The Jahono Territory

[HalcyonSpirit 0]

Hey there, Simtropolis.  I've been a huge fan of all the great stuff and awesome CJs around here for a few years now, so I thought that I'd finally pitch in a little something of my own.  It's not much right now but I'm hoping to get better as time passes.

Don't expect a whole lot of custom stuff, at least at the beginning.  I lost most of my plugins after a computer crash and I haven't restocked most of it.  If you have any suggestions for plugins I could use, feel free to speak up (for the record, I do have the NAM).  Just understand that I tend not to like plopping Res/Com/Ind buildings, so for zone buildings I'd prefer growables.

I'm hoping to keep a weekly update schedule; significant updates at least once a week.  I can't guarentee it, though, since I'm in my fourth year of my Aerospace and Ocean Engineering degree.  It's a major time-glutton.

In any case, on with the show!

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Cypress Creek.  The residents of this small town were once fairly well-off in another, distant region, but desired a simpler life away from the big city.  They grouped together and, upon scouring the maps, discovered a remote, undeveloped region along the west coast of the northwest continent.  It was a perfect location for them.  They sold all their collective assets to purchase, develop, and relocate to their new home.

The small town in the middle of nowhere was built to be both self-sustaining and aesthetically pleasing to its inhabitants.  Located on the side of a mountain, it would be the residents' safe haven from the rest of the world.  The people's homes were nearest the top of the mountain so they could have the best view of the land.  The "downtown" area was situated just down the slope from the homes and served as a hub for both people and goods.  The farms, the lifeblood of the town, were located further down the mountain, where the land was fertile and the farmers' views of the land was unobstructed.

For 15 years, the townspeople lived simply and peacefully in Cypress Creek without any contact from the outside world.  But change was on the horizon.  The outside world they had so purposefully shunned seemed intent on intruding on their livelyhoods once again.  Unbeknownst to them, the world's wasteful population was altering the planet's environment in small yet significant ways.  The rains that had given life to the fertile mountain soil began to fall less and less often.  The farms of Cypress Creek could no longer sustain the entire population anymore, but the town did not have any more people to help farm more land.  They needed help from the outside world to keep going, but the town had no money to pay for supplies.  It seemed as though they would have to abandon their sanctuary.

And then one of their own came forward with promises of renewed prosperity for the people.  She promised to bring money to the town so that they could buy everything they needed to help them live comfortably again.  The townspeople, although apprehensive about handing their fate over to a 20-year-old girl, had no one else to turn to and were drawn in by her promises.  They ultimately gave her permission to do what she needed to do.  She immediately left for the nearest town to negotiate a deal.  Two months later she returned with supplies and a deal with a town to earn the money they so deperately needed.  The citizens of Cypress Creek were ecstatic.  They threw in their support behind the girl as she laid out what they would need to do to uphold their end of the deal.  Three days later, Cypress Creek had its first elected official, Mayor Michele, and she was given her own mansion by the people soon after.  The people expected great things from their new leader.

In the next year, Mayor Michele breathed life back into the town.  More land was plowed to support the town and uphold the deal to grow produce for the other town.

With the money earned through the deal, Mayor Michele struck deals with power companies to build small solar power plants to bring electricity into the town as a goverment-approved experiment in sustainable energy.  She also established the town's first railroad to further help transport goods to and from the savior town.

The people's expectations were realized.  Mayor Michele had saved the town.  However, what they did not expect from their leader...

... were the new neighbors she brought to the region.

Welcome to the Jahono territory.  Enjoy your stay!

[Raysfan16 5]

First reply!

Anyways, nice start. I look forward to seeing your CJ develop.

[qinbenjiaren 0]

a very quiet village, hope I can live in it

[jacqulina 162]

good start and great intro my friend,nice start to the village and farming,nice pics.

[fabsies55 5]

you have good layout at the start the only thing i really have to say is to maybe download more thats it...

also go into options near where you take photos and change city detail to high so you can see driveways trees etc, on your lots.

[suomi2005 52]

Looks like a very nice begining I like the valley where the town is built.

[lifeless08 1]

Good start, good layout, should grow nicely

[GMT 389]

so far it looks good!

waiting for more

[nottheboss 1]

nice small town vibe

[HalcyonSpirit 0]

Hey there, citizens of Simtropolis!  Guess what?  I'M NOT A ONE-UPDATE-WONDER! 

