The delusion and hysteria are getting to me. Maggie Valley needs a downtown center. Little people can’t afford to pay medical bills, and they can’t afford insurance. One-fifth of the country can’t afford groceries with free and reduced school lunches. But Maggie Valley needs a center. The need is so self-evident I bet you don’t even know what a center is.

Well, let me tell you. It involves restriping the roads for the latest fad, reverse-angle parking. The stated objective is to wreck up traffic to make drivers pay better attention. It’s safer when it’s more disastrous because it keeps people on the alert. The center also includes what used to be called a traffic median but is now a refuge island. Sidewalks and bike lanes will further confuse driving. But in addition, there will be a splashpad and skating rink for the underserved recreational needs of youth, and a farmer’s market. This positive-energy vision of empowerment comes with a price tag (sans overruns) of only $7 million.

Mayor Saralyn Price asked a packed room of people at town hall last week not to focus on the price tag, but rather the possibilities.

“I ask that you keep an open mind and don’t worry about how much it’s going to cost,” she said before the plan was presented. “We are here tonight to see if we like the plan.”