I’d like to address a couple projects that deserve some recognition. Kudos to MassDOT District 2 for its hard work and long hours excavating and pouring new sidewalks along Sugarloaf Street back in the Spring. With a short time frame and many bad weather days you finished in the nick of time for our 350th parade. And special thanks to the supervisor who upon request, swept the parade route just hours before the event. Thanks Jeff.

Secondly, hats off to the town of Deerfield. While riding the roads a couple weeks ago to witness the damage from several inches of rain, I saw closed roads, flooded soccer fields, a river swelled to the max. But when I went behind Richardson’s Candy Kitchen (Wapping Road), I was astonished to see low level waterways with large new culverts handling everything efficiently. This was obviously an expensive project. (This area had been a disaster area for decades; nearly taking the life of a town DPW worker in 2006), but with proper maintenance this system should not be a problem anytime soon. Good work guys.

Michael A. Phillips

South Deerfield