Since my earliest days, I can remember people complaining about the slowness of government. For example, my Dad used to refer to a federal agency, the Works Progress Administration (WPA,) as “We Poke Along.” He never thought that they got much done, and, when they did, it took a long time.

In some ways, his observation is still true. It usually does take the government a long time to get going on something. The flip side of that is, that when it does get involved, there is usually enough inertia to carry a project through to completion.

A couple of recent projects around here illustrate this. The first, is the now underway rehabilitation of the Chautauqua Lake Bridge on I-86.

In retrospect, we can thank this to the efforts of a lot of people decades ago who worked to get a four-lane highway built here in the Southern Tier. I can remember as a kid, driving all the way to Binghamton on old Route 17, a two-lane highway. We would meander through small towns like Andover, Jasper and Woodhull – places you hardly ever hear about anymore.

For decades, the Route 17 Association, led in part by businessmen from across the region, would go to Albany and Washington and lobby for a new four-lane road. It seemed like a new road would never come – but, finally, it did. Today, Route 17 has become I-86, and it connects all of the major cities of the Southern Tier.

It also resulted in a bridge being built over Chautauqua Lake. (Now, $78 million is being spent to rehabilitate that bridge.) All of this has taken time, but we should be grateful to those who for so many years pushed for the highway and the bridge to be built. Because I-86 is a major highway, the state and federal government are now responsible for its upkeep and repair.

Another public infrastructure project which has been “in the works” for a decade or more is the extension of public sewer service on the west side of Chautauqua Lake. It takes a long time to get the studies, engineering reports, permits, approvals and funding to construct something like this. But, Phase 1 has been completed to Stow; and now work is underway to complete Phase 2 to Prendergast Point.

This past summer, surveyors were active in the Phase 2 area. Based on their drawings, the County has now sent out easement forms for landowners to sign so that construction can be done. The project still must be bid, but, since funding has been approved in Albany, we can now look forward to finishing sewer extensions up the west side of the lake.

I commend the county, its legislature, its executives both past and present, and a good friend (now chairman of the County Legislature) for their perseverance in moving this important public infrastructure project forward.

It is true that the wheels of government “grind slowly,” but when they do, important public infrastructure projects can be completed.

Such infrastructure helps us all. We couldn’t do it on our own. It may take time, but, when it is finished, government then also has the responsibility to keep it running. Good public infrastructure is a key in keeping our country strong. We sometimes take it for granted.

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.