To the editor:
On Nov. 7, I called Caribou City Hall to make an appointment with the mayor and city manager. I received no call back for a week and decided to attend the Nov. 14 City Council meeting in person. A man asked what I was doing there and I told him that I would like to speak to councilors about the dangerous pothole on Wright and Bradley streets. He introduced himself as City Manager Steven Buck and we talked about the crater in my mother’s neighborhood. He said it was a legal issue because the road is not where it should be. I told him that the road has been that way for over 100 years. “Why not grandfather it?” I asked. That way there would not be a safety issue because the town would fix it the way it should have been fixed long ago. Mr. Buck asked if I had filled out a Public Input Form. I replied “No” and he said I could not speak at the meeting, so I left.
The next morning I filled out the form and returned it before noon. On Nov. 22 I called the City Hall to ask how I would know if I was authorized to speak at the next Council meeting. I was told the City Manager would call me. On Wednesday, Nov. 16 a city work crew showed up and filled in half of the pothole. Now the road is worse than before. Something needs to be done this spring because the people of the neighborhood would like to have a road they can drive on, like it was before.
On Nov. 28, I had not heard back from Manager Buck but decided to go to the Council meeting anyway. Unfortunately nothing was settled at the meeting. The easy fix would have been easy and less expensive, but the City Council came up with other fixes for more money. I guess the people of Wright and Bradley streets will have to suffer. When someone gets hurt or killed, maybe the city will fix the road then.
I encourage anyone who reads this letter to take a ride over to the corner of Wright and Bradley streets and then let Mr. Buck know what you think.
Lois Faulker
Soldotna, Alaska