I've got an update for you guys (finally), but let's first take care of other matters, shall we?

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For those of you that mentioned the small town aspect being appealing... sorry!  This update should make it apparent that Cypress Creek won't be staying that way.  But no worries; this is going to be a region-wide CJ, so I've got plenty of room for making some small towns.  Small towns are in my plans; Cypress Creek just isn't one of them.

fabsies55: Downloading stuff is the very reason why this update has come tonight rather than Tuesday night.  I spent a few days just picking up stuff from the STEX and LEX, then a few more days going back to those places to hunt down all the dependencies I missed the first time around!  Haha!  Needless to say, it took a while.  But now my plugins folder is a LOT bigger, especially with growable lots, so those will probably be showing up in the next update or two (not this one).  Oh, and as for the city detail, it was already set to high.  The textures were set to medium.  I upped all the settings I could, but I'm not sure how long I can keep them there; my computer is getting old and will have a hard time running the game once the cities start getting larger.

Alright, I think that's that.  Let's get going!

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Chapter 1: Dawn of a New Age

Once the people of Cypress Creek realized that their mayor had brought in outsiders to their land, they were left feeling rather upset.  The feeling was worsened by the industrial sector that set itself up nearby as well, sullying their picturesque view of the landscape with dirt and smoke.

Mayor Michele had not told them of this part of the deal, if it was even a part of the deal at all.  Several people met with the mayor at her home soon thereafter to find out what was going on.

"It wasn't a part of the deal, but how did you expect to maintain the lands?  We needed more people to keep the town from collapsing in the future," was Mayor Michele's response.  "Besides, it isn't too bad, is it?  They're living aaaaaall the way down at the bottom of the mountain, not up here.  I've already made it a law that nothing can be built up here on the mountain without the express permission of the original residents: you people.  It's a lot better than having to leave here because no one else moved in.  Plus, the extra money let me fund the school properly and open a medical clinic!"

None of those present were entirely satisfied by this, but they nonetheless accepted it.  It was better than having to move back to the outside world, and actually having qualified teachers was already having a positive effect on the town.  The opening of the local medical clinic made injuries suffered from working the land far less dangerous, too.

Some concessions did have to be expected if Cypress Creek was to survive, they decided, and the benefits were outweighing the negatives for the moment.  They could handle it, and they hoped that eventually the newcomers wouldn't be needed anymore and would leave.  Their concerns about the pollution were also heard clearly, with Mayor Michele immediately signing Clean Air and Automobile Emission Reduction ordinances.

However, it soon became apparent that the newcomers weren't going to be leaving anytime soon.  In fact, more and more were moving in by the day!  Within a dew months the town exploded in population; the residential and industrial sectors more than doubled in size and a new downtown was built to satisfy the demanding new residents.  It wasn't long before a garbage disposal plant was built and a new geothermal power plant constructed.

Again, the native citizens of Cypress Creek descended upon the mayor's mansion.  This wasn't what they had imagined as their salvation, and Mayor Michele was not turning out to be a leader with their best interests at heart.  They wanted a peaceful life beyond the reaches of the world, yet she was bringing the world to their doorsteps!  They would put an end to this madness!

"I've been letting the people come in and build as they pleased," Mayor Michele explained to the angry crowd.  "It frees me up to handle improving everyone's livelihoods, including all of yours.  But I can put an end to that now, since we certainly have enough people to keep this town afloat for quite some time.  From now on, all development will need to be approved by popular vote."  And so, working quickly, Mayor Michele commissioned the new town hall at the base of the mountain.

There was one individual who argued with Michele for several hours in the new town hall about how the town was becoming too much like other cities in the outside world.  "There's too much government here now!" he insisted.  Mayor Michele promised him that, with time, he would see the light and come to agree with her decisions so far.  The man left, unconvinced, but a few days later he eventually saw the fiery red light of reason.

No one claimed responsibility for the torching of the poor man's house, but the native residents suspected Michele had let it happen, if she didn't simply do it herself.  They immediately tried to force her from her position, but to do so required a general vote; the native residents found themselves outnumbered 3-to-1 by the newcomers, and the measure failed horribly.

