Streets still dirty

Last month, The Review printed my letter about the lack of preventive maintenance for Spokane’s streets. It’s now October, the streets on the northeast side of town have not been cleaned and cracks are no longer sealed. Gravel from last winter sits on the streets, especially the hills. Dirt, debris, weeds and decaying plant material choke the gutters and storm drains.

After my letter, Sharon Silzel wrote in stating she’d rather have repaired streets than clean ones. She went further to say I should go out and wash down my own street. Good point. I, like many people around town, have given up on the Street Department using taxpayer money as allocated, to keep the streets clean, and we keep our immediate streets semi-clean. I maintain all dour corners and the island in my intersection.

There is a separate budget, equipment and crew for street cleaning, but the Street Department, under direction of the mayor, is not spending taxpayer money as collected. Clean streets that are not full of holes and bumps are a matter of civic pride. Visitors immediately see our dirty and crumbling street infrastructure.

The Review had an article “Amazon, Why Not Us?” Companies looking to expand will be less likely to consider Spokane due to its dirty and rundown street system.

Richard Trerise

Spokane