I was struck by a comment made by the town's street consultant from Roadway Asset Management, near the end of his presentation to council on Sept. 2. His sage advice was “to fix the streets with the right treatment at the right time.”
Then, Director Welby made a presentation with a recommendation straight out of the RAS study, and that's when Mayor Friedel stepped in to offer a change. And council followed suit by deciding to make changes: Delay Fountain Hills Boulevard and Kingstree repair needs, and instead do Richwood. That, despite the data-driven strategy showing the most immediate needs.
If politics (in this case, the loudest voices) is the way to go, the town's already teetering on the edge because of a lack of resources. These kinds of decisions make it worse.
