Why Can't We Have Better Things?

The West Main Street "Reconstruction" Project will surely come in on time and under budget, but what do we sacrifice in the meantime?

Death, taxes and people providing complaints about the nearly two and a half year West Main Street “Reconstruction” Project are about the only things guaranteed in civic life here in Troy as we roll into 2025.

Half jokingly say that, but there is a shallow but yet steady stream, of individuals providing their own opinions and insights on the West Main Street project. It almost seems like clock work that every other day someone will say something on some social media outlet about this construction project that never seems to end.

This publication hasn’t really dived into the project because, there really hasn’t been that much to say about it up to this point. Communities of all shapes and sizes need to invest in their infrastructure. Such projects are costly and time-consuming. They are a hassle for businesses and consumer, residents, visitors and everyone else.

I remember as a kid, I worked at the local hardware store and one summer South Market Street was fully reconstructed to the point where there was no traffic at all. All I need to say is that those were some slow days at the hardware store. Business was slow, and it was hard for any of our customers to find us.

But, the tone and tenor of these social media comments on West Main Street seem to have a different bent. As I look at the project myself and listen to people talk about the project, it appears that the approach taken to fix up the busiest street in town has been to do this project as meagerly as possible; if we were to give this project a grade, most people would probably give out a C- on this piece of work. That sounds harsh, but I think I am probably a bit closer to the target than most would comfortably admit.

Over the Christmas holiday, the City’s Top Bureaucrat was chiming in a social media platform responding to yet another complaint about the West Main Street project and in the thread two interesting points came about. You can see the screenshots of the comments made by the City’s Top Bureaucrat below.

With these two responses, the citizens of our town have learned some pretty interesting things. First, the city is looking into changing the wooden light poles for aluminum ones on the recently installed poles from Ridge Avenue to roughly the Interstate. Second, the city could have had the contractor add a temporary course of pavement to West Main Street, but the cost would have been over $100,000. Both of these nuggets of information are definitely something for us to ponder.

I found it interesting that adding a temporary course of pavement for $100,000 was something that was obviously considered (how else would the cost be known?) but was ultimately not implemented, especially since there are probably streets in war torn or Third World countries that are easier to navigate than West Main Street is today. Friends, that is not hyperbole. If you aren’t travelling less than 15 miles per hour, your ride will not be smooth.

Keep in mind that both phases of the West Main Street project came in at $15 Million. So, even if the temporary course of pavement came in at $150,000, we are talking about an increase of 1% in the project budget. Yes, $150,000 is a lot of money, but is it really?

Let’s say you were remodeling your bathroom. You go to the effort of finding new paint colors for the walls, some new flooring, maybe a new shower, a new vanity, the fixtures, and as you cost the project out, it is going to be $20,000. Yes, it’s a big chunk, but let’s say you are sitting on about $75,000 in your savings account; it is something you can afford to do.

Well, you go to the effort of demolishing and gutting the bathroom. You have painted some walls and the new floor looks great, it’s now time to start putting in some of the fixtures. Everything is great, except the toilet. The retailer looks into it, and they say the toilet you wanted is on backorder, the plant closed down for an extended holiday and shipping lanes are clogged. It’s a disaster in the making, but you had your eye on that toilet, and you are determined that you are going to get that toilet, but it’s going to be a few weeks. What do you do?

Well, you have options. You can either spend $200 for a toilet you are more than likely only going to use for a couple of months, or you can spend $5 on a five gallon bucket. I think I know what most people would do, and I think most people know what the city is doing (hint: it’s not exactly the same thing).

I am sorry, but I find it incongruent to say a $100,000 expense shouldn’t be considered for a $15 Million project that, up to this point, has seemed to create more problems than it has solved. Keep in mind, when this big ball drops next week on Times Square, the city is expecting to have over $52 Million in the General Fund; in other words, the city ain’t broke.

The second interesting point was the fact that the city is looking into changing out the wooden streetlight poles that were installed for aluminum poles. Thank Heavens.

West Main Street is more and more becoming a gateway into the community; people from all points jump off Interstate 75 and if they want to go downtown, they head down West Main Street. It would have been a shame to have a newly renovated $15 million road project adorned with wooden poles, half of which don’t even look straight.

Let’s go back to our bathroom example. Let’s say the walls are painted, and they perfectly match the beautiful lighting fixtures you have picked out for the bathroom. You get the new wall sconces hung for new bathroom mirror and the new overhead light is perfect. But, you forgot the switches and the switch plate covers.

Your contractor goes to the local hardware store and buys the cheapest switches and the switch plates he can find. And you are horrified. Sure the contractor saved a buck, but the switches are white, which clash with the off-white walls. The switches make this loud snapping sound every time they are turned on and off. In the end, you wanted something of quality that matched what was part of your vision, not something just put up on the cheap.

On one of his first flights into space, Ohio’s own John Glenn was sitting on top of a rocket shoehorned in to a small capsule and was strapped in for a couple of hours before liftoff. A reported asked him what goes through one’s mind at a time like that. Glenn was reported to say, “I felt exactly how you would feel if you were getting ready to launch and knew you were sitting on top of two million parts — all built by the lowest bidder on a government contract.” With government contracts, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for.

I bring this quip up because today’s Civic Capacity is NOT about complaining. These projects are long and they are complex. I have every confidence that the project will be done on time and under budget, which is how these projects are ultimately judged.

However, West Main Street is a once-in-a-generation project and the city has the responsibility to do it right and get it right the first time. If that means we have to spend more on nicer light poles, or we should have put in a temporary course of asphalt for a de minimis amount, well, we should have at least had city council weigh in on the idea.

There is nothing wrong with wanting higher standards, especially if we can reasonably afford those higher standards. If this community is going to grow in a fashion that we can all be proud of, it’s those higher standards that will get us there.

What Do You Think?

How do you feel about the West Main Street project? Are you ready for it to be over? Our paid subscribers are more than welcome to leave their ideas and insights in the comment section. If you want to write a full opinion piece, without the limits of word counts or paywalls, this publication has a policy of publishing all submissions. Just send your ideas and insights to pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.

Check out our New YouTube Channel!

Our goal with the Civic Capacity YouTube Channel is to be a centralized location where residents can watch videos of local government meetings in action and also provide comments and insights. You can check out the channel here!

A Unique Way to Support This Work

Our readers and subscribers have been asking for a new way to support the work being done here at Civic Capacity! Some of our readers do not like the idea of having to sign up for another subscription service. Some of our subscribers occasionally want to give more support through a one-time transaction.

Civic Capacity is partnering with “Buy Me A Coffee” to give our readers, subscribers and friends an opportunity to give one-time support to Civic Capacity. Personally, I don’t like coffee, but I will never turn down a nice iced tea. If you feel compelled to support this effort, just click the button below.

Thanks for reading today’s Civic Capacity Newsletter! Please feel free to share this information with your friends and neighbors.

Also, please consider subscribing to our work. If you are a free subscriber, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. For less than $1 a week, you can get timely and conversational updates about the decisions that are impacting you and your community!