Seeing her mayorship in jeopardy, Mayor Michele quickly set up a new police force to protect her from anyone daring enough to try to physically oust her from her position.  She had a police checkpoint built down the road from her mansion for extra security.  According to her official statement, it was "at the insistence of my close advisers."

The establishment of a strong police force all over the town was a clear signal to everyone in Cypress Creek that Mayor Michele was there to stay.  Cypress Creek would never again be the small town in the middle of nowhere that it once was.

[fabsies55 5]

its looking better, much better now for more

still needs better layout though, can improve your cj alot.

also you need to show more green in your cities, trees,parks and stuff, so yea.. thats really it,

ooooh

WARNING!!!: don't download in between cities (make a city, save it, get out download, and go back into the city) after a while of doing that it stuffs up your computer, and the game so yea...

[HalcyonSpirit 0]

Replies

fabsies55, I hear you on the parks and layout concerns.  Just keep in mind that... well, I'm building each town/city in the style of the mayor in charge.  I can do better with layouts (though I know even my best can use work) and prefer them over what Cypress Creek currently has, but it should become clearer soon why Cypress Creek is being built the way it is.

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I was working more on this last night (Me go out on V-day?  HA!), so...  Sunday mini-update!  Woo!

[HalcyonSpirit 0]

No replies?  Aww...  Oh well.  New update!

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Expansion and Trouble

Mayor Michele didn't take too kindly to the founding of Benzoate right next to Cypress Creek's borders.  Without permission from Benzoate's mayor, Vi, Cypress Creek would not be able to expand to the north.  Despite her town's rapidly-growing population, she was not in a good position to bargain with Mayor Vi over development rights.  She set out to correct this.

Enter Jason, a 22-year-old middle-class worker and recent immigrant into the town.  He wasn't extraordinary in any sense, but Mayor Michele took quite an interest in him.  Jason had been attending the weekly administration meetings at town hall for several months and was already an outspoken citizen among the spectators.  He would often make suggestions to the town council and even to Michele herself concerning the development of the city.  At first he was mostly ignored, but as the months passed even Michele began to see some merit in his thoughts.  The most recent expansion of town - specifically the downtown area - was largely based on Jason's proposals, and it was a booming success.  Michele saw in him a reliable planner for her city and offered him a job as head of the city planning department.  He agreed, and was given a nice single-person home nearby the town hall as a gift.

Michele announced his appointment at an administrative meeting, detailing his job duties as "serving Cypress Creek's needs by providing the most efficient infrastructure and zoning plans."  Behind closed doors, however, Michele gave him a higher set of instructions that overrode his official role in most cases: "plan the city to put as much money as possible into the city's coffers" was her words to him.

Jason immediately put himself to work.  His initial construction plans involved the expansion of the downtown commercial area toward the Dessan River, followed by the residential and industrial sectors.

New businesses, factories and people almost immediately moved into the city.  Within a month, the whole area was fully developed and integrated into the city.

This immediate turnaround took Jason by surprise.  Cypress Creek, despite its recent growth, was still in the middle of nowhere with little communication to and from the outside world.  Yet, somehow, it seemed as if people were lining up and waiting just to get a chance to populate this remote region.  He'd never seen such a thing before.  How was word of the city's recent expansion finding its way out to the rest of the world, and why were people so eager to move in?  It got him thinking: did Michele have a secret she wasn't telling anyone?

Regardless of the reasons, Jason saw it as an opportunity.  If people were so willing to move in, why stop them?  It would, after all, put more money into Cypress Creek's bank, and he could gain the mayor's respect!  Eager to please his boss, he proposed a large expansion toward the river to the south, the namesake of the town.  It would involve zoning a large area of high density commercial for future developments should the town expand so much that it was needed.  When prompted at a meeting to discuss the proposal, he was quoted as saying "how can we call this town 'Cypress Creek' if we aren't even near the river we get our name from?"  Ultimately, the town approved the expansion and it was laid out in a matter of two weeks.

Once again, people migrated to the city in droves.  Soon, the entire residential area was filled.  There was still a significant amount of commercial zoning available, so Jason asked that additional residential zones be mandated quickly.  She put it through and the further housing was developed.

However, at a few town meetings factory owners were starting to complain of strain on their construction lines and a backup of orders.  They couldn't handle the recent explosion of growth and demanded Michele correct this problem.  She put it to Jason to expand the industrial sector to meet the demands of her ever-growing city.

