The long-awaited date is coming soon! On June 27, the construction on the bridge on South Kingston Road will commence. This is a bridge 11 years in the making. I can hardly believe it is going to happen. We have been confident it would be constructed “next summer” for many, many years, only to experience another setback.
This bridge was a great idea in 2000, and it’s still a great idea. When it was first studied by biologists and fish experts, plus wetlands scientists, hydrologists and naturalists, every one of them agreed that the replacement of the undersized culverts on South Kingston and West Kingston roads would be a fantastic restoration project for a very special estuary.
They all agreed that we would restore a lot of critical habitat for the funding involved. There was absolutely no disagreement among the state, federal, tribal and county biologists and other professionals who looked at the project.
One might ask why, then, it has taken so long to get to the point of construction of the first of the bridges, to replace the culvert on South Kingston Road. It has never been delayed because anyone debated whether or not it was a good idea. “This is a great project!” was the one constant we heard over and over from every professional involved.
Besides the time it took for the very careful and thorough evaluation and design work of the Army Corps of Engineers, the only thing that held the project back was funding. Public money is very, very carefully doled out — even when all the experts agree on the value of a project. Why are those in charge so reluctant to fund even a very good project?
I believe it is because of public pressure from the same types of folks who grump about the bridge because it wasn’t their idea and it will change what they are used to. Fortunately, there are not many.
The grumpy tend to fall into two categories. They seem to think: 1) that they know more about salmon and wildlife habitat than all the dozens of professional biologists who have worked on this project; or 2) that they or their kids need to be able to play in the water the way it is, or see the landscape the way it is, and that personal need is more important than restoration.
Both objections make me wonder about the wisdom of a community governed by the people. If a community, a county, a state or country is to be governed by the people, it seems to require an enlightened people, willing to put the good of the community before their own personal needs.
For whatever reason, our society is continuing to foster the “me generation” kind of thinking – “it’s all about me!” I used to hear that phrase and think it was being said as a joke, but I have learned differently. Unfortunately, I think some people actually believe it. I think this is the same line of thinking that allows people to throw litter out their car windows or vandalize public property or destroy a neighbor’s stream.
Our media encourages us even more to think of ourselves first and to believe we are the most important persons in the room. Therefore, we also know more than anyone else and have a right to demand that everyone listen to us.
It’s really time to move on from the “me generation”, and maybe to revisit the generations of the past. It’s time that we learned to value the common good over the individual’s needs.
Really — it’s not “all about you.”
