This week, there were a couple of local examples of processes that worked, albeit not perfectly. That lack of perfection is because humans manage processes and humans are imperfect beings. That doesn’t mean their intentions are bad, only that execution isn’t always immediate or to everyone’s liking.
Here’s example number one. There are no public restroom facilities at Warren Falls and Blueberry Lake, two federally owned parks that are managed by the U.S. Forest Service. When the porta-potties that usually arrive didn’t arrive, volunteers with stewardMRV raised the alarm, which will ultimately (maybe as early as this Friday) get some facilities at those two sites. That is what worked.
What didn’t work so well was the timing of that request working its way through federal bureaucracy and federal funding issues. It took too long, and a lot of human waste went into the woods and water at two of the most popular recreation sites in The Valley. We don’t believe for a minute that the folks who work in the Green Mountain National Forest headquarters in Rochester don’t care a lot about the lands they care for. We know they do, and we know the wheels grind slowly and the gears get derailed by politics.
Here's example number two. Warren village residents came to the town select board this week with specific and general complaints about the execution of this year’s Warren Fourth of July parade. Their concerns were about driveways and roads being blocked, sometimes by municipal vehicles as well as profanities expressed by parade participants and desires to see The Valley’s biggest annual event move out of their neighborhood.
Here's what didn’t work. There were clearly parking and logistical issues. Whether free speech includes allowance for profanity can be discussed along with the appropriateness of the parade size for the venue.
But here is what did work. Those concerns were heard by a local government that listened. Not only did the select board listen, but it scheduled a separate meeting next month for a more complete Fourth of July de-brief to determine what went awry and how to improve it. That’s responsive government.
It’s hard, in the heat of any moment, to trust in the process, trust that concerns will be heard and heeded and ultimately addressed. But here, in both cases, the process worked.