The new factories were beginning to be built when an outcry came from the mountain-dwelling residents: they demanded that factories not be built in Cypress Creek anymore because the air quality was becoming horrendous.  The support these cries garnered from the general population kept Mayor Michele from dismissing these demands outright.  However, she explained, the city needed new industrial growth to support the city.  A compromise was made; the rest of the current industrial expansion would be primarily cleaner industries that were beginning to knock at the doors of the city.  It was then that Jason realized that a crucial component of the city was missing: a seaport.  This critical link to the outside world would open the doors to even more financial gains.  Cypress Creek's first port was opened as the industrial sector expanded.

Yet this wasn't enough for Mayor Michele.  Riding on the rapid growth of the city and the relatively high approval of her policy of growth (the cries for limiting expansion from the original residents notwithstanding), another large housing district was built to the east, along the Cypress River.  A court for the justice system was also erected in anticipation of the new arrivals.

Jason had tried to warn Michele that the influx of residents would probably slow, but the mayor was undeterred.  She erected a new radio tower to further enhance communication with the outside world with the intent to attract even more people to the bustling new city in the middle of nowhere.

When the area was opened for construction, the results of Mayor Michele's efforts became evident:

There was not enough interest in the city anymore to continue growing as it had in the past few years.  Despite the lack of complete development, the influx of recent arrivals also brought with them another of the outside world's problems: overcrowding.  Insufficient capacity began to plague two important parts of Cypress Creek's public services, healthcare and public safety.  Nearly simultaneously, many local clinics' doctors began to strike and prisoners in police jails broke free of their cells.

The public backlash was almost instantaneous.  The citizens cried out in a single voice that Mayor Michele needed to spend more money on them rather than horde it in the city bank!

Turning to her city planner, Michele said with great regret, "Our profits are going to suffer..."

[Bambam70 0]

Great.

[SounderBruce 173]

Good work

[captain_cookie 0]

I love reading CJs with a storyline. It sort of adds another dimension or layer to the journal. I'm not sure how I missed this one?

Haha in Chapter 2 I thought Jason and the Mayor were going to have a fling....love interest?? yes yes? Anyway, nice start here. Your writing's top-notch, though the pictures and storyline could use a little spicing up. Also, nice job on the paper! I spend my nights alone making Sim papers too It's fun, huh?

I look forward to the next update!

[jacqulina 162]

good updates there my friend,great pics.keep up the good work

[aiumkastarkius 0]

What terrain and water mods are you using?

[saathoff37 11]

Looks very good.. Jahono Territory a country? If so you should consider joining a union.. I am part of AIN and we love have to a devolping nation like yours.

AIN website: www.aoin.darkbb.com

[danielcote 9]

Id like to see all that industry turn into commerce.

[HalcyonSpirit 0]

Hey y'all!  Sorry for the long wait, but senior design is getting tight on the deadlines.  When you have the freakin' Air Force wanting reports from you, you tend to focus on your work!

In any case, another update from me, but first, the replies!

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Replies:

Bambam70, ComputerGuy890100, jacqulina, and everyone else who's reading: Many thanks for reading!  I hope you're enjoying it so far, hopefully it'll get more interesting in the near future as the updates focus less on massive city expansion and more on specific developments within Jahono.

captain_cookie: Heh, you probably missed it because it's so new!  Honestly, I think a lot of people don't bother to open up a journal until it reaches the second or third page simply because they don't want to deal with journals that update once and are forgotten.  As for the story... yeah, it's a little dry right now, but again, it's partly due to the nature of the updates right now: massive expansion over a short timespan.  I think it'll get better as things get established in the various cities.  You'll see Simpapers every once in a while here; I won't do them all the time, I plan on doing them whenever I want to highlight certain things when I don't have a big update for it.  It'll also be useful to me for... other purposes in the future...

aiumkastarkius: I'm using the Columbus Terrain mod from quite  a while back.  I'm not sure where it is anymore.  Nor do I know where I got my water mod, actually... the file is simply named "medeteranian.dat".  I think it came as a part of one of Pegasus's old water mods, but I'm not sure anymore.  It's been a long time since I downloaded them.  Sorry.  I'm actually thinking about replacing it with a newer one, though.  If I do, I'll be sure to make note of it in here.

saathoff37: I'll consider it, but as Jahono isn't even a "country" yet (it's still only a territory), it'll be up to the citizens of the territory to decide on joining a union of any sort... and quite frankly, the bigwig of the area right now has her own local problems to deal with right now!

danielcote: Me too, but the city is only just starting up, and mostly on its own.  It needs the industry to survive!  Perhaps in the future, when the city is more established, Mayor Michele can put forward an urban renewal plan that'll transform the area into a commercial district.

