I was emailed today by one of my readers asking if I had posted something on the Daily News website regarding the bike lanes. It was not me, it’s imposter, I’ve actually yet to post on that site, but I may in the future. Just setting the record straight.
Also, the bike accident story is quite interesting, i may need to post on it soon…
A recent bout of comments on Tom Salemi’s Newburyport Posts has left me a bit disheartened at the state of our city. Believe it or not, and I would wager most of you won’t (but that’s ok), I do try to avoid the whole local vs. newbie argument, however, in some cases it just seems unavoidable.
This may be one of those cases, no matter how hard it is for me to believe. The issue at the crux of the discussion was the new Clipper City Rail Trail, and was quickly diverted (probably by myself) down a path towards the state of our beloved World War Memorial Stadium.
I thought for sure this would be one issue that old and new could agree on, that it was high time for the renovation to repair the aging and condemned structure. But surprisingly, it seems there is some opposition to it. I understand that those who have moved here recently probably haven’t been to the stadium, and certainly never played in it, but most have children that someday, will most likely be in the high school, and be playing on that field, in that stadium. And to think that these same parents don’t care about the state of that stadium little shocking, because in this case, I gave the newbies the benefit of the doubt.
To be honest, I didn’t expect them to know there was a memorial there to a local citizen killed in World War II, because I don’t expect most newcomers to know any real history of the town. This is one of the many pet peeves we natives have, but I don’t find it unreasonable, they are new. If I moved to a new town, i certainly wouldn’t know the rich history of it right away either, and I think we all understand that. But I guess the problem we natives see, rightly or wrongly, is that there seems to be a lack of respect for that history. Whether tearing down a historical building, building a development virtually on top of the grave of one of the most prominent men in the cities history, or letting the stadium decay beyond hope of repair or renovation, it seems that the people that move here nowadays just don’t care that there is a history that they don’t understand. Its seems to be out with the old, in with the new, and that is what bothers most natives. People are more concerned about building a bike path than giving our students a proper facility to play sports, and honoring the memories of the veterans who died in World War One, to which the stadium was named a memorial. It seems we have become a city that is less concerned with its history and civic pride, and more concerned about what new restaurant or shoe store is coming to town. I’m biting my tongue not to drop the “Y” word is this post, but it rhymes with puppies.
As for the stadium, I implore all of those that read this to donate whatever they can spare to the RESTORE project. It is a part of the fabric of our city and for those looking to make Newburyport their home, they should, at the very least, respect the history and traditions of the city they chose to live in.
