It's been many months since I've published an update on the status and the direction of Sheepless.org. To be frank, as I near the one-year mark of publishing online in this venue I find myself, and the future of this endeavor, quite unsettled. This is not a point where many, including myself, feel comfortable starting a public commentary on the status of their project. It is usually the time when we hide, when we feel sorry for ourselves and wonder why we started this in the first place and oh, can't I just have my old job back?

When a big box store in Mesa, AZ, shuttered its doors for the last time, it was not celebrated in the way some communities rally for the closing of a Walmart Superstore. In fact, in its last days, families came to Mervyn’s to reminisce about buying their kid’s first shoes and prom dresses. In a neighborhood where the streets are wide and summers hit 112°F, the 40 year old department store was a community institution. But economics being what they are, it closed nonetheless in 2008, leaving a 41,000 sq ft shell.

It’s not often that a development company is talked of fondly.  They have a history of being the bad guys in everything from made-for-TV movies to real life, but in the last few years Seawall Development Company has made its mark as a developer actively seeking to do good by the community and environment.

Story contributed by Jennifer Boyer.