Thursday, April 5, 2012

MAIN STREET

For the past couple of weeks, there has been an uncommon amount of workers on the main street of our little town here in the Foothills. Apparently, there is money set aside in a fund someplace to take all of these power poles and lines and place them underground. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it personally. 

The traffic is a mess. Lots of men with signs and flags stopping traffic all during the day. They seem to have that pretty well managed though and there is not much of a delay but there is a bit of inconvenience.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company is doing the majority of the work with some of the tasks being subbed out to other companies. They have to bury electrical boxes underground, trench the road and lay the pipes and electricity in those trenches and then eventually remove all the overhead power poles and transmission lines.

They are doing this the entire length of our town. I have heard some controversy regarding the funding of this project at a time when jobs are hard to come by and the state of California is experiencing budget cuts. Teachers cannot attain full-time contracts to teach our children. But yet there seems to be money set aside to beautify our entire town. I'm not necessarily against this project. I think putting the electrical lines underground has always been the best choice and have always questioned why it wasn't done initially. I guess it is job security for some. But there are others who have lost jobs and are standing in line for unemployment and losing their homes to foreclosures. How does this make you feel? I would be interested in hearing other people's perspectives on the subject.

4 comments:

  1. While it is costing money, it is also giving those people working on the project a job for the time being. We don't know what their employment status is, if they are full time, contracted, or part time. The way I look at it, you have to spend some money to pay people to do some work. When you don't see project happening that means people are working, and that means people are making money. In the end, it's all a cycle.

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  2. it is going to look a little weird to not have power poles....not sure how i am going to like that...i guess its good just going to be different...

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  3. I have mixed emotions about these things, too. But, in this case, I would asume that it's highly unlikely that the money being spent would go to another cause. And I sometimes think power lines are the bane of my life. Everywhere I point my camera there seems to be some in the way.

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  4. Terri, sorry if this comment is a duplicate, I am having some trouble with the site today. But I wanted to say that I am one of the casualties of the economy and circumstance that you mentioned, losing my home, etc. but I still think we have to make the towns where we live look nice. Even though the power lines above, harken back to a simpler time, I think in the end, the inconvenience and mess will be well worth it. I also wanted to comment on your photo above, because when I saw it I said allowed, ooooh an alligator clicker. I love those little metal toys and it is perfectly, whimsically paired with the stick. I love it. Thanks for making me smile.

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