From: Christina Kern
Columbus
I would like to thank The Republic for the two articles concerning the welfare of the Dawson Street residents. Hopefully these actions will help in remedying potential loss of life and future jobs because of this forgotten one-way street.
However, this situation seems that it could become a learning experience for Bartholomew County. From the articles, I have become informed of a few things:
- This street has been one-way since 1918. That makes Dawson a century old.
- Ed Rueter, the former Bartholomew County emergency operations director, raised concern about Dawson in 2015, three years ago.
- The street correction is going to be expensive.
The takeaway: Bartholomew County must have been well aware of the Dawson situation, but continually failed to act. It chose to place the welfare of the Dawson residents in jeopardy rather than take accountability and correct the matter.
Yes, I know land will probably have to be purchased and bridges built. Roads will have to be paved and, depending on the route, areas raised above flood level. It can be expensive, but it’s no more expensive now than what it was three years ago or even 50 years ago.
In the future, I hope Bartholomew County will take the initiative to correct matters in a timely fashion instead of waiting with fingers crossed, hoping the residents of Bartholomew County are not harmed by the neglect.
