Columnists
Concrete and clay
Ah, downtown Picton! Oh how I miss you. I miss the old, uneven sidewalks, the pavement that feels like a drive through a plowed field and the orange spray-painted warnings on concrete. Let’s be real, navigating the sidewalks, of Main Street in downtown Picton isn’t easy these days. Main Street businesses are open throughout this major reconstruction process, but just try to get anywhere without having a really good plan. And by plan, I’m talking about a plan flexible enough to allow for daily revisions. From one day to the next, you never really know for sure which part of the main drag is open to drivers and which sections of sidewalks are safely negotiable by pedestrians. I’m fortunate in that I’m fairly agile. I don’t have mobility issues, although I have been trippedup a couple of times during the re-do—no face plants, just nearly-nasty whoopsies. But I am fortunate in that I can still pick my way from gravel to compacted dirt to wooden planks to rubber mats to old sidewalks to new sidewalks without too many missteps. But every weekday morning as I make my way to the gym, I think about all of those folks who can’t manage the changes in the sidewalk surfaces. I know, I know. It’s a necessary evil, the inconvenience of infrastructure repairs and by December all of this will just be a fuzzy memory—wind and weather permitting.
So, I’ve been thinking, what we all need is a plan. Each of us needs a Plan A with maybe a Plan B, C and D for good measure. I recommend that every plan should include a daily visit to the Post Office, if you have a Picton postal address. If you can make your way as far as the Post Office without a problem, then you’ve either got a parking spot close by or you’ve walked, cycled or jogged in for the mail. Grab your mail, say hello to the Canada Post staff, read the obits and get ready to implement the rest of the plan. First of all, take a deep breath and check your watch. Early in the morning? Then pick your way to one of the coffee places and reward yourself with a cuppa joe. Go on. Even if you do it once a week, someone will be thankful for your purchase.
Now, you’ve had your coffee (or tea or water or soda) drop into one of the Main Street retail stores close to that coffee shop. Okay, some of you have to go to work and don’t have time to fanny around. If you have a clock to punch, purchase a newspaper or magazine or book or a bagged lunch and get on your way.
For those of you who don’t have to work for a living, and if you’ve got the time, consider digging out your Christmas list and get a jump on those stocking stuffers. It might cost a smidgeon more to shop locally, but think of all the loot you’ll save on gasoline, wear and tear on the Rolls-can-hardly and time spent getting to BelleVegas. Right? You know I am.
Besides you know those local retailers. You know many of them by name. You might even know them as family, friends or neighbours. These are people who are taking the good and bad of major construction on the chin for the whole of the community. I don’t own a business on Main Street, but I’ll benefit from a better road surface and smoother sidewalks. The challenge right now is to help our community family make it through this massive project, intact.
Your Plan A (or B, C or D) could include asking your less-than-mobile neighbours, friends and family if they need anything from one of our down-street retailers. Maybe you could offer to accompany someone you know to safely get to where they want to go. What the heck, this is what community is all about, right? Also, if you do drive to the downtown area and you find yourself on one of the detour routes, the rules of the road still apply. Stop at the stop signs. King Street at Walton is the worst for rolling stops. Signal your intentions. Park only in a designated parking spot. The rules of the road apply even if the road doesn’t look like it should. If you see a pedestrian trying to cross, how hard would it be to let that happen?
Just think about it—new pavement, new sidewalks, new trees and through traffic. With a Plan A and perhaps B, C or D, our retailers can survive. Now, where’s my list?
Comments (0)