When I am about town, I hear complaints about what we don't have in Crestview.
There is a strong desire for better traffic flow, which is certainly needed, as well as specific national restaurants, more stores, fast food chains or even a mall.
While I agree that we need some new places to shop and eat, I would like to focus on the amenities we have.
We have lovely parks in Crestview, from Spanish Trail to Twin Hills to the athletic fields at Durrell Lee and Allen Parks.
I love the walking trail at Twin Hills Park, but my favorite activity there is feeding the ducks and geese — what fun to have them waddle up and eat out of your hand.
Durrell Lee and Allen both provide sports and recreational facilities for our children and youths, and Spanish Trail hosts carnivals and other fun events throughout the year.
Many of our parks have barbeque and picnic facilities, as well as playground equipment for the children. We have several parks in convenient locations for most residents.
It is nice to see that Crestview takes pride in their parks.
As well as lovely, accessible parks, Crestview has many wonderful, locally owned and operated businesses that serve our community.
We are fortunate to have a good variety of services and many restaurants, and just about any cuisine is available.
We also have local pharmacies that are willing to order specialized items we may need.
Please patronize our local businesses.
Crestview has a wealth of churches, ensuring that we can worship the Lord in the manner we prefer.
We also have national stores that make our lives easier.
Every town needs a combination of both local and national businesses to serve the needs of its residents. Crestview seems to have a good mix.
I am thankful for the businesses we have, as they help generate the needed tax revenues for the services we have.
I look forward to new stores and restaurants in the future, however I am content with what we have.
Janice Lynn Crose, a retired accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CROSE: Focusing on what Crestview does offer