After reading last week’s letter to the editor regarding Bethel’s roads in the Herald of Randolph, I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who is maintaining a sense of humor about the state of the roads here in Bethel. Great job, Bill! You are a master of satire!
On the other hand, I see that the Bethel town road crew has been putting in ditches along River Road. Bravo! I wonder if this is because the town’s road budget just got a sudden influx of cash? (We’ve been told the roads won’t get better without the town spending more money on them.)
Is it just coincidence? (There is no such thing as coincidence.)
Or is it because a number of the town’s residents have complained about the condition of the roads? (Despite the fact that all I ever do is bring up “negative” things to the Selectboard.)
Now, before anyone else comes out and accuses me of attacking the road crew, let me be quite clear: I am pointing out a problem. The problem is with the roads. The Selectboard has admitted that there is a problem in my presence. (Note that we agreed on this.)
What we have disagreed on is the cause of the problem and its solution. I have pointed evidence that would indicate what we call “operator error” in my line of work. But… what if the road crew is supremely talented, and they’re being mismanaged? Maybe they’ve been given their marching orders in such a way as to result in them running every which way on little projects, never getting time to focus on the big picture? (I’m not saying this is the case, I’m just observing that it’s a possibility.)
On the other hand, maybe the secret to having a well-maintained road is just leaving a “gift” out at the bottom of your driveway. (Nah. That sounds too much like bribery or a protection racket.)
The personal blog of Peter Nikolaidis