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I know being the mayor or a city council member is not easy and perhaps never thankful. And I hope and even still believe in my heart, that the true nature of the committee was not misrepresented. Even though some now feel its purpose is perhaps to be a patsy rather than a player. I do, however, sincerely condemn the recklessness and insensitivity of the paving project currently underway. I do not know, but I strong believe, that other streets could have been worked rather than these streets. And I do feel betrayed by the process that, perhaps without intent, but clearly with result, has placed beyond reach those very things upon which we were appointed to advise.
The mayor has clearly and repeatedly stated that the Historic Streets Committee is neither a “save the bricks committee” nor a “pave the bricks committee,” but rather a committee charged with offering a long-range recommendation that makes sense for Blair. What I believe will always make good sense for Blair is to do the right thing; to provide the greatest possible good in keeping with prudent fiscal responsibility. Perhaps restoring the bricks at the entry to the 16th Street corridor would have been the greatest possible good and a fiscally responsible thing to do. Perhaps . . .
Our brick streets are passing away before our eyes, ground down and scooped up by indifference and the false assumption that they have no value and that they are more expensive than asphalt. They are not – by far.
If you have an opinion on the past, present or future treatment of the brick streets in Blair, I urge you to send your opinions to the mayor, or to your elected member of the city council. The council cannot be faulted for a business-as-usual approach on this issue if they do not have input from the community.
Bricks. They’re what this town was built on.

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Blair is many things, and many things it is not. Major metropolis? No. Small town USA? Yes? Once known as the Town Beautiful and the Magic City, we should play to our strengths. A tranquil community made great by its past, made bright by its future and kept whole by linking the two. 

According to Al Schoemaker, the city council voted to destroy those blocks of 16th at a March/April meeting as part of the list of streets to be resurfaced this year. In April, Mayor Mick Mines appointed citizens and city council members to a Historic Streets Committee. The committee's charge is to study the condition and future of all the brick streets in Blair and has been encouraged to consider 16th Street from Washington to South as a potential historic corridor. At their first meeting in May, the committee was ostensibly informed that the bricks on 16th from Washington to Lincoln would be destroyed as part of the asphalt resurfacing approved for this year. Yet none of the citizen members of the Historic Streets Committee have any memory of that information. 

Somehow, neither the mayor's Historic Streets Committee nor the grassroots Blair Historic Preservation Alliance, a separate citizen action group, were aware that the bricks on any stretch of 16th were slated for demolition. Both groups have been in close contact with city administration, the mayor and the city council since March of this year. 

Another public treasure has been lost; another level of trust in our public officials has been destroyed.
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I thought the last time the City Council was talking about covering our brick streets that we had convinced them that we, the taxpayers, didn't want to see this happen. But, I understand they are considering it again.

Hopefully, this time the people of Blair will make it perfectly clear that we want those bricks streets. It just doesn't make sense to cover them up. I know huge numbers have been thrown out there concerning how much it would cost to repair them but these figures just aren't accurate. We're not suggesting every brick be taken up and laid back down again. And we're not suggesting they all be repaired at once. We know the spots that need repair and it would cost less to maintain these streets than to lay down paving and, of course, the maintenance would be much less. Just think, they've been there for almost eighty years with no maintenance. That's where our problem is today. If they had been maintained as they should have been they wouldn't need extensive repairs now.
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Have you ever driven around on the brick streets in Fremont? They have beautiful streets that have been maintained to keep them that way. In recent years here in Blair, when the utility crews needed to repair something under the street they loaded up the bricks and hauled them away and then when they had finished the job they shoveled the dirt back into the hole and ran some concrete. If you want to see one of the places they did that, go to the corner of 18th and South St.

I live on South Street and one of the things I like best about our neighborhood is the tree-lined brick streets. I know traffic moves slower on brick streets and I think that's good. We don't need cars speeding down our residential streets. Or for that matter, we don't need speed on our business streets either.

The one advantage to the paved streets is snow removal is easier than on a brick street but I don't think that one thing justifies destroying our bricks. 
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We've lived here over thirty years and I have never seen any maintenance work being done on this street. Do you know of any asphalt or concrete streets that have had no maintenance during that time? Not everything old is good and not everything new is better than the old. 

The business owners in Blair have spent a great deal of money in an attempt to give some "charm" to Washington Street. Simulating bricks is expensive and not quite as good as the real thing but it is obvious they were trying to create a feeling of character, the kind you often find in some of our older homes, many of which, sit on these brick streets. New homes today, if the cost is not too great a factor, are being built again with beveled glass, oak wood, lots of moldings etc. If it weren't for the cost, they would probably be putting in brick streets.

During the depression we all learned to do without, then, during the war years we had to make the old last because we couldn't buy new. Then the war was over and the economy was good and we all wanted new. We threw out a lot of good things in our haste to acquire new. Have you been to an antique shop lately and seen the prices people are paying for old memories and things that will give their homes that warm, comfortable feel and what we sometimes call character?

