Keeping It Together

I t keeps our wheels rolling through town. It keeps rain water from flooding our streets. It keeps drinking water coming to our homes.

It rarely makes headlines.

Yet a decent infrastructure is one of the most important assets for small towns and we believe the governments of Waitsburg and Dayton are doing an excellent job keeping our communities' roads, sewer, water and so on in shape despite tough economic times.

The Dayton City Council recently approved some $120,000 worth of projects, including the reconstruction of the Second to Third Street alley, the relocation of a water line off Fourth Street and the prevention of flooding along Patit Creek.

The fix of the alley includes the portion that is sometimes referred to as Liberty Lake, a large sink hole in the surface that fills up with rain water behind the Liberty Theater and risks scraping the bottom of your car.

Last year, the city took on Second Street, a major reconstruction project that included sewer line replacements and resurfacing. It is a joy to drive down Second now.

Finally, the city is repainting the crosswalks on Main Street, which we believe will make their use much safer for pedestrians, though by law motorists are already obligated to stop for any walkers crossing the road.

Meanwhile, the current Waitsburg city council and councils before it have been steadfast in their support of infrastructure projects.

Current improvement activities include crack sealing Arnold Lane from W. 4th to W. 7th, Kiinear from Willard to E. 6th, all of Murphy and Maple, all of 1st and a small downtown portion of Coppei.

In August, work will begin on the replacement of the 7th St waterline, coming shortly after the replacement of the 4th St waterline.

City clerk Randy Hinchliffe says Waitsburg also wants to obtain funding to rebuild 7th from Main to Arnold Lane, overlay the section of 7th from Main to Highway 12, plus have a sidewalk installed on the north side of 7th.

The city also continues to address flood issues, such the dike improvements made long the Coppei south of town and the levee vegetation clearance along the Touchet, a U.S. Corps of Engineers requirement.

None of these projects in Waitsburg or Dayton are likely to draw much attention from residents or bring big crowds to council meetings, yet all of them require dedication from elected officials and city staff.

We want to thank everyone involved for their steady commitment.