Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Highway

Reposted

Amy Boyden-

So I was sitting with my husband last night, and he was talking about how frustrating it is to work on our local Town Highway Dept. It really bothers him that so many people badmouth the town crew. If you know him and many of you do, he is very Smart, very kind, and a HARD worker, raised on a farm and taught to always give his work 110%. Frankly, the crew he works with now is extremely competent and hardworking despite rumors and badmouthing of surprisingly unsupportive local and prominent mouthpieces, who seem to feel it is their duty to stir up trouble.

So imagine his dismay, when he stops to get some food after being out almost 24 hours, and is told to go out and re scrape a road, because someone called to complain that the job he did wasn’t “up to standards”. The reality, his supervisor confirmed, he did a fine job, the snow on the road came from snow filled trees after some wind . . .of course it will need to be rescraped, but that is no fault of the man driving the plow. What? You think the town crew should keep trees from overhanging roads? They would be glad to, but so many residents are against tree maintenance/removal that many roads are left with poor sunlight (necessary for melting), poor drainage (necessary for reducing ice buildup) that they must just do the best they can with the situation at hand. So, back to my hungry husband, here he is rescraping a road after the snow stops falling. He passes driveways all day, he is plowing a road, that is his job. Yet instead of a friendly wave from residents, folks yell obscenities and raise their middle finger as he passes as if he could somehow magically divert snow from landing at the edge of the road each driveway .


Just think how that makes a person feel. . . When he does finally get a break, or stop for coffee at the local store, he is publicly ridiculed for hanging around, lazy. . . (he tries to ignore those comments, bc well .. . who has the energy when he's left his bed at 2 am and hasn't been home in 16 hours, 3 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, (what does it matter, he left his warm bed, his baby's birthday party, a newborn and mom, a wife fighting cancer, a daughter's dance class. . (I could go on and on, the possibilities are endless because those guys are human after all, they are not the enemy) They do that job for however long it takes to get it done.

My challenge is this:
• If everyone who sees this could share this message, that would be fantastic. (time @ 3 seconds)
• Then, if you have another couple seconds, when you see anyone driving a town/state plow truck, give them a wave and a smile, that's all. . .
• If you are feeling ambitious, and you happen to see town crew around town eating or chatting alone or as a group, ask them how long they have been out or expect to be out, ask them how it has been going? or when's the last time they sat down for a hot meal. . . say thank you! A little empathy goes a long way. . .

• Have Patience: and keep in mind a few facts. . .
o In Northfield 6 guys (actually 5 right now bc one was injured falling on the ice recently) each have a route that can take from 3-6 hours to complete depending on rate of snowfall, ice, visibility and so on. . .
o Breakdowns happen. . . equipment fails. The trucks and equipment see a lot of miles and hours, and despite frequent and regular maintenance stuff breaks.
o The reason the plow goes by . . . again, and again after a storm ends, is to push back banks, especially on a year like this where storm follows storm, otherwise the roads become very narrow as the winter progresses.
o Unexpected things happen, even when drivers are carefull. . . ***think glare ice, steep hills, and curves, 20 foot or less visibility and one tired guy in a very BIG truck with a sander and a plow. . .
o Despite what might occur in a perfect world, all this happens with a budget in mind, a budget for sand, maintenance, overtime and so on. . . these guys are doing the best they can with what they have and those resources are naturally depleted as the winter goes on and on as this one does. . .

If you made it this far, thank you for reading and educating yourself! PLEASE share this message with others and hopefully we can all share the Love, for the hard work and tenacity of the Highway men everywhere this winter.

Amy Boyden,
Wife, mom, teacher, and highway department supporter, lover of humanity



12 comments:

  1. We all at the Templeton highway department thank the people of Templeton for the support that you give. Be it just a wave or the bread rolls and sweets you drop off for us we all appreciate you and this town.

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  2. Thanks to all at the Highway Dept. for all the hard work, it is appreciated.

