To the Editor:

Before we moved to our home in East Wareham more that 40 years ago, we checked with the town offices at the town hall regarding the roads. At that time, we were told clearly that the roads in this area were not "town-accepted roads" but that they were graded by the town twice a year and after bad storms, and that the roads were plowed so that emergency vehicles could get through. Over the years, people have understood that this level of service could be depended upon as part of the daily living in this area.

During the years that we have lived in Wareham, some new schools have been built, as well as a new library, new elderly housing, and a new road maintenance facility, and many roads have been improved, widened, paved and re-paved.

All of these improvements cost money and all of the taxpayers throughout the town helped pay for this . . . including the folks on some of the dirt roads in East Wareham.

In 40-plus years, we have had many Selectmen and Selectwomen, Town Administrators and Municipal Maintenance Directors. During all these years, and who knows how many years before that, these roads have been graded and plowed. Then last summer, a "discovery" was made by a town official . . . that possibly the town should not have been grading and plowing these roads.

Based on this "discovery" in the summer of 2013, the grading was stopped in our area. Because the roads have not been graded and storms have not ceased, our roads are in deplorable condition. The roads have never been this bad. And NOW some of the Selectmen want to "inspect" these roads to make sure that they are in great condition so that the plows won't be damaged????

The taxpayers who are living in this East Wareham area are entitled to feel a level of security that has always been afforded to them and that the basic needs of road grading and snow removal will remain intact so that emergency services are able to get to their homes if needed. This is not a "fluff" item . . . this is basic.

Now is the time when the "discoveries" of how to beat a dime to death needs to be matched up against when an ambulance can't reach a person in need or a fire truck is needed for a house fire or police are needed for an emergency.

We are just asking for the services that we have always depended upon and we have paid through our taxes to be there for us.

Thank you,

Bob and Mary Anderson

122 Puritan Avenue

East Wareham, MA 02538

August 11, 2014