I drove by the Gillis Bridge and saw a stunning sight. Frank Cousins’s Essex County Inmates and the Highway Department did a spectacular job cleaning off the cobblestones and underpass on Merrimack Street.
I was in the Newburyport Library Archives and saw Route One’s new ‘Way’ that had been cut between Summer & Winter Streets. Yesterday, it was like looking at those pictures again.
I tip my virutal hat to the inmates for a great job* and I tip my hat to the Mayor who has pushed for low-cost means to keep the infrastructure in the City up to snuff even during this time of budget cuts. This truly reflects a can-do attitude in the City.
One strange condition in our community is the poor condition of our sidewalks and civic areas. No one lifts a finger and no one says anything; they just drive by or walk by silently. But if someone tries to correct the condition, then it always seems to erupt a flood of voices proclaiming to all who will hear why it can’t be done or criticizing someone who is trying to correct it.
I am very pleased that two conscientious government officials are finding ways to get past the objections and are getting things done!
Way to go!
-P. Preservationist
* Yes, they were paid – just not paid crazy.
Brick and Tree 