Brilliant

Weirdly enough my wife and I were just talking about how we might keep our new bike paths from eventually getting crappy.

This should help. Riverside Cycle will give a small percentage of revenue from bike sales and repairs to a maintenance account.

Great idea coming from--or at least being promoted by--Geordie Vining. I've never met the guy but I've heard nothing but great things.

Geordie Vining, the city's senior project manager, said he suggested the idea of being a sponsor of the rail trail to Millet because he has been a strong supporter of bicycle-related improvements in the city.

"I think it's hugely important (to receive private sponsorships like this)," said Vining, who noted Riverside Cycle as the only current sponsor of the trail. "The main point is that one can find grants for capital improvement much more readily than grants for taking care of public facilities. In this case, the idea is that there is going to be this regular, dedicated, reliable revenue stream coming from our sponsoring partner."

I can't understand why other businesses downtown wouldn't want to hope on this goodwill bandwagon, particularly if the bike path brings new visitor traffic downtown.

Town Boards

I'm surprised by this, and I've been surprised from the start.

I didn't think the Conservation Commission, one of the more important environmental protective boards in town, would need to have an item posted in the Daily News about an opening.

I thought in a town like where folks bleed green and sputter endlessly about Earth Day, Sand Dunes, Buying Local, Windmills and Carbon Footprints that there would be a deep bench of folks willing--and more importantly able--to fill any vacancies on the board.

But nothing. Another item ran, then another but the vacancies exists. And then today the Daily News runs this article about volunteerism.

So what gives? I think the article paints a pretty clear picture. Folks are busy. I get that. But I just thought that there would be an abundance of interested and capable folks out there who would want a chance to serve.

I also agree with Doug Locy, former Planning Board chairman, who said serving is an immensely rewarding experience. He's right. I miss my old planning board days.

I may or may not be opening myself up for a "why don't you volunteeer comment." So here's the answer. I will eventually. But I'm not sure I'd be very good at this gig. Plus I'm not eager to serve on the Conservation Commission. One should be eager.

So where are the best, brightest and eager in our seaside city of Green?


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Pultizers are in.

Nothing for the Daily News. (No shame. Most Newspapers don't even win one.) But alumn Beth Daley was a finalist in the explanatory writing category.

Awarded to Amy Harmon of The New York Times for her striking examination of the dilemmas and ethical issues that accompany DNA testing, using human stories to sharpen her reports.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Beth Daley of The Boston Globe for her evocative exploration of how global warming affects New Englanders, from ice fishermen to blueberry farmers, and the Staff of the Oregonian, Portland, for its richly illustrated reports on a breakthrough in producing the microprocessors that are a technological cornerstone of modern life.