Now then, on with the show!

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Farm, Farm, and Farm Some More!

Cypress Creek's troubles did not go unnoticed by Benzoate's mayor.  The morning after the news broke, she was all smiles as she strode along the tree-lined streets.  When asked for her comments on the mini-crisis by reporters from the Daily Chronicle, her grin spread and she merely said, "Serves her right for treating her citizens like dollar bills."  She then continued on her daily walk, taking in the autumn beauty.

Despite her disapproval of Mayor Michele's mayoring ability, Vi saw fit to help Cypress Creek's people.  She made a public announcement that afternoon that Benzoate would be expanding its farmland significantly over the autumn and winter months to help accommodate her growing neighbor's dietary needs.  Some new housing would also be established for anyone in Cypress Creek that wished to move in and experience the more simplistic life Benzoate had to offer.  The announcement, many felt, was a thinly-veiled attack on Michele's mayoring ability, as actively offering new homes to people in Cypress Creek would likely result in showing Michele that many people in her town were more than willing to move out.

True to her word, Mayor Vi quickly set about laying down the framework of the new farmland.  Always conscious of the town's feel, she worked with the current residents to plan the roadwork and plant the trees that would line most of the streets.  She would not allow her town to fall prey to the efficiency of grid farmland, preferring instead to keep the town's calming appeal by having the roads turn and follow the contours of the land.  By the end of the season, the entire expansion was ready for development.

Development rights for the new land were completely exhausted within days; demand for the new farms was high in Cypress Creek, and many of its citizens did indeed readily abandon their former town in favor of Benzoate.  While this was no surprise to Vi (in fact, it was very pleasing to her), her encounter halfway through the winter did come as a surprise.  While walking through the streets, she happened upon Jason, Mayor Michele's city-planner, surveying the town.  Having met him once before at an intercity meeting, she knew he was probably there on his own accord.  This brief exchange occurred:

"What are you doing here, Jason?"

"Michele wants me to lay out parks and other services for Cypress.  You seem to know something about it, so I'm looking at your handiwork."

"You're not actually supposed to be here, are you?"

"Nope."

"Well, good luck, then."

Vi could see he was reluctant to speak more on the matter, so she left him to his work.  She was, however, left wondering why he was working for such a money-loving mayor; he seemed so much nicer than his leader at the intercity meeting!

Spring finally came to Benzoate, and a large portion of the expansion was already fully developed, with more farms in the process of being laid down.

Realizing the importance of organizing the farming activities in her town, Mayor Vi established the Department of Agriculture in the southwestern end of the town, near the rail depot.  A small business for renting out farming equipment was created by the department soon after.  She also hired a small group of veterinarians to found an animal health center for the farm animals that would inevitably become sick.  Mayor Vi had her mayor's house built directly next to the veterinary clinic; when asked why, she simply responded with "I like cows!"

Much to her pleasure, several cattle ranches had settled into her town, and Vi could often be found at these various ranches, spending time with the cows.  She was even the first to report a sighting of what would become known as the infamous "phantom cows."  No one has ever been able to confirm or deny the existence of these phantoms, but just a few months after their initial sighting by Mayor Vi, the people of Benzoate founded the first House of Worship in honor of the phantom cows.  Mayor Vi's involvement in the faith was unclear, though she was a primary benefactor in the building of the church.

By autumn, the entire town's expansion had been completed.

The town's agricultural dominance in the Jahono territory was firmly entrenched.  This, while enviable, was not the direction Mayor Michele wanted to take Cypress Creek.  She was content in letting Benzoate provide much of her city's farming needs while she continued to march forward in a completely different direction...

[SounderBruce 173]

Fantastic rural community!

P.S. You get my 777th post!

[danielcote 9]

the farms look so long and flowing that moves with the land instead of just cutting through it like others.

