As the seasons move along, Haverhill folks have some tricky choices to make, some of them tough, others fun.
Take the baseball situation.
If you root for the Red Sox, you could be cheering against Tampa Bay, where Haverhill native Carlos Pena could become a World Series player this year, quite a mark of sports importance and prestige.
So, if you cheer for Tampa Bay you could be knocking our local heros, the Red Sox, out of the race.
See what I mean by tough choices?
Then there is the matter of the sturgeon, that prehistoric fish that has quite a history. It was valuable to early settlers here and it is now protected by law.
On the other hand, its eggs might be quite valuable today, as caviar, the way they are regarded and valued in Europe.
If we protect their spawning grounds, and they further hamper new riverfront work, should we seek permits to collect the eggs and make them an attraction?
Then there is another suggestion hovering in the background, and it involves a possible traffic change.
Downtown Washington Street one-way. How would that help some businesses, ones that want more pedestrian traffic and more sidewalk cafes?
On the other hand (or road) it might jam up Railroad Square and the rest of Washington Street. Imagine making a left turn from River Street through one-way steady traffic.
You can also take the business of students from other communities wanting to go to prestigious Whittier Vocational High, as allowed by law, while qualified kids from Haverhill can't get in. Haverhill School Committee member Paul Magliochetti is right about this one, as part of a rather heated discussion on Whittier admissions. Some hard choices there.
Let us not forget zoning. That situation knocked a Sonic drive-in off Cushing Avenue and might send it to another part of the city. Will the new choice bring out the same opposition? Is it jobs versus traffic?
Do we do more for the Ward Hill Business Park in the way of city services? This is an example of in-city business people many years ago investing time, money and business knowledge in a development that brought many jobs to the city. Does it deserve special recognition and help? You decide.
Labor Day weekend is almost upon us. Do we honor labor in some way, or honor labor by not doing any and taking the day off? Now THERE is a hard decision.
Finally (for now) there is the way we will treat the Haverhill High football team which has had a dismal recent record. Do we greet a new coach, a new field surface and a whole new season with an attitude of welcome and spirit?
I hope so. The kids deserve a whole new approach, not just for the fees they paid but as a part of uplooking school life.
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Barney Gallagher has covered Haverhill since 1936 as a reporter, editor and columnist.
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