Archive: Opinions

Whenever anybody talks to me about our town Highway Department it is in glowing terms.  They take excellent care of the roads the Town owns, and still find time to save the Town money by providing the labor for projects like the Town Marina or the new dock in Meyers Park.  And they manage to do this and stay within their budget.  The result is that Lansing roads are in excellent shape.

I happened to rent a 16' truck last week, and drove down East Shore Drive on my way to Ithaca to return it.  A truck that size rattles when it's empty, and every pothole is an audio experience, not to mention the jostling in the cab.  It was a quiet ride on my street (a Town Road), and not terrible as I navigated 34B (a state road), passing the Town Hall.  Then I turned left onto East Shore Drive and the fun began.  I always thought 'Shake Rattle and Roll' was a song about dancing, but it equally applies to East Shore Drive, where the state's approach to road repair has been to post signs that say 'Rough Road'.

Sure, I see them filling the potholes every year, but that doesn't make the ride much less bumpy.  As I tumble along I often wonder how much property damage is caused by rough roads over, say, the course of a year.  I'm guessing the cumulative wear and tear to cars that travel that road on a daily basis adds up, though I doubt there are any statistics on that.

My point isn't that the state DOT does a bad job.  Actually I think they do what they can with the budget they are given, and they do a good job when they are able to.  But it does provide a contrast to our local Highway Department, the little engine that could (or the little Highway Department that does).

Over the past two years it has become a joke in Town Board Meetings that when it's Highway Superintendent Charlie 'Cricket' Purcell's turn to speak he is going to ask for money for some project or piece of equipment.  The truth, though, is that when he does ask, it is for an amount that is a portion of the dollars he has under-spent in any given year, and of course the equipment or projects are all to the benefit of the Town.  Lansing gets more for less.

Probably the largest portion of our town tax dollars go to the Highway Department.  That makes sense because roads are expensive, and it takes a lot of people to take care of them.  The can-do culture in Lansing's highway department and the obvious pride employees take in the work they do certainly makes those tax dollars worth the cost.

The current project on Myers Road is an example of why that is so.  The project was not planned, but the Town decided to do it in response to issues raised by people who live there.  A town official told me today that the Highway Department employees not only were able to begin the job on a moment's notice, but were able to do so without skimping on their usual duties.  The jobs were parceled out and the guys 'got 'er done'.

In an age where you have to wonder what some of your tax dollars are being used for, it's pretty great to be able to literally see the outcome of tax dollars well spent.

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