Editor: On March 22, a rather large truck had the misfortune of knocking over a street light before plowing through a retaining wall on the front of my property on 88 Avenue. Thank God no one was hurt.
The police, firefighters, ambulance and Township of Langley crews were all in attendance that night. It was no small job to redirect traffic, clean up the diesel fuel, tow the truck out of the retaining wall, remove the street lamp and clean up the sidewalk so that it would be safe to use again.
I was amazed to see the street lamp replaced less than 48 hours later. I spent the next few days with phone calls and emails back and forth with insurance companies, anxious to be rid of the eyesore and reminder of how unsafe a sidewalk can be.
To my surprise and delight, I happened to hear the sound of shovels at the front of the house and discovered a Township of Langley (TOL) crew busily working, cleaning up and putting the retaining wall back together again. Only the day before, I had a landscaper come to provide an estimate on repairs, and I needed to obtain several more estimates before I could proceed with the insurance companies.
After chatting with the crew, I called up the Township to try and get more information about property lines and clarification on who would be responsible for repairing what. After some initial confusion as to which department I should be talking to, I was transferred. I must admit that I was fully expecting to be passed around from department to department, leaving a stream of unanswered voice mails in my wake.
Instead I spoke with Greg Mayer, who knew exactly what I was talking about. How refreshing it was to speak to someone who genuinely seemed to care about how our streets and sidewalks look, and how to work together to fix a problem in a practical and efficient way.
In a few short days, the retaining wall, garden and rock bedding had been repaired by friendly, efficient crew members and it looks beautiful. I wish to publicly thank the Township for all the wonderful work that they do, and especially for the work they did at the front of my property.
Most importantly, I would like to acknowledge the way they carry out their work with genuine care.
Aleta Caron,
Langley