There is an old saying in the design business, “A camel is a horse designed by a committee of engineers.” The camel can walk, it can carry a heavy load and can run fast, but it is not very pretty.
This pearl of wisdom came to mind when I read that the design for Mattapoisett’s massive street project to improve Main, Water and Beacon Streets, and Marion Road has been rejected by the bureaucrats in Boston and the federal agency with the money bags that we plan to ask to fund the project.
It seems that the town’s engineering consultants have submitted their design with “only” 11 trees to be removed. To satisfy the mandatory rules about easements (translated: widening of the roads and taking of land) and sidewalks, the engineers have concluded that 25 more trees must be sacrificed. Thirty-six in total!
In the spirit of transparency, I need to mention that I began my career as an industrial designer and was a professor of design at an engineering college. I have a pretty good idea how the design process works. Good design considers the sensibilities of the end user, not just the mechanics of the project.
At the risk of offending my engineer friends, they are linear thinkers. If the math says cut down 36 trees, you cut down 36 trees. End of discussion. Thinking outside the box is not an option. Telling the bureaucrats to go away and mind their own business is clearly not an option.
I am not one to march in protest or carry paper signs. (After all, paper comes from trees that have been cut down. That would be hypocritical.) Being a tree lover, I am cognizant of the fact that trees increase property values, improve water quality, reduce runoff into sewers, provide a day’s supply of oxygen for up to four people, etc., etc. … and make our village special. But you knew that.
I am also not going to offer some grand design that would mitigate the easement and sidewalks rules. I am going to suggest a way to fund this project so we don’t have to rely on the “buttinskys” in their glass-office buildings in the city. Unfortunately, my solution still relies on federal assistance, but from more friendly agencies.
I propose we apply for National Historic Landmark status. We declare that Main, Water and Beacon Streets (sorry Marion Road, you may not qualify), the town wharf and Shipyard Park as historically significant and worthy of preservation.
According to the U.S. National Park Service, a historic landmark can be a district, including streets, buildings, structures and parks. They say that we must represent an exceptional and significant aspect of American history. Surely, we qualify. After all, we were a major whaling-ship building center. Our ships helped New Bedford to light the world.
Such a designation would provide homeowners and the town funds to maintain their properties, including streets, buildings and trees. No need for the cold-hearted bureaucrats to destroy our idyllic environs.
Of course, certain restrictions would apply (it is still the government after all) if we take their money. For example, cars may not be allowed in the village, a small sacrifice (just kidding), but we wouldn’t have to widen the streets or cut down 36 trees.
I am old, so by the time any plan gets implemented, I may not even be around to see the changes.
A few years ago, in a column on this same subject, I quoted Canadian songstress Joni Mitchell who sang, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” My proposal is not perfect, but anyone who has a better idea best speak up fast before our pretty horse becomes a camel.
Editor’s note: Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and retired newspaper columnist whose musings are, after some years, back in The Wanderer under the subtitle “Thoughts on ….” Morgado’s opinions have also appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.
By Dick Morgado