I know the real western Skyline Parkway, the stretches where there are no striped shoulders or center lines and where, for the most part, the road isn't even paved.
Consider the S-curve at Stewart Creek, about a mile and a half west of Spirit Mountain. The guardrail on the bridge there is constructed of big
boulders, but a lot of the railing is gone, leaving gaping holes in the safety of the rail. This is really a dangerous situation.
A city forester stated in the Nov. 8 story, "The view is unbeatable; the road is beat up," that some areas of Skyline probably are beyond recovery.
I was in total agreement with the member of the Skyline Planning and Preservation Alliance who suggested in the same story that since Skyline Parkway, especially the far western part, lost its glamour to Canal Park, we just let it go. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
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Isn't that just what happened to the far western piece of the road? Skyline Parkway used to go all the way to Duluth's Fond du Lac neighborhood. That actually was the prettiest part of the whole parkway. It was totally undeveloped. Everything was natural and totally pristine. But following a lack of upkeep, and after a large storm that caused washouts, the city decided it would cost too much to fix. City
officials just closed it off, blocking it at Becks Road, where it turns into a hiking trail today.
It's sad, but I can see that happening again, down the road. Despite all the fees and surcharges forced on the people of Duluth with the premise that all these charges would bring millions of dollars into city coffers, the bank account keeps getting smaller and smaller.
Out of sight, out of mind -- just like Snively Municipal Park. The sign is even gone.
Marvin Suliin
Duluth
