Each week, City Manager Tom Aspell writes an especially juicy city memo, then tries so hard to squeeze it into cider that he turns bright red and passes out. So a local orchard mistakes him for an apple and turns him into cider, but thankfully puts the city memo on the label before selling it.
Still building stuff
Constructiony things
Construction on North Main Street will continue this week in similar fashion to the past couple of weeks, Aspell writes. Which is high fashion, obvs. Work crews will remain stationed in the block between School and Capitol streets, presumably with enough rations to complete the job. Parking will continue to be impacted in this area as well. Weather permitting, construction on North Main Street will be complete by week’s end.
Work in Eagle Square will also continue, with plans for completion by the end of this week, as well. Brick work will take place primarily in the lower area of the square.
I saw the sign
And it said bridge closed
Message signs were deployed this week along Sewalls Falls Road indicating the upcoming permanent closure of the Sewalls Falls Bridge, Aspell writes. As with any deployment, the sign’s families were on hand to say farewell. Commuters should note that on Dec. 1 the bridge will be closed permanently until the bridge is replaced over the next two years.
Get off my lawn
Say local sports teams
Now that the local high school teams and recreation programs that utilize the city’s athletic fields are done for the fall season, Parks & Recreation staff have been busy preparing the fields for the upcoming spring sports season, Aspell writes. We presume they’re using the term “upcoming” loosely. To properly prepare the fields for the spring season, all athletic fields are core aerated and then slice seeded with a mixture of Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, and Fine Fescue. Point of order: that sentence was indeed in English.
Approximately 25 acres of athletic fields are aerated and dormant seeded each fall. Seeding is timed so the seed will not germinate in the fall but, instead, is primed by Mother Nature to germinate in the spring, typically before turf equipment can get on the fields. This allows staff to concentrate on other duties and the seedlings are up quicker than if staff waited until the end of April to seed. Also, the end of April doesn’t always count as “spring.”
Once the fields are aerated, the Parks & Recreation Department asks for the public’s cooperation in staying off the fields, even though we don’t post signs stating the fields are closed for the season. With open aeration holes, the fields are easily damaged. And you don’t want to fall into one.
