As long time residents of the city of New Port Richey my wife Nancy and I, and our three kids, love being part of the small-town feel our community has.  One of the bright spots in the city is a very responsive city hall.  We don’t have too many occasions to call for assistance but today we did and wanted to share the good work the city workers did. 

As I was driving to work this morning (just before 8 AM) I noticed that the stop sign at the corner of Van Buren Street and Illinois Avenue was knocked down during the night.  It was up last night because I walked my dog late in the evening and everything was fine at the corner.  I was concerned that anyone not familiar with the corner would drive through the intersection and possibly get into an accident (or worse, hit the kids who walk down the street towards Gulf Middle School).  I called my wife to warn her about the sign and to mention that I was going to call public works when I got to my office. 

She offered to make the call.  Within the hour the public works staff was out and the sign was reinstalled.  I commend Sherman Applegate and his crew for the prompt attention to our report.  The safety of residents, drivers and pedestrians obviously is important to the city.  Under the direction of interim city manager Susan Dillinger I have no doubt the city will handle the important day-to-day functions that we don’t normally hear about. 

Thank you, everyone in city hall, for continuing to make New Port Richey a family-friendly city that we are proud to call home.