Wow! The weather this past week has been great! On Saturday we were able to be outdoors at the sand dunes with the grandchildren to dig, and build, and watch them run around. The last time we had been with them was before Christmas to exchange gifts outside. It was a bit colder then, so the 50-degree weather Saturday was a nice change.
On Sunday, Cathy and I again took advantage of the weather to walk the Weiser River Trail from Unity Road into town. We’re slow, but we were still able to get home in time to watch what we hoped would be a really good football game. Well, at least most of the weekend was good.
On the Covid front, there have only been eight new cases since the last article was written. At that time, we were still in the “Red Zone” with a two-week average of just over five new cases per day. Our two-week average as of Sunday of this week was 2.3 cases per day. If the trend continues, we should drop out of the “Red”, past the “Orange”, and into the “Yellow” category. On testing, our positivity rate has also dropped below 5% to 3.5%, which I’m told by District Health indicates there are not many unknown cases out there. Yay! Way to go, Weiser! Good job on battling this virus!
However, the fact that our numbers are dropping is not a reason to get together with family, friends, and neighbors to celebrate. What this means is that, with the practices we have all learned to adopt and the vaccine program in place, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Please continue to use the precautions of masks, distancing, and washing that have worked to keep each of us safe so far.
In other news, the Rose Advocates will be having their annual soup fundraiser on March 1. They will be doing it a little different this year. Tickets and bowls can be purchased for $10 at their office at 27 W. Commercial Ave. between now and March 1st. On the first you will be able to have your bowl filled at the Community Church from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. to take home.
As far as the City goes, you will be seeing new radar speed signs going up around the Park and Pioneer Elementary Schools and the Middle School this week. These signs were funded by a grant that the City had applied for in 2019, received notification of the approval in April, 2020, and funding provided in October when the signs were ordered. Covid slowed the production and delivery times down, but they came and the signs were installed this week. Patience is a virtue in the municipal world.
Speaking of projects requiring patience, the 9th Street project is coming along on schedule. By the time you read this, the walls of the bridge will have been poured and work begun on the “floor”, which is the part you drive on. The bridge is on track to meet the April 1 completion date so water can go back into the canal. The entire project, including curb, gutter, sidewalk, and road surfacing is proceeding as planned to meet the mid-May deadline for completion.
For those who may not be aware, the 9th Street project was more than a decade in the making. My hat is off to all of the dedicated people who stuck with this effort, from mayors and city councilmembers, to employees, engineers, State employees, and others who had the patience to see the project reach this point. Good Job!
Well, that’s it for this week. May our Covid numbers continue to decline and may YOU have a good week!
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