Broken or damaged town sidewalks make great art, but they also tell a story. One more week and September will be gone. Just a few weeks ago, there was a great deal of work done on the sidewalks just in time for back to school. Buses were checking their routes a day before the school. Contractors were finishing up sidewalk constructions.
On our street, town contractors worked effortlessly to replace two sidewalk sections, long stretches in fact. It was just a few days before the Labour weekend that all the heavy work started. I thought that they would not be able to complete the work, but they did. A day before school started, the sidewalk concrete slabs were all dried and ready to step on.
I was very surprised that those pieces, at least two sections at once in two spots, were replaced. We have been walking on them all summer long and I have not seen any cracking or difference in height. Maybe there was something – they were marked bright pink and replaced.
Unfortunately, the construction workers did not manage to cover telephone or cable lines completely. I am sure residents who have those new sidewalks in front of their houses already reported the issue. It may not be an issue now, but later for the sidewalk snowplow.
So we have a joke on our street. In the winter, we laughed many times with our neighbours. Some think that the snowplow driver’s girlfriend lives on our street. It makes you think, maybe it is true. The snowplow driver always does a wonderful job plowing, spreading sand, and driving around at least three times to make sure it’s all clean.
What I want to know is, who really lives on our street? Really.
The other day, I was walking the streets in our subdivision. We have two streets, mine and the adjacent one. The adjacent street is Rush Road. One thing I can tell you is that no town official, relative, or girlfriend lives on that street.
As I was walking, I saw a sidewalk cracked right across. How can someone miss that? I don’t know. No pink marking on that slab.
As I continued walking, there was another sidewalk slab raised, at least one inch. That cannot be good for the sidewalk snowplow at all. No pink marking on that slab either.
Forgotten, unimportant, no one to look after, no girlfriend, and not an official resident of the town. Sidewalks remain cracked and no one seems to complain about the high step on one of the sidewalk slabs.
Joking aside, the Town’s criteria for determining which sidewalk piece will be replaced is not clear at all, or there may be none.
COMMENTS
Marvin said: September 27, 2011 at 00:23
“Wow, your sidewalks are smooth compared to where I grew up! and where I live now, we have no sidewalks at all. We think we like it that way. It makes it easier to run over the joggers in the street.”
Anna Lozyk Romeo said: October 1, 2011 at 22:54
“I know what you mean Marvin. We never head that nice sidewalks also where I grew up. Funny, we are very spoiled now, as we all including me find things to complain about. On the side note, I enjoyed it more then, as I used to walk through the fields, walk the trails, forests, along the river, and still made to school on time.”
Butterfly said: October 2, 2011 at 22:25
“Funny you should mention the snowplow drivers in Aurora. They do so much work, even with a slight dusting of snow. On our street the joke is about the sandbox that is left on our front yards after all the sand from the plows gets pushed onto the lawn over the course of the winter. It’s amazing anything can grow!”
Anna Lozyk Romeo said: October 2, 2011 at 23:20
“Well, we get the same. I usually try to sweep before the cleaning starts in the spring otherwise it get added to the grass again from the road. Good to see you back. Thanks for commenting.”
