WJBC Forum: Sweatheart deal

(Photo by WJBC's Stephanie Pawlowski)

No, the title of my commentary doesn’t refer to Valentine’s Day, which was two days ago.

Rather, it refers to what could only have been a “sweetheart deal” between the city and someone to include “Auto Row” in the street resurfacing program that was before the city council this past Monday night.

This “street”, and that is using the term liberally, is a dead end service road behind one, count ‘em, one auto dealer, not a ROW of auto dealers, as its name implies.

Granted, there are several businesses that use this as an access road, but by no stretch of the imagination is this a true street, in continuous and constant use by a high volume of vehicles.

If the city wants to repair a TRUE street that IS in constant use with an enormous amount of traffic every minute of the day, seven days a week, it needed to look no further than the twenty-five hundred block of Rainbow Avenue, immediately east of North Hershey Road.

Drivers going in both directions on this block are risking their suspension systems and tires at all times.  And, the city cannot claim it is not aware of this pothole heaven, since it did put down about three shovels full of cold patch on it a couple of weeks ago. Big whoop. That lasted about as long as it took the city truck to return to the city yard.

So, I have to ask again, who in our beloved city government partnered up with who in the private sector to arrange to have “Auto Row” put on the list of “most worthy” repair projects?

I won’t hold my breath waiting for an answer.

This has been Michael J. Whelan for the WJBC Forum.

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Mike Whelan has been a licensed practicing attorney for over 33 years. He also serves as an arbitrator in the 11th Judicial Circuit Mandatory Arbitration program. In addition, he is presently the president of the board of directors of his homeowners association, and is also a member of the board of directors of The Old House Society. He and his wife of thirty-one plus years, Cheryl Whelan, live in Bloomington. He and Cheryl enjoy exercising, reading, and being close to family and friends.

The opinions expressed within WJBC’s Forum are solely those of the Forum’s author, and are not necessarily those of WJBC or Townsquare Media.