Recently, on Labor Day Monday, my wife woke me up from an afternoon nap to tell me that two of our neighbors in Milton told her that a large branch in a tree in our front yard had partially cracked and was about to crash into Chestnut Street.
Obviously, this news got my attention and I went outside to observe that a 30-foot long, 9-inch diameter limb was already severed by two-thirds. I asked her to call the Milton Police so they could bring me some orange traffic cones to block off the threatened travel lane. Instead, she called Mayor John Collier, who came right over even though it was Labor Day Monday.
I was (naively) prepared to cut it down myself and had my ladder and small chainsaw at the ready. Mayor Collier showed up and immediately took charge. He saw the potential public safety threat and called the chief of Milton Police, Derrick Harvey, and Kristy Rogers, the town manager. The chief arrived with big orange barrels to block the lane, and Kristy called the Public Works Department. In the meantime, the mayor and I witnessed the branch crash into the street minus any cars or pedestrians, thankfully!
Mayor Collier stayed and helped for two hours. Daniel Donaway, the public works maintenance supervisor, showed up with a far superior chainsaw. Milton Police Sgt. Casey Lewis arrived. All of us worked to cut up the branch and carry the heavy pieces out of the street.
I am indebted to all of them. They took time out of their holiday to help me when I really needed it. It was above and beyond the call of duty! Thank you so much!
P.S: I have free firewood for whoever wants any!
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
