From the Editor
On the cheap
The $37.7 million price tag floated to solve York's drainage woes is no small sum, and the battle over how to deal with it and absorb the cost will no doubt take some time to play out. But as we contemplate the size of the number and fight over the responsibility for it, we might also want to consider the thought process that created it, namely, doing things on the cheap and leaving the real costs to those who come later.Whether it be private developments or public, the history of doing things on the cheap, and thereby passing the costs on to following generations, is one that has plagued the town of York for decades. Roads, schools, public buildings and infrastructure, private developments, in all of them we find glaring examples of things done with a view only to present cost and nary a nod to the future coming down the road.
This drainage mess is really a mess. But it is not the only one we are going to face in the next few years. Fortunately, there are signs that some longer-term thinking has begun to creep into this larger discussion. Let's hope that way of thinking continues to guide our decisions rather than the short-term bottom dollar thinking that got us here in the first place.
Rum raisin for me
Even the most curmudgeonly among us has to view the two-year reprieve given to Brown's Old Fashioned Ice Cream out on the Nubble as a welcome surprise (read the story). A destination for locals and visitors alike, Brown's seems somehow as much a part of the Nubble as the lighthouse itself. Even so, most knew that at some point the days of this little shop were probably numbered, being as it is, on land worth millions.Well, that day is now apparently at least two years off. All we can say in the meantime is thank you to the Brown family for letting it stay, and thanks to Steve Dunne for continuing to keep it open. From here, we think our town is better, and certainly happier, for it.
See you in line.