[HalcyonSpirit 0]

Hey, I'm back early!  Figured I should update twice this week since I missed last week's.  Thanks for the comments so far, it definitely makes the city-building process more enjoyable!  By the way, I changed the water mod I'm using; I'm now using the Windjammer water mod by pegasus.  You can get it on the STEX here or go to the PLEX.

Now then, on with the show!

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Rush'n the Settlement

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Jahono...

A small bay, at the entrance to one of the many valleys within Jahono, had always been one missed by surveyors.  The valley was small, and the bay was the home of many marine animals seeking shelter from the powerful storms that frequented the region.

And then an unexpected group of visitors sailed into the bay.  It was a cargo ship filled to the brim with supplies destined for the shore of the bay.  When the ship made landfall, the passengers onboard carved out the lowland marshes to extend the bay further inland.  They then set up a dock for their ship and for the ships already on their way.  The colonization had begun.

Before the immigrants arrived, however, the town needed to be constructed.  A small logging operation was quickly established on the nearby mountain.  Several logging sites were run at once to provide enough material for the town.  A hunting lodge was also constructed nearby a hot spring for the early-arriving workers so they would have enough food until farms were planted.

After a long year of tireless working, the town was ready for the first immigrants, who came shortly thereafter.  The massive influx of people provided enough of a workforce to complete the commercial, industrial and agricultural buildings.  The ships carrying these people also carried with them a portable geothermal generator capable of powering the town until a more powerful plant could be constructed.

A year later, the town was already bustling with activity.  The town was created for the purpose of eventually supplying other regions of the world with resources, including lumber, and the citizens of the town were preparing to fulfill that duty.  The dock was expanded so it could handle larger ships, and the construction of a railroad was begun, which would provide transportation to future, larger logging operations as well as eventually connect to the world via a land route.

It was at this point of expansion that a formal government for the as-of-yet unnamed village was to be formed.  Lacking a government building, the residents convened at the hunting lodge up on the mountain to discuss the town's administration.  It was there that the town was finally given a name and a mayor.

The town's name was to be Vascrenard.  As for the mayor, he was an individual living in a small, green house in the middle of town.

He was known only as... Comrade Thomas.

[Hawkeye9 0]

Wow nice journal!!! I really like that bay and the nature area!!! I also like your farm land it is very nicely laid out and very well done!!! Lookin forward to more!!!

[Petrovar Ambassador 15]

nice start and updates! i like your mix of industry with nature, keep it up!

[SounderBruce 173]

Good rural area! So scenic!

[lifeless08 1]

Very nice, has grown alot since last time i saw it!

[HalcyonSpirit 0]

I'm not dead yet!  Neither is this CJ, for that matter.  My absence over the past month has been due to a deadly combination of Senior Design work, job hunting, and apartment searching.  Free time == nill up until this past weekened.  I also wanted to give Dirk and the rest some time to iron out the bugs with the site upgrade before doing anything.  Not to mention some CTD problems with SC4 once I finally got back to it... *grumble grumble*  In any case, I'm back with an update.  It's not huge, it's not glorious, heck, it isn't even filled to the brim with awesome.  I just needed to do some housekeeping before I could continue.  I should be back by the weekend with another update, since that one's half-complete anyway!

Oh, and I may be putting this CJ into the new CJ section of the site.  Stay tuned for details.

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Moving West

Cypress Creek's city planner, Jason, found it to be relatively easy to find the problems causing so much trouble: funding.  Budget cuts early in the town's history had never been reversed, leaving a substantial hole in public service funding.  He had never thought to check the funding levels during the town's rapid expansion, and his oversight had left the town without healthcare workers and a prisoner population that escaped temporarily.  Berating himself over the mistake, he brought the issue to the attention to Michele, who promptly fixed it.  Additionally, he proposed having several new medical buildings built, plus a prison for future criminal incarceration.  The mayor approved the prison but refused to build any new medical clinics for the time being.  In her eyes there wasn't a need, since with the extra funding the capacity problem was already fixed.

 

 

Determined not to make the same mistake, Jason refused to continue with any further expansion until a complete overview of the town's situation was completed.  A census taken the previous year provided him with additional information regarding the state of the town.

