Back in the mid-1980s, Bayfield’s streets were gravel. That is when the people of Bayfield voted to pave those streets, making the decision that paved streets would be a better deal all the way around than gravel streets. If memory serves, I voted for paving, and have not regretted it. Since then, I have not heard many people complain that this happened.

With this decision, however, came an ongoing responsibility: to maintain those streets. Our town has grown significantly in the intervening years and so has the traffic that uses our streets. Same streets; way more cars, way more impact.

It makes good sense to take care of what you have built and to take care of it timely. It is also good sense to get out ahead of a problem you see coming. The town needs to take care of our streets before they fall apart any more than they have already; and they will continue to fall apart without a steady schedule of repair.

Letting things deteriorate, aka deferred maintenance, just does not work, especially on something like streets. The more they fall apart, the more costly it is to repair them. The longer you wait, the more it costs. Bayfield voters are, by and large, a pretty conservative bunch when it comes to spending tax dollars, and that is as it should be. Maintaining our streets before they fall apart is the most cost-effective way to take care of an essential piece of our infrastructure.

Ballot Issue 2D asks for a 1-cent sales tax increase which will be dedicated to our streets. This makes sense in that it will be not just residents of Bayfield but everyone who is using our streets who will be helping maintain them. That is fair, not frivolous. That is also smart. I urge Bayfield voters to vote yes on 2D to support our community, and SOS: Support our streets.

Josh Joswick

Bayfield