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  3. Most everyone who reads this blog knows I am a supporter of the Templeton Highway Department. Maybe you are thinking why ? This is why. I have lived at the end of South Road pretty much all my life. I love it here, even though it has a few challenges. No town water, thank goodness, I do not need the fluoride, and no town sewer, but we can live with out that. We have cable, that I never would have believed would come out this far. Winter is the challenge !! I have seen the car slide sideways down the big hill, because it was so icey. I thought my friend was going to jump out of the car, she was so scared. Making the hill was a challenge, you would almost make it to the top, and start to slip... so you could back up and try again. I got caught in a dress and high heals, after the flurries turned into two feet of snow, years ago, and had to walk when the car got stuck below where the barn is now. Dad had to come with the tractor and tow the car home. My friend Burnice was in the car in front of me when a snow squall hit, and she could not see the road. She ended up on a snow drift, on the side of the road, the car was tilted to one side. I did not dare stop because I would never have got going again, got in the house and called her husband. He got his tractor and got the car back in the road. All this kind of thing happened, and we had a highway department. Did we call and rant and rave over "poor service"?? Hell no ! It is winter ! I can tell you the service we get is one hell of a lot better than it was way back then, and the guys we have now may be using some of the so called "equipment" they had then. It can be midnight and I hear the plow go by, keeping the road open. It may not be wide, but it is passable, so if one of my neighbors needs rescue, they will get here. If you have an important meeting or doctors appointment, the road is open, and the sand truck came by while you were still in bed, so you are good to go. I have been bothered by the lack of respect our men on the Highway Department get. They are important to our safety, as much as any other department in town. Remember, these are some of the people you did not want to give a lousy 2% raise, but you expect top shelf treatment.I do not think what I say will help how the men are treated, but they need to know they have people who support them. Bev.

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  5. So far this year, I have spent 302 hours in a plow truck, which basically equals 7 1/2 40 hour work weeks. I do this voluntarily and am paid to do it, just like guys at any municipality highway/public works department. I eat fruit, peanut butter crackers, ham n cheese sandwiches and drink water. I drink coffee when I can get it and I stop for breakfast when I am on for that time of the day. One thing for sure, it is better than driving around in Afghanistan. I am not paid time and one half nor do I earn double time and if anything breaks, I pay for it and I fix it. So I have a little violin for anyone who complains about the hours they spend in a plow truck. My opinion on people sounding off on or at the help is that a lot of it is directed at leadership or lack of, such as when people see a sand truck sanding the roads when there is 4 to 6 inches of snow on the roads, why are they not plowing. Another issue is the using of road money to buy equipment while people's cars are beaten up from pot holes and poor road conditions. It never helps the image when you are out walking the dog and you see a Templeton highway truck that looks like it is suppose to be cleaning out the road drains and the operator is standing their texting on their cell phone for at least 15 minutes, that just yells of hard work and doing a good job. It may only be one or two, but just like when a cop is caught doing something against the law, all are put in the same box. One day you are a hero and the next, you are a zero. As for people flippin you the finger or telling you to F off, make a note of the driveway and when you come to it the next time around, steer a little into the road side and give them a little extra snow in the driveway, then wave and crack a smile! On the equipment side, since June of 2003, all I have heard, or read in the newspaper is how bad the mechanical condition of the trucks are on Templeton highway, yet those same trucks are still going up the road to this day. That gives me the impression they are not as bad as advertised, that is my perception. If the trucks are that bad and unsafe, deadline them and take them off the road. Then when the roads are not cleared, the reason is there are no trucks to do the job. Lastly, if it was not for plowing the roads in the winter, what would be the reason to have highway guys on the job? That is a serious question because a few years back when the subject of contracting out the plowing of Templeton's roads was brought up, Bud Chased asked what would the guys do in the winter? Just like if the Town did not use sand in the winter, what would the guys be doing if they were not spending a month sweeping up winter sand? Which brings up the question is the use of sand worth the total cost? So when people pop off in your direction when you are plowing, just laugh and enjoy the coffee, it could be worse, you could be driving around Afghanistan wondering if this is the day you get blown up. Plowing snow ain't that hard and there are worse things to be doing.

