Comments on: Road repairs will start in August, cost $200k less than planned.

By: JA

JA — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:14:45 +0000

I confirmed with Glenn Clancy today that there will be no curbs whatsoever added to Cross or on other streets that are being repaved. Not even a (relatively cheap) raised asphalt “bump.” It probably won’t take long for the edge of the repaved roads to erode away and resemble what they look like today.
In addition, the Selectmen said “no” to the re-design of the Cross/Channing intersection at their July 7th meeting (2-1 with LeClerc in favor). The re-design would have added a crosswalk and increased visibility for drivers navigating this dangerous intersection.
So, the “just pave” mentality saves money in the short-term, but apparently at the expense of public safety and road life. Surely there is some way to save significant amounts of money without throwing away these other important considerations? Selectmen have office hours Aug 4th at 6:00 — maybe it’s not too late to change their minds??

By: paul

paul — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:53:25 +0000

Say it ain’t so, J!! Just for the sake of conversation: _why_ won’t it pass? Is it just the price tag at the end of the day? If so, it doesn’t make fiscal sense. The State, after all, will be shouldering a good chunk of the cost of building a new school, whereas the costs of just rolling from crisis to crisis — expensive repair to expensive repair — are borne by the town (and its tax payers) entirely. You don’t even want to know what the costs of heating that building are going to be this winter! I think, also, that you’ll see a more concerted effort by Wellington backers than you did by the folks behind the roads override. (At least I hope so.)

By: J

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:19:20 +0000

Wellington will never pass.