Nadezhda and I released another report over the weekend about the opening of a small trail. When I learned about the event, it seemed very amusing to me. I immediately sent Nade an image of deputies in Tula opening a backyard clothes dryer and a grand opening of trash bins in Novokuznetsk.
However, upon closer inspection, everything turned out to be more interesting. And considering nearly four years have passed, it’s even more understandable.
So, a simple paved path along the road about a couple of kilometers long took 14 years to build. Partly, the opening was so grand because it was a very important event for many, taking years to happen. The funding was mainly local, literally by the residents of the settlement. A small segment received federal funding because this piece of road is in the registry of historic roads, and there needed to be detailed planning and coordination involving various slow-moving organizations. Meanwhile, $90,000 remained from the construction, which was transferred to the next stage.
A nonprofit organization, where all participants are volunteers (meaning, they don’t get paid, only spend their time), is managing this construction.
Building a path in the States along a road, as it turned out, is not a trivial matter. The thing is, there’s only a small right-of-way zone around the road that road workers still control, but beyond that starts someone’s property. Designing a path that does not touch anyone’s property while being safe and convenient is quite challenging.
Great Falls, where all this is happening, is a very nice place. We have already written a lot about local events, and each one gives the impression that people in this quite large settlement live as one whole, and highly value this unity. If I ever have an extra four to five million dollars, I’ll buy myself a little house there.
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 