Our View: Signs Of The Season

Forget the daffodils and tulips; a sure sign of spring and the much-anticipated season to follow is the scramble to complete winter infrastructure and roadway projects.

 Because of the volume of summer traffic that crowds Cape roads in the summer months, no roadwork is done from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This week we see Brewster working hard to tie up its Millstone Road project, which will be completed next fall, as well as other towns finishing up sewer and other projects that impact the region’s roadways.

 Chatham has just finished up work on new electric vehicle charging stations at the Eldredge Garage parking lot, completing that long-gestating project. Sewer work in East Harwich is being tied up, and Orleans is doing initial work on the Veterans Memorial Park project. 

 In the private sector, many businesses and restaurants are working hard to get open for the season. Repairs to Larry’s PX in Chatham, extensively damaged when a vehicle crashed into the front entrance in November, is expected to start in earnest this week with the goal of opening the popular eatery in time for the busy summer season. In other towns, there’s plenty of evidence of work going on to prepare new and revitalized businesses for the anticipated crowds.

 Despite the drive to establish a more year-round economy on the Cape, there’s no arguing that it remains seasonal, and it’s hard to see that changing significantly. We like our quiet winters, but the transitional period — during what we euphemistically call “spring” — is always exciting as we prepare, mentally and physically for the rush of summer.