Construction.
The saying goes, "We have two seasons here, winter, and construction."
Well, I'm here to tell you folks, that ain't so anymore.
Surveying is, I lost count, my 4th or 5th career, and is the one I should have started with. I've been at it now more than a decade, and have never been laid off in the winter. For the last 10 years, I've worked for a municipality, and I've worked winters.
My colleagues have witnessed me with icicles hanging from my eyelashes, and my coffee has frozen in the cup before I could finish it.
The point is construction is year round now, just more difficult in the colder months.
More to the point is, people complain.
They complain about how rough the road is, then they complain when we tear it up to fix it.
They complain about watermain breaks then complain when we make a mess to replace it.
They complain when the road isn't wide enough then complain we we close lanes while we make it wider.
I was working today (Saturday), preparing for watermain construction, when a lady pulled up and asked what we were up to. When I told her, she swore at me and drove off.
Construction needs to happen folks. Aging infrastructure needs replacing and upgrading, (Walkerton, anyone?)
We do our best to limit the impact of construction on the local residents and businesses. We send out notices, hold meetings, and post signs. When the work is happening, we do our best to accommodate those directly involved, the residents and businesses where we are working.
Those just passing through just have to put up with it.
We've worked Saturday's and Sunday's.
We've worked nights on long weekends to keep roads open in the daytime.
We go out of our way to keep people happy while we disrupt the general routine.
I once went and bought bottled water to supply a daycare while we repaired their water service.
We hear a lot of complaints, and few compliments...
...and the end result is usually an improvement on the quality of life.
DJW
This was an actual Public Service Message from an actual Public Servant.
