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Mary Rowan, 87, of Division Street in Wilkes-Barre, is a vigilant city resident whom others should emulate.
DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER
OUR CITIES WOULD be better places to live if there were more residents like Mary Rowan of Wilkes-Barre.
Rowan, a lifelong Division Street resident, keeps an eye on her neighborhood.
And when signs with lower weight limits were posted on the bridge near her house, she began asking questions, reported Bill O’Boyle in Wednesday’s edition.
“I noticed that somebody put those signs up limiting traffic on the bridge to 15 tons,” Rowan said.
“But I still see big trucks going by and I’m concerned that the bridge won’t hold up.”
Rowan, 87, called the Luzerne County Road and Bridge Department and said she was told to call Wilkes-Barre city or Hanover Township.
O’Boyle reports in today’s edition that Luzerne County spokeswoman Kathy Bozinski said the bridge is “nearing the end of its service life.”
Its weight limit will be reduced until it can be replaced.
Rowan also wants to know when the wall that protects her property from Solomon Creek will be repaired.
Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton said the city has applied for a $60 million federal grant to fix the wall and make other improvements to prevent flooding.
He didn’t know when the city might get approval for that project.
Rowan may not have gotten answers to all of her questions, but her doggedness has let officials know that at least one person cares about the neighborhood.
Remember that old saying about the squeaky wheel?
Rowan knows that it’s necessary to squeak once in awhile to remind those in charge to pay attention.
“It’s a good neighborhood,” she said. “But you always have to keep your eye on things.”
Hear hear.