The Stroller: Road repair?

Published: Tuesday, July 29, 2014 at 3:15 a.m. Last Modified: Monday, July 28, 2014 at 3:26 p.m.

Don Bramblett of Spartanburg was riding on South Pine Street when he spotted what looked like a patch of grass several feet across, and his first thought was, Oh, Lord, the state Department of Transportation has completely run out of funds for road repair and is now repairing potholes and resurfacing with sections of grass sod! Upon closer inspection, Mr. Bramblett realized it was just a loose square of sod that had probably fallen from a landscaper truck. But for a moment, he says, I thought they were road patches. I wouldn't be surprised if sodding roadways is the next step in road repair for the cash-strapped DOT. Are we going back to dirt roads due to stingy taxpayers? I would add that our governor may need a hearing aid. She keeps talking about a roads funding plan in which she would shift millions of dollars from other state agencies and give it to the DOT for road repair. She talks about $100 million in shifted dough. She obviously is hard of hearing because the DOT has been yelling for three years that it needs about $1.5 billion per year to fix the roads. That is 15 times what she is proposing, and we are already $4.5 billion behind in what the DOT needs.

'DEDICATED': Ted Hayes of Woodruff says he can appreciate Norman Parr's gratitude for the repairmen who came to his rescue and went the extra miles when his air conditioner failed. I recently had a very similar situation. My air conditioner went out late on a Saturday afternoon, and my wife had planned a lunch event for the next day. It was too late to reschedule. I called Jody Lamb at Lamb's Heating and Air in Woodruff, and Jody said he had several service calls ahead of me but would be here if he could. He arrived around midnight, and he stayed almost an hour. He had our unit running, and we had cool air that night, and my wife had her Sunday event as planned, says a grateful Mr. Hayes. A couple of years before that, when we had cooling problems, Jody went to Charlotte to get a part and came again in the dark of night to fix it. These service representatives many times exceed our expectations of them, but they are dedicated to serving their customers, and, like Mr. Parr, I appreciate them.

QUIPS WILLIAM McDONALD of Spartanburg: The major media are so in the tank for President Barack Obama that if he were to eat a puppy on live TV it would be reported as Obama making the world safer for cats.

OPEN, PLEASE: What time does the library open? the man on the phone asked. Nine a.m., came the reply. And what's the idea of calling me at home in the middle of the night to ask a question like that? Not until 9 a.m.? the man asked in a disappointed voice. No, not till 9 a.m.! the librarian said. Why do you want to get in before 9 a.m.? Who said I wanted to get in? the man sighed sadly. I want to get out.

ODDS AND ENDS: Artisans of all types, from jewelry makers to woodworkers to painters and potters, are invited to the Boiling Springs Art Market that will take place Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Boiling Springs Community Park's Venue Center at 182 Rainbow Lake Road, behind Lowe's. The market will continue on the first Saturday of every month. Display space is available by calling 809-7726.

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The Stroller: Road repair?