Stan Ronell properly took town officials to task in his recent letter (Potholes Galore) pointing out the abysmal state of the roads around town. It’s the ongoing story, no matter what the season.
Yes, it’s winter now and potholes develop, but the bone-jarring craters that destroy suspension systems and blow out tires should at least be patched, with more permanent repairs scheduled for the warm weather.
Unfortunately, the warmer weather will bring no guarantee of expected performance.
For example, my letter to the Port Washington News published in August 2014 said, “…we had a hard winter but there is no excuse for the potholes and chopped up pavement that are still with us as we go into August….Beacon Hill Road is a prime example, especially at the intersection with Port Boulevard.”
If my memory serves, that’s the same intersection mentioned by Mr. Ronell. Nearly four years later. In fact, Port Boulevard has been a rough ride from Beacon Hill Road down to Harbor Road long before this winter.
The state and county also have responsibilities for the main roads, which can understandably cause confusion on the part of the public as to who is responsible for fixing which stretch of road.
So, I would like to ask, do any of our public officials—either on the Town Council, the Council staff or the Town Supervisor’s staff—ever drive these roads? Do they notice what’s going on or are they all oblivious? And does it ever occur to any town official to contact the agency that has jurisdiction? Or perhaps call one of Port’s representatives in the county and state legislatures—Ms. DeRiggi-Whitton, Ms. Phillips or Mr. Durso—who could perhaps take the message to those agencies?
Doesn’t the light bulb ever go on, inspiring public officials to ask who’s in charge of fixing the problem?
—Samuel Glasser
