how the development has strained city services and the school district. The series also discussed the philosophical dilemma facing residents: Slow down growth or embrace it.
In response to the series, some residents said they see the new development with an eye to opportunity. Others view it as the beginning of the end of the Lebanon they love.
The influx of residents means the Countryside YMCA has more people to serve, Vice President Ann Stengl said. To accommodate the growing population, the organization -- with 15,000 members -- has expanded its programs, added parking spaces and discussed long-term projects such as constructing a skate park for teens.
For Toni Taylor, who has lived in Lebanon for 40 years, the issue is not how much the area has grown, but why it has taken so long. Its location between Cincinnati and Dayton makes Lebanon a prime spot for commuters and others wanting to escape the bustle of urban life, she said.
"Lebanon is controlling its growth beautifully," she said. But resident Leslie Brinkman sees a flip side to the development. The city is losing the green space that surrounded her childhood home on Ohio 48.
Another obvious result of the burgeoning population is the traffic congestion, she said.
"It's a running joke here," Ms. Brinkman said. "It's easier to go to Dayton Mall than through downtown Lebanon."
