There was a time when Jakob’s Ladder wasn’t just a staircase—it was a lifeline. Kids scampered up and down its weather-worn steps, backpacks swinging and laughter echoing down the bluff. It was a necessary connection, a vital piece of everyday life. But times change, and so do the needs of a community.
Today, the ladder—reborn as a boardwalk—is less about getting somewhere and more about being somewhere. The rise and descent are now a form of leisure, not logistics. Mornings find joggers leaning into the incline, and evenings bring quiet wanderers gazing out over town. It has become a place of reflection, of recreation, and for some, of retreat.
So now we ask: do we need a second one? The City is fundraising to complete the east portion of the boardwalk that ends between two homes – not in a public area. So we ask, do we need this second branch?
On the surface, the proposal is appealing—another access point, another scenic route, another chance to connect with the land. But at what cost? An estimated half a million in donations is no small feat, especially when the current boardwalk asks again for attention, for repairs, for love. Are we stretching too far, trying to duplicate what already exists instead of taking care of what we have?
And deeper still, the question touches more than money or maintenance—it touches space, privacy, ecology. Those who live along the bluff, who call the forest their backyard—human and animal alike—might ask for something simpler: quiet. Every new footstep, every slat of wood laid down, shifts the balance of a place that’s long been shared but never overrun.
Maybe progress isn’t always about building more. Maybe it’s about tending to what’s already been built. Maybe it’s about asking not just what we want, but what we’re willing to care for over time.
So perhaps the ladder we need right now isn’t another one through the trees—it’s a ladder of thoughtfulness, of community reflection. One that helps us rise to a different kind of view: a view of responsibility, of balance, and of respect for both memory and change.
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