The View from The Hill/Lew Tremaine
Living on Bolinas road has been interesting this year. A major slide occurred last winter just below Sky Oaks Road, which created a one lane road with traffic lights to regulate the flow in either direction, often causing a several minute delay.
The work commissioned by the County took months to complete, but the end result was spectacular. A newly paved road, and a retaining wall that could easily withstand a nuclear attack. I have to commend the County and their contractors on a job well done. I marvel at the engineering of the retaining wall. It is gratifying to see the work finally complete and the traffic lights removed. The road closures required to complete the work will certainly not be missed.
All of this was accomplished for $5 million and some change. Not a small sum, but well worth the investment. Bolinas Road above the Fairfax town line should last for years, if not decades.
The Town of Fairfax commissioned its own work on Bolinas Road, from Deer Park Villa to the town limit at Fawn Ridge. The results were, shall we say, not as spectacular. To call the job patch work would be kind. The Town closed the road for two days to complete the work, and after viewing the result, I had to wonder why.
What should have been a complete resurfacing, turned out to be a series of asphalt patches. Driving from Fawn Ridge into town is like four wheeling in the Rocky Mountains, even after the town’s handiwork. My auto mechanic tells me that my car’s shock absorbers will soon need to be replaced. The car has 33,000 miles on it. That’s ridiculous.
This should not be construed as an indictment of Fairfax’s ever dwindling Public Works crew. I do not understand the level of neglect that the department endures. But, the Town Council’s priorities are clearly elsewhere. It is time for that to change. Fairfax has gone from first to worst in road conditions countywide. There is no excuse for that.
The sheer number of trip hazards on the downtown sidewalks is embarrassing, and also creates untold liability for the Town. The Town Council absolutely must get its priorities straight. Their main responsibilities are to protect public safety and maintain the town infrastructure. All of their “social democrat” crap has to take a back seat to the main responsibilities.
The Town’s work on Bolinas Road is a prime example of those lack of priorites. It is a half-assed job, at best. Come on council members, get your collective act together.
I know that the town’s property owners are still paying a road tax. What’s that money being used for? Apparently not for the roads and other infrastructure. And how long will it be before the Council comes back to the same property owners, hat in hand, begging for more? To quote the Rev. Jessie Jackson – “It’s time for a change”.
(Lew Tremaine is a Fairfax resident and a former Town Council Member.)
Thanks Lew for this article. Before reading your comment I emailed Todd Greenberg about Fairfax’s crumbling streets. A few weeks ago our 7yr old grandson was riding his 3 wheel scooter in front of our house with a friend. His front wheel got caught in a large crack on the street. He fell, bloodied his elbow and hit his head on the ground (thankfully he was wearing a helmet) I thought he might have broken his elbow the way he was holding it, but it was just bruised, There are also large potholes they have to avoid so as not to fall.