I believe we must develop a plan to fix Poulsbo roads (and adjacent sidewalks!) now, even if it means a special collection must be taken (“Poulsbo’s failing roads,” page A1, Dec. 30 North Kitsap Herald).

My experience with planning and budgeting for long-term maintenance and repair of tarmac with a home owner’s association gives me hope that a generally well-off community like Poulsbo is already collecting most of the money needed; we just need to manage spending priorities a bit better.

I urge city planners to investigate the feasibility of burying the power and cable lines at the same time a section of road is being repaved. Burying existing lines is a challenge and a large expense, but it pays back through happier customers (cleaner views, easier property maintenance without creosote poles to work around, almost no storm outages), lower maintenance costs (no more tree maintenance or pole replacements needed), and much-reduced emergency repair costs after storms. The biggest challenge would be a new easement for buried lines, but I believe the city could solve this by offering an easement in the roadway itself — install a conduit under the pavement that can carry existing power and cable lines with room for future services and access ports so that installations and repairs can be completed without tearing up the pavement.

Buried lines would also greatly enhance the quality of the existing views of Liberty Bay and the Olympics. The newer portions of lower Poulsbo (Poulsbo Place, aka the “Skittles houses”) already have buried utility lines, and it makes a noticeable difference in the neighborhood aesthetics. I hate to say it, because I don’t really want my property tax to go up, but burying the utilities would probably increase property values, especially in the downtown area.

Susan Levitt

Poulsbo