Highway Department cleans up mess under bridge

Text  and photos by Steev Riccardo

WEBSTER - One of the nicest and most peaceful spots around Webster Lake is that of the relocated North Main Street Bridge near the entrance of Memorial beach.

At any given time you can see a myriad of wildlife from the bridge, including turtles, frogs, geese, ducks, muskrats, and the beautiful Blue Heron that often frequents the area.  It is a wonderful spot to relax, take photos, and enjoy the surroundings.

There is also an adjacent walking trail where you can get some exercise while taking in the scenery.

Unfortunately, there are people who have no respect for this serene spot or the environment and choose to break the law by leaving their garbage behind.

Recently someone decided to take an entire garbage can and throw its contents into the water, creating a very disturbing and unpleasant sight for those who regularly visit the spot.

Fortunately, within 24 hours of being alerted of this crime, Webster Highway Department head Ken Pizzetti and members of his outstanding crew went beyond their duties and into the water and cleaned up the mess.  

“We went down there with our small floatation device, which was ready to sink, but we made it,” said Pizzetti jokingly.

“I was happy we were able to get that garbage out of there,” said Pizzetti. “We work as a team, this is one unit, a talented group, which on the highway end does everything.”

“Everything” even included a job that Pizzetti said was “probably not” under the highway department’s jurisdiction, but they still took the time and effort to take care of it.

No one is really sure whose responsibility it is to take care of messes like this, but the fact that the highway department reacted so quickly and cleaned up the area sent a great message to the community. 

Still, It’s a shame that people have to behave poorly and get their kicks out of polluting and showing disrespect for the environment, especially a place as nice as this one, a frustration shared by the highway chief.

“It’s a little different than the way we grew up in this town, we didn’t do that,” said Pizzetti. “We weren’t interested in throwing trash everywhere; we didn’t walk on Main Street, finish our water bottle and drop it on the ground. Some people don’t get it.”

“The police department can’t be everywhere to prevent this pollution; our eyes and their eyes are open but we can’t be everywhere.”

Perhaps we all need to keep our eyes open and not let this behavior go unnoticed. There really is no excuse for pollution of any kind. It not only makes the individual look bad but it makes the whole community look bad.  

The North Main Street Bridge, which was originally built in 1871 by the National Bridge and Ironworks of Boston, was relocated from the French River location on North Main Street in 1996 by the Webster Highway Department for historical preservation.

It is truly one of the town’s bright spots and it’s up to all of us to keep it clean and beautiful.  It really isn’t asking for much, is it?

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