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To the editor: Town “landscaping” services and the Town Highway Department finally got around to replacing the marble slab that was once part of our walkway. It was broken by the roller during the “upgrades” to Washington Avenue. The lip on the new concrete curb was in excess of 3 inches high, making it quite difficult to get into the driveway.
After making a few phone calls to the Town Hall and being told that our concerns were forwarded to the Highway Department and getting no response for the next few weeks, I decided to send emails directly. Even then, I had to do so again and again; this time, I decided to include the Town Manager. This third attempt brought some long-awaited action within 15 minutes!
The eventual replacement of the slab only took about 11 months, but at least it was done, and we were satisfied with the results. Also, eventually, the lip of the concrete curb was ground down to a more manageable height. The crew also removed an old tree stump in a matter of minutes. That task would have taken at least an entire weekend for me to do. We do appreciate it, even though the newly sprouting zinnias went with it.
What is less than satisfactory are the “improvements” to our lawns, where the broken sidewalk used to be. The topsoil applied was so full of small rocks and debris that it’s more accurately defined as gravel or pond fill. I was informed it was run through a 3/4” screen, but I’ve been finding rocks the size of my foot, as well as fairly large pieces of broken glass, one piece being the entire bottom of what looked like a beer bottle, not to mention numerous pieces of rusty hardware and some snow-fence wire. When first applied and seeded, it had the consistency of lumpy mud. Even the mail carrier would navigate around it to avoid getting stuck or, more likely, losing a shoe. Then, when the “high-quality” grass seed eventually sprouted, it produced more of a collection of crabgrass and other weeds. The area couldn’t even be mowed safely due to those small rocks and broken glass, and using a weed-whacker has already broken one of the mirrors on my truck. This quagmire mess is now a high-maintenance section of the front lawn that most likely brings down the aesthetic value of the property on both sides of the street.
Some neighbors have already hired professionals to improve their lot. This should not be necessary. Tax dollars are not at work. When all of this was mentioned in person, we heard, “We were the only individuals complaining about this situation.” I know better than to believe this. We do communicate with our neighbors, after all. If the Highway Department has so little or no experience in landscaping materials and practices, I believe they should contract that particular job out to ones in the know. Why fill our lawns with hardscrabble debris and weeds and then have the audacity to call it an improvement?
At 70 years of age, I shouldn’t have to spend countless hours removing the “topsoil” dumped by the Highway Department in order to create a nice green lawn: A process that would have taken about an hour by the town. Twice I’ve invited our Town Manager to come to stand on my front lawn and say that he would really like to have the same conditions on his front lawn. Of course, he’s much too busy, managing, I suppose. However, after being pestered by me to replace the debris-filled lawn, somebody within the town finally agreed to supply 3 yards of better-quality topsoil. I’m being generous in saying they delivered about 1.5 yards, which is already spread and awaiting grass seed, of much better quality. Of course, I will have to supply it.
I’ll be touring the town to see where else this same thing is going on and urge folks to make a stand. This is your property that is being seriously devalued and should not be allowed to continue.
One more point to make is the lack of street signs. I realize the maximum speed limit within Bennington is 30 mph. I also realize that a lot of drivers don’t really heed the posted limit unless they are conscientious or a police cruiser is following them. But why the lack of signs? And why is parking allowed on both sides of the street? When vehicles are parked across from each other, it only allows for one-way traffic. This situation is made even worse when someone parks his pickup more than a foot away from the curb.
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