OPINION

What we've accomplished working together

Posted 9/10/20

Open letter to Mayor Solomon, Can you believe, it's August 31st. Wow, what a summer this has been. Plenty of sunshine, several bonafide heat waves and only a few rainy days. On top of that, summer vacation for Warwick students started very early and

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
OPINION

What we've accomplished working together

Posted

Open letter to Mayor Solomon,

Can you believe, it’s August 31st. Wow, what a summer this has been. Plenty of sunshine, several bonafide heat waves and only a few rainy days. On top of that, summer vacation for Warwick students started very early and staycations, rather than vacations, were the norm for many families, as a consequence of Covid-19.

For Lorraine and I, this was our 49th summer on Sand Pond. Originally, our home was intended to be just a starter home. Once we became established, our plan was to move on to a more prestigious neighborhood where the lawyers and doctors live. Although we both enjoyed successful professional careers, we fell in love with what we had at Sand Pond. We also realized that our neighbors in Massasoit Terrace were the best folks you could find in good times and in bad.

The topic of conversation during many of Lorraine’s well prepared evening meals was just how busy the Pond was this year. So many people enjoyed swimming, fishing and kayaking from dawn to dusk. Some were neighbors or their kids, others were total strangers.

Lots of people converts to lots of trash. Most folks were pretty good about using the trash barrels and several neighbors routinely performed litter patrols or spruced up the area.

The thing that was different about this year was the willingness of James Scott, Director of Parks & Recreation, to attend a meeting, arranged by Councilman Tim Howe, and develop a plan to improve trash removal in the short term and search for grant programs in the long term to improve recreational opportunities at the Pond.

James assigned Paul Jountras the job of working with neighbors to keep the place clean. Paul has been easy to get a hold of and always responsive to our request for assistance. If there was ever a summer we needed someone with a positive attitude to work with, this was it, and Paul was the right guy at the right time.

It’s refreshing to see what the city and its citizens can accomplish when we work together versus becoming adversaries when pitted against each other by outsiders whose only interest is getting the greatest return on their investment that is possible.

Lorraine and I, like so many of my neighbors, look forward to continuing to work with you and your administration to keep Massasoit Terrace with Sand Pond at its nucleus, a great place for down-to-earth folks to live and raise a family.

Dave Bouchard

Warwick

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here