To the Editor:

I have had your April 30, 2023, issue on my desk since I finished reading it a few days after it arrived in the mail. Normally, I keep an issue until I’m finished with it and then in the recycle bin it goes. Not this one. One article by Gintautas Dumcius and an op-ed by Bill Walczak simply won’t let go in my head. I’ve been chewing on them these last few months rereading them a few times over.

First, the old brick building in Port Norfolk, 98 Taylor Street, is too nice to tear down and then, of course, there is its history. Had the DCR maintained it, even at minimum, over the years, it perhaps wouldn’t be in the shape it is now.

I moved to Dorchester ten years ago and I’ve been exploring it by foot ever since. I stumbled upon this building a few years ago and it was love at first sight. I sure hope DCR doesn’t tear it down. Too much of that happens and it’s sickening. I’m in favor of restoring it either as housing or as a museum of Port Norfolk history.

About Mr. Walczak’s editorial about the trash on I-93: I wholeheartedly agree with him. Why can’t the state be more responsible? Until April of this year, I commuted from my home in Dorchester to work in Brockton. It was not uncommon for me to see crews on Route 24 picking up trash. In my ten years of living here, I can recall only once seeing a crew picking up trash along I-93.

Maybe Dorchester residents should pick up the trash along the Expressway, then we can rent a U-Haul and dump the contents along Route 24. At least we know it’ll be picked up. 

I realize I’ve waited much too long to send this letter, but on the flip side, perhaps it’ll keep these issues in people’s minds.

David Cline
Dorchester