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    1. Jeff, I guess you look at life in a different way, since you returned from the sand box, thankfully in one piece. I think I can see how things look through your eyes, and you are not wrong, but think about this. Does any dept have people who do everything right ? I doubt it, but that is life.This has been a rough winter, but I think our town has done pretty well, all and all. It is easier to justify working your butt off when it is your business. I know this because I have worked with Bart in the plant business, all these years. I am too dam old, but his business of growing plants is who he is, and as his partner I will help as long as I can. As for town business, I know the difference between the salaries of the Water Dept. and the town workers eats away at some of our people, but that is something the town's people will have to face, one day..Until then all anyone can do is the best they have, with what they have. I can't ask for any more. Bev.

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  6. The Highway Department does and really nice job especially when they usually are asked to do more with less. I would say the roads this year are a bit worse than in previous years, but with the excess snow and tightened budget they do the best they can.
    These guys provide the type of service this town needs more of, unfortunately the vast majority of the funds get shifted toward unrealistic school budgets and other administrative "strategies" .

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  7. At last nights Advisory Board meeting, it was indicated that the highway dept. has spent $14,000.00 on a new snow blower head for the machine used to clear sidewalks. Apparently the old head broke and it was indicated that the old one had to much metal fatigue and wear to be fixed. It was indicated this money came from the $45,000.00 amount granted for deficit spending on snow & ice. Also indicated was the highway dept. was looking for additional funds for more deficit spending. There were some questions from members of the Advisory Board as to where would the money come from to pay the eventual bill that will need to be paid to cover the deficit spending amount. It was also indicated that the highway dept. would be looking to buy a second tractor to be used to clear sidewalks as one machine does not allow the dept. to clean all of the sidewalks in town. Lastly, it was indicated by the Advisory Board that there were some continuing errors with the accounting paper work from the highway dept. with regards to the recording of the deficit spending funds. These may be some questions for the next selectmen meeting.

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  8. One could say the light and water plant could chip in a little more and help the town out. They are the cause of many costs our town has and when they are asked to help turn their head and say why should we if you can't run the town like a business.
    Well jeff it wasn't any better when you were at the top and we tried to get them to help out more for the sake of the town. They won't even help with the surplus equipment like the old screw truck they traided in for 4,000.00 when they bought the new one.
    Tell me how good the trubine runs light people. Who has seen it turn in the last week or more. Every time i see it sit still i can only wonder how it gets paid for,or not. Do the TMLWP managers and the commission have a clue how to get it to turn? Do they know who to call? Can they call anyone else or have they been told we don't know whats wrong?
    When it sits still i check the 4 in gardner and they are all turning.
    Do people know how the Disabled Veterans get treated by the managers there?
    You may soon hear a story i did and find it repulsive and say "yea" it sound like them.
    Ask about the rate reduction we should be getting. Pass a little note to our golden department about our power cost and rate which has not gone down like other municipal plants have. It should be lower but they need to spend it as fast as they can to keep the rates higher than they should be.

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  9. So why doesn't your wind turbine turn Templeton?
    Are they afraid the gearbox can't take the real load of this harsh wind?
    Could it be we were right when we said the metal particles were a sign of a failure and a problem that won't go away.
    Will the chip boiler cost go up along with the heating bills before the first chip burns in april?
    Is Templeton heading into a disaster again. Anyone seen the books for the end of year school report? Can anyone see the report? Will they releae the report. Post it here if you can or have it. email it to me "smart@nii.net"

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    1. If I remember right, wasn't the gear box too small for the size of the blades, in the first place ?? Maybe our Light and Water Commissioners are afraid the blades will throw ice thru the neighbor's window ? You know. the one they told to buy a shade !! Bev.

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  10. 2-22-2015 Still this tall piece of junk does nothing but cause our light bills to increase.
    Time for the gardner news to call and see what story can be told and bring some "LIGHT" on the suibject.
    Do the L+W dept have the funds to repair it? When they spend the Renewable energy credits as soon as they get them it's hard to believe they would . Borrowing more to fix it would be the way i could see it play out. The REC money has been used to keep any raised rates not an issue and when the turbine breaks we will get hit hard with a big bill to repair it.

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