If we just throw away our brick streets we will never be able to replace them. It's not quite like stripping the paint off the varnished woodwork that someone decided to cover up with paint. The bricks may still be under there but I doubt we could uncover them.

The taxpayers of this town voted to tax ourselves so that we could repair our streets. We thought that meant maintaining the bricks, making repairs where needed and improving our paved streets that have been neglected. Many of us would not have voted in favor of this tax if we had known the intent was to pave over our bricks.

It's not too late. I'm sending a copy of this letter to our city council and I hope each of you will tell your councilman that we want the bricks to continue to be something we are proud of. The Blair Historical Preservation Alliance is interested in preserving our brick streets. They plan to be at the corner of Colfax and 16th Street during the Gateway to the West Days. Stop by and give them your views, pro or con.

Do you remember the old brick road to Omaha? One of our local historians told me there was a sign along that road that read, "Built of Bricks to Outlast the Bonds".
[end]

It was Ronald Reagan who said, "As you look toward the future, always remember the treasures of our past. Every generation stands on the shoulders of the generation that came before. Jealously guard the values and principles of our heritage. They did not come easy."

Many times we have the opportunity to reflect on the gifts of our heritage. If we walk across a freshly plowed field and spot an arrowhead lying on the ground we experience a feeling of connection with the people who inhabited this land before the arrival of the Europeans. If we walk through a museum and view the tools our ancestors used to first turn the sod, we feel a connection with those early homesteaders, our great-great grandparents, or maybe our great-great-great grandparents. When we make those connections we better understand what they sacrificed so that we might have a better life. When we walk across that battlefield at Gettysburg or stand on the Memorial at Pearl Harbor and look down upon the Arizona we know how important it is to preserve our heritage and to appreciate what others may have given for us. Those of us who live in Blair, Nebraska, a town with a very short history, sometimes forget that it is up to those of us who are following so closely the creation of our towns and cities to preserve their history for future generations.

Washington County is blessed with a rich heritage and an exciting history. The county has an excellent museum in Fort Calhoun. The reconstruction of the fort at Fort Atkinson has been an exciting project. Recovery of the artifacts aboard the Bertrand and their display at DeSoto Bend has been a monumental venture and will be of interest to generations far into the future. Our community has already seen the economic advantage of having these attractions.

While the area along the river holds some very important historical locations, the town of Blair also has a rich heritage. We have not always been diligent in preserving important aspects of our history but it's not too late to make an effort to hold onto some of the things that have been a special part of the creation of our community.

We waited too long to rescue the Crowell Mansion and did nothing to retain the historic old depot but we have made some gains in other areas. We kept much of the character of our swimming pool when we updated it. We preserved the Post Office building when we gave it a new use as the school administrative building. We have kept our Fire Department Hall in good repair. We have preserved the basic structure of our Court House while increasing its size to accommodate our present needs.

Private enterprise has also done much in the area of preservation. The old horse collar factory is now an attractive office building. The transformation of Central School to modern apartments has been a very real asset to our community. We can visit the historic Congregational Church for an appreciation of the religious heritage so important to many of us. Many of the buildings on main street reflect an earlier time, which gives it a feeling of charm and character. Our business people have added to that charm with the improvements they have made. Several early residences have been beautifully restored.
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Our brick streets were laid by people who had faith in the future of our town. They were built to last. Many other towns also chose bricks streets. Some have covered them over and ignored their value, in a misguided attempt to "modernize". The more progressive towns have recognized their value, not only for their esthetic appeal but also for their practicality and the cost effectiveness of their restoration and maintenance.

There has been a renewed interest in recent years in our heritage and some of our almost forgotten values. Note the recent interest in handcrafted articles, quilts, genealogy, pioneer museums and Old Market areas of our cities. Progressive communities are taking advantage of these trends. Someday you may be able to take a horse drawn carriage ride along some of the brick streets in Blair, visit a Danish museum, purchase some antique porcelain, have tea at one of Blair's quaint little tearooms or dine in a Danish restaurant and perhaps tour our handcrafted furniture factory. Other towns have taken steps in this direction and done it successfully. Towns in New England have made a business of their colonial history.

Concerned citizens can make things happen. We have many people in Blair who are interested in our history. Volunteers are working on the monumental task of organizing the Dana Archives, a continuing project which will produce long lasting results, which will benefit not only our community, but people from across the country who share our Danish heritage.

The Blair Historic Preservation Alliance is an organization, which, in alliance with the Washington County Historical Society and other interested groups, is working to preserve locations and structures of historical significance in Blair. Blair's brick streets are high on their list of priorities.

The comments made by many of the people who answered the survey made by the Blair Historic Preservation Alliance confirmed there are many people in this area who favor preserving our brick streets. In view of the fact that almost half of the original brick streets have been covered, the time is now to halt the destruction of these historic streets and to preserve them for future generations.

Some of the "old timers" of this community recall coming with their families to watch the streets being laid and how exciting it was. Perhaps our great grandchildren will marvel at the foresight of the "city fathers" who preserved them.