Street Repair Program

Today's Journal.....

City set to spend $1.5M on road repairs

MIDDLETOWN —
Nearly $1.5 million is set to be spent this year on road repairs thtoughout the city.

A dozen Middletown streets will have at least some part of them re-paved this summer.

City Council is set to approve Tuesday the annual street paving project for 2013, and John R. Jurgensen Co. is slated to be awarded the $1.4 million contract. A dozen streets and a total of just more than 4½ miles are set to be paved

The paving program will be funded from the city’s capital improvement fund

STILL NO SPECIFIC STREET REPAIR FUNDING IN THE BUDGET AS IT WAS BACK IN THE 80'S? STREETS HAVE TAKEN A BACK SEAT AND ARE NOW INCLUDED IN A BUDGET ITEM THAT ENCOMPASSES MANY SOURCES OF MONEY WITHDRAWALS?

HOW DOES THIS 1.5 MIL COMPARE IN SPENDING TO THE CITY'S PET PROJECTS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA AS TO IMPROVEMENTS AND BUILDING PURCHASES? IS THERE MORE MONEY SPENT ON THE STREETS OR ON THE DOWNTOWN?

"I bet the traffic Volume of Boylsyon Sy, Victoria Ave, Vancouver St, and Dickens Ave. are twice as much of some of the streets they are going to be doing. The reason I say this is that it seems every house has at-least 4 cars in the driveway or parked on the street. And they also have more than 2 drivers living in those houses. So needless to say those streets are always busy because of the limited number of ways in and out of this neighborhood. And because of this, those streets are peppered with pot hole repairs."

THIS AREA, ALSO KNOWN AS AYERSHIRE SUBDIVISION, WAS THE LATEST AND GREATEST AREA OF TOWN TO LIVE IN THE 60'S. JUST WONDER IF ANY OF THOSE STREETS HAVE HAD ANY ATTENTION PAID TO THEM SINCE THE BULLDOZERS CUT THE STREETS THROUGH TO BUILD THE HOUSES.

SAME GOES FOR OUR OLD NEIGHBORHOOD IN MANCHESTER MEADOWS EAST OF COUNTRYSIDE (ANOTHER AREA BUILT FOR ARMCO'S HIGH ROLLERS IN THE 60'S) OFF OF BREILE AND NORTH OF MANCHESTER RD. THE HOUSES IN MANCHESTER MEADOWS WERE BUILT IN THE LATE 70'S.- THE OLD SHIRM FARMLAND WHEN MANCHESTER RD. WAS A TWO LANE COUNTRY ROAD BACK THEN AND CONSIDERED "OUT IN THE STICKS". WE MOVED THERE IN 1985 AND STAYED UNTIL 2004. THE ROADS WERE NEVER CONSIDERED FOR REPAVING IN THAT TIME. THE ORIGINAL PAVEMENT FROM THE LATE 70's REMAINS AND THE GRASS IS NOW COMING UP THROUGH THE PAVEMENT. SAME WITH ALOT OF NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS IN TOWN. PAST AND CURRENT CITY LEADERS HAVE JUST FLAT OUT FAILED TO MAINTAIN, ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY ELIMINATED THE STREET FUNDS BACK IN THE 80'S.

"But it is sad too say that even the Ayershire subdivision is falling into disrepair by the people living in it. There are homes that will not mow their lawns for months, other some home have no gutters, some homes have broken windows, and a good number of homes have sidewalks and curbs that have turned into gravel or dirt. But there are a few of us in the neighborhood working hard keeping our houses looking good and maintained, despite everyone else. It just feels like a loosing battle at times."

A SAD EPITAPH FOR THE CITY. DIDN'T USE TO BE THAT WAY DECADES AGO. MOST AREAS OF TOWN HAD PRIDE AND THE INCOME TO ACTUALLY TAKE CARE OF THE HOUSE ONCE THEY BOUGHT IT. HIGH END AREAS, MIDDLE INCOME AREAS, LOWER INCOME FOLKS.......DIDN'T MATTER, MOST WE'RE EMPLOYED, MOST GOT WITH THE PROGRAM OF PROPERTY MAINTENANCE AND RESPECTABILITY. NEAT, WELL-KEPT HOMES IN ALL AREAS. NOW, NOT AS MUCH PRIDE IN THE NEWER GENERATION OF HOME OWNERS. GOTTA BE MORE SELECTIVE IN WHERE YOU BUY IF NEATNESS IS YOUR THING. THE BAR HAS BEEN LOWERED WITH RESPECT TO PRIDE AND OWNERSHIP. YOU CAN REPORT THE ONES WHO WANT THEIR GRASS TO REACH GUINESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORD LENGTHS. CITY HAS A POLICY OF GRASS LENGTH (EXCEPT THE PROPERTY THEY OWN WHICH CAN GROW TO GUTTER HEIGHT)