Loss of Skydive Tecumseh to hurt businesses, families

To the Editor,Let’s forget about noise. Let’s forget about alleged (proven untrue) safety violations. Let’s forget about whether or not any individual wants or does not want to jump out of a plane. Let’s talk about families.The loss of Tecumseh Skydive to our community goes exponentially farther than the businesses arguing over a verbal easement.Initially, its loss impacts the Gerschwiler family and their two young children. Shannon and Franz have now lost their primary source of income and are scrambling to find a way to reinvent the business in another location and potentially another community.The loss impacts the employees of Skydive, who, without the business, will either have to find new jobs or move with Skydive to whatever location they decide on.The loss impacts the families who own Jerry’s, as they may see a summer drop in business from the lack of skydivers visiting up the road.The loss impacts JR’s, Frosty Boy, the Dog House, the Daily Grind, and any other number of restaurants owned by local families that may have had a daily flux in business from the skydivers and their families visiting town.The loss impacts our family owned downtown retailers, as a trip to Tecumseh may have meant a stop at DGII, or the Tea Garden, or Tilton and sons to celebrate a notch on the bucket list.The loss impacts our gas stations, our grocery stores, our hardware stores.The loss impacts countless Tecumseh residents who spend their summer evenings truly enjoying the parachutes fill the sky.This loss is so much more than less colorful skies over Tecumseh. It is so much more than business. The loss of Skydive Tecumseh will be felt by our tourism and economic pulses. So many people come to Tecumseh to skydive, but they come back because of everything wonderful that they find here.If Mr. Aalto connected his family to Tecumseh, he would feel that impact too.Rhaea MillerTecumseh