HomeMy WebLinkAboutSmall Town_Courier-TCPalm_08/22/2010Comm ' unlity, viewpoint
PAGE A5 SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010 TCPALM.00M
The Jupiter Courier
A Scripps Howard Newspaper
Brightman Brock, Managing Editor
Kit Bradshaw, Editorial Page Editor
"Give light and the people will find their own way"
Cooperation now
normal for those
in North County?
Sometimes a municipality has a spirit of coopera-
tion and leadership knitted into the very fabric of its
town council and its staff.
The Village of Tequesta's ability to communicate
with its residents over a 10 -month period when the east
and west side connection was severed and, at the same
time, marshal and monitor the progress of the con-
struction of the new Tequesta Bridge is one
example.
In Jupiter, there is a renewed effort to have residents
truly be part of the government process.
Perhaps the more clearly defined reason is the result
of +hie vn�r'e nlnn+in"o ho hn +h +ho + — . — it
Tequesta: Epitome of a `small town'
In a village the size of
Tequesta — about 5,000
people — even the most
ordinary events take on,a
certain importance.
And when the event is
truly important, it becomes
time for Widespread 'com-
munity rejoicing.
'That is what happened
last week when the Tequesta
Bridge reopened to vehicle
and pedestrian traffic. It
was cause for celebration.
Several hours before
the bridge opened to cars,
trucks, people and dogs,
there were vehicles lined
up on both sides, according
to Mayor Pat Watkins.
They waited patiently for
the final striping and instal-
lation. of the reflectors on
the roadway to be completed
and for the barricades to
come down, once again link-
ing the western residents
With the eastern ones.
Folks from Sheltra &
Sons, general contractors
KIT
BRADSHAW
NEWSROOM
VIEW
for the project, were part of
Monday night's celebration
as well, and Watkins said
that was appropriate.
"It was really a commu-
nity event, and I think it
was right that the ' people
who had worked so hard on
the bridge and the residents
celebrated together, just
us," the mayor said. "The
workers said they would
love to do more projects for
Tequesta,.they really didn't
want to leave."
No wonder. Even though
the work was hard, and
often meant that workers
built the bridge long into
the night and on weekends,
they knew they had the sup-
port of the community and
in particular of the village
council and the staff.
Residents ware kept
informed throughout the
eight, month construction,
and the lines were open to
the village for questions
and concerns.
Village Manager Michael
Couzzo was on the bridge
night and day, making sure
the project stayed on track.
Village council mem-
bers encouraged the crew
throughout the process,
and, on Monday, as the dead-
line loomed to complete the
bridge, the mayor and others
from the village were serv-
ing lunch, just to keep the
crew working at top speed.
This cooperative effort
was possible because
there was communication
between the village and
those responsible for the
bridge construction, includ-
ing Sheltra & Son and the
FDOT, which oversaw the
project since it had received
federal stimulus funds.
Maybe someone could
build a bridge in shorter
time than eight months, but
most who have been involved
with these types of projects
doubt it. There is still some
final aesthetic work to be
done, with decorative ele-
ments featuring the symbol
of Tequesta and pavers and
landscaping. But the bridge
is now open to traffic.
We have to think that
some of the reason the con-
struction went so smoothly
is that those in the village
knew the value of work-
ing with, not against, those
who were working on the
bridge.
A project that was built
with federal funds really
was completed on time and
basically on budget because
a small village got involved
and stayed involved with the
process.
Other governmental
projects could take a lesson
from the Village of
Tequesta.