Brick bat

The Fort Wayne City Council is considering an ordinance that would require the city to maintain existing brick streets, a costly proposal that only the council's self-designated penny-pincher protested:

Councilwoman Liz Brown, R-at large, balked at the cost of obligating the city to an unknown amount of brick-street reconstruction. Estimates of the price difference involved in brick paving range from roughly twice the cost of ordinary street work to