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Time to say “thank you”

letter to the editor from Denein Hanson Stanley, Barriere - Time to say “thank you”

To the editor;

I have lived here in Barriere for over 30 years, seen a few winters for sure.

Over those years I have become (like many) a snow shoveling, berm busting, ice road and hill climbing, 4x4-ing expert... not by choice, but by necessity.   I have shoveled out the cul-de-sac at the entrance to my driveway so many times I started to think it was ‘my property’, even made plans to put up a fence just to keep out the rarely visiting plow trucks from filling it up.

Imagine my utter joint aching joy, when Murray Purcha drove his grader down my street and plowed out and sanded the cul-de-sac.

There’s more – the whole street was plowed and sanded two lanes wide the very same day!

My joy continued as I drove through town.  It’s been so long since the roads here in town have been plowed two lanes wide, sanded everywhere, and done regularly, that I find myself just driving around – because I can!

I am sure there are other residents who remember the ‘good ole days’ of being trapped in your own driveway by a foot high (plus) berm of ice and snow,  deposited there by some phantom plow truck and driver, on his way to bigger and better berm building jobs on another street.

I say ‘phantom’, because when I personally went to the company office and asked “who was responsible for filling my driveway and the public cul-de-sac”... no one there knew anything about it.  Even though it was done regularly for many years.

Yep, we’ve all learned to 4x4; whether we had one or not.

For sure, we sadly came to accept that the town roads probably wouldn’t be sanded until there was an accident.  That driving ‘squished’ into one-and-a-half lanes was normal, and that fire, ambulance and police should be able to drive through anything to ‘save us’... even up a hill you couldn’t even walk on, let alone drive up.

Well, Barriere, lucky for us that’s history, gone down the tube – right where it belongs.  We now have Murray Purcha and Son Ltd. at the wheel, doing a professional, reliable, common sense filled great job!

As always, some will find fault and political reference.  Maybe Barriere, just maybe, it’s time to drop the fault flinging and political preference pumping and just say “thank you” to the guy doing the job.

So here I go... ‘feet first’.

Thank you Jesse Myram for clearing the sidewalk of the Barriere Bridge, ice chopping and shoveling so we can all walk that bridge safely now.  Thank you, Murray Purcha and Son Ltd., for the clean, safe town roads I drive and walk on.

Thanks again,

Denein Hanson Stanley

Barriere, B.C.

P.S. My chiropractor asked me why I hadn’t been in for so long?  I told him it was your fault. :-)

 

*Editor’s note:  Murray Purcha and Son Ltd. was awarded the contract to maintain the District of Barriere’s roadways from October 1, 2013 to the end of March 2014.