Dear Editor:
Where do all our tax dollars go? Thirty years ago, we bought a home and lot on Armstrong Street, a new subdivision at that time. We were lucky enough to have underground utilities, and our street was paved from curb to curb. Since this time, we have watched three subdivisions, built with large machinery and trucks, that has led to cracks and potholes—sometimes not.
At one point, someone put an orange cone in the pothole just so the residents wouldn’t lose their whole car in it, but you could go out and around and hit a parked car on either side; not a big deal.
In the last three years, our taxes have gone up $650 and we think maybe we could have a bit of improvement. Not a big deal, because on some streets, people have hit potholes and they are still looking for their vehicles. Oh well, such is life.
I have asked why when the city paves a street, why they can’t pave curb to curb. My answer was that it is too costly. My thought would be, instead of doing six blocks, maybe do three and do it properly. Some streets in Merritt have been done this way.
Some streets have pavement to the sidewalk, just in front of one house—maybe there is a reason! This would save some dust and it would look a lot neater.
The other day, I went to the graveyard to visit a friend and, much to my disgust, I found that some of the graves had just plain caved in. Maybe the tenants just got up and left, I don’t know. Is this really necessary or are these the minor issues we don’t have funds for?
The graveyard was talked about in the paper a little while ago. I think we got the grass mowed, but the roadway between the graves looks like the wagon trails of the 30s. I am sure, with a little thought, this graveyard could be fixed up. Maybe some summer help could be used to restore the graveyard, and then maybe it could be maintained by the city.
We, as citizens of Merritt, really need to clean up our acts. As you walk or drive down any street, we find only long grass paper cups, bottles, and just plain trash. We can help by using a trashcan or taking our trash home and outing it in our own trashcan. It is not a lot of work.
Maybe we retired folks just have time to stop and smell the roses and maybe we should just remain silent. It is very hard to go to the cities the same size of Merritt and look at what they are doing to have a clean and welcoming town.
Ruth Steffens
Merritt