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HarborLink Network News & Events
April
24, 2005
from the April
24, 2005 edition of The Dayton
Daily News
Jim Dillon: Dayton's on the
road to getting better
By
Jim Dillon
Dayton Daily News
The city of Dayton is making
two important improvements
to its infrastructure. The
question is, which one will
I appreciate the most.
The first improvement is a
new free wireless Internet
service.
The new service, which will
be formally introduced next
weekend but is up and
running now, adds a new
dimension to downtown. (See
Tim Gaffney's story on this
page.)
Anyone with a properly
equipped computer or other
digital device can use the
service to surf the Web.
They can do it while sitting
in Dave Hall Plaza or in
Courthouse Square or
traveling between the two.
Most users are likely to be
business people checking
their e-mail or doing
Internet-related work
outside the office.
Plans call for the service
to eventually be expanded
citywide.
The second improvement is
the rebuilding of Patterson
Boulevard between Stewart
and Sixth streets. Crews
have set up dozens of orange
barrels and begun the messy
but necessary process of
grinding off the old asphalt
in anticipation of putting
down a new road surface. The
project is expected to last
most of the summer.
While the wireless service
is cool and definitely
something to crow about, I'm
thrilled at the prospect of
driving on a refurbished
Patterson Boulevard again.
Don't get me wrong. I love
new technology as much as
the next guy, but a smooth,
new road is a thing of
beauty to me.
And Patterson Boulevard is a
scenic route. I love how it
parallels the Great Miami
River. It's also much wider
than Main Street and serves
as a nice side entrance, so
to speak, into downtown.
Like many other south
suburban residents, I use it
nearly every day to get to
and from the central city.
Patterson Boulevard has been
in dire need of attention
for a long time. The road
has become increasingly
rough as weather, age and
traffic have taken their
toll.
What once was a pleasant
stretch of road has
deteriorated into a series
of bone-jarring,
suspension-busting bumps and
potholes.
Over time, I have become
well-acquainted with each
hazard and can usually avoid
most of them.
But when traffic is heavy
and there's little room for
maneuvering, I can't help
but hit a pothole or bump.
There's one particularly
jarring depression in the
southbound lanes just north
of the Stewart Street
intersection that really
tests my nerves and
vehicle's stoutness.
So, I'll gladly avoid
Patterson Boulevard while it
gets a makeover and use
other ways to get to and
from downtown. But I'll also
look forward to the day when
the road is unobstructed and
as smooth as a baby's bottom
again.
Meanwhile, I'll learn how to
use the new wireless
service.
It just might be the thing I
need to break free from my
desk every once in a while.
And maybe, just maybe, I'll
come to appreciate it as
much as a refurbished
Patterson Boulevard. |
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