 

Crime was definitely becoming an issue; he'd have to put some effort into containing the problem in the near future.  Traffic, despite the spread-out nature of the town, was still adequately low.  Some problem areas were popping up, sp he made of note to address it quickly.  The education system was particularly worrisome, however.  He respected Mayor Michele's decisions, but her refusal to implement any education system beyond grade-school levels bothered him.  He knew the town would stagnate at some point without an educated workforce, but he couldn't convince Michele of that fact.  What was she thinking?

 

Regardless, the budget appeared to be fine beyond the initial healthcare fiasco.  He made his report to Michele the next day, and with it he recommended a mass transit system be implemented before the roads became congested beyond use.  He also put forward a proposal to begin construction of recreational facilities to help placate the citizens; the town's lack of them was starting to show in the citizens' expressions as they walked about the town.  Mayor Michele passed the mass transit proposal without argument, and merely stated that the recreational facilities were to only use undeveloped land, be low-cost, and low-maintenance.

 

The transit system was the simplest to put together.  Jason put through a mass order of prefabricated bus stop stations and had them distributed throughout the town.

 

 

The recreational facilities were going to be a greater issue.  He laid down a small park area in one of the residential areas that had not yet developed, but found that undeveloped areas elsewhere were in short supply.  Working with what he had, he engineered a holdover plan while better solutions were implemented: trees.  Lots and lots of trees.  Many of the low-density residential areas had unzoned land between rows of houses.  Trees were transplanted into these grounds in short order to give Cypress Creek a less harsh feel to it.  Even the "historic" section of town was given trees for transplantation, though Michele had them plant the trees themselves due to the agreement that Mayor Michele would not force the people living up there to build anything they didn't want.  She obviously extended that policy to all aspects of her decisions.

 

 

 

 

With those improvements to the town completed, Jason gave Michele the go-ahead for any further expansions of Cypress Creek.  When Michele heard that, she was elated.  Immediately she scheduled a meeting with Benzoate mayor Vi.  Jason sat in on the meeting, but did not participate.  After going through the ceremonial greeting process that must occur when two mayors meet, Michele quickly laid out her desires to Vi.  She wanted permission from the farmland mayor to expand Cypress Creek inside Benzoate's borders.  Benzoate's southern border with Cypress Creek was a considerable distance away from the actual town of Benzoate, and Michele wished to utilize the extra land.  She promised Mayor Vi that 60% of any revenue generated within Benzoate would go to her town, rather than Cypress Creek.  Michele believed this was a reasonable deal.

 

Mayor Vi, on the other hand, was less than thrilled.

 

As she explained to Michele, she had a very specific setting in mind for Benzoate, one placing natural beauty over money and population.  Michele's cruder methods of construction were not welcome within her borders.  Mayor Michele, frustrated with the answer she got, left the meeting as politely as she could manage - not very, from Jason's viewpoint.  He exchanged a few words with Mayor Vi following Michele's exit:

 

"You know, I could probably design the town to your liking if you let us build here," he said.

"Maybe, but I just don't like her very much.  I wouldn't let her greedy hands into my home even if you were restraining her," was Vi's reply.

 

Jason merely smiled at the comment.  He took his leave after giving Mayor Vi a formal farewell for both himself and Mayor Michele.

 

 

Cypress Creek's land ownership only extended to the rivers surrounding the mountain.  Legally, they were not permitted to develop on the other sides of the rivers, nor were they legally allowed to develop the mountain due to Michele's agreement with the original residents.  With Vi rejecting their desire to build into Benzoate, Cypress Creek was effectively cut off from further expansion.

 

Legally.

 

Jahono was merely a territory owned by the country's government.  The government had no actual presence there, and would likely not find out about any legal transgressions until long after they were committed.  Michele wasn't stupid; as long as she didn't overtly announce the expansion, no one in the outside world would likely find out.  She could then take her time in applying for the purchase of the land beyond the rivers while continuing her town's expansion westward.

 

 

Jason had reservations about the plan, but he ultimately gave in to Michele's pressuring.  By the following year, a road bridge to the west was completed and the foundations of the new section of Cypress Creek were laid down.  Two ferry docks were also put down to assist transit across the river.

 

 

 

 

 

The new expansion would be industrial; since residential growth had stalled, Jason surmised that they would need to attract more jobs to the area.  The added industrial base would be a good jump-start for the town.

[jacqulina 162]

great looking farming there my friend,great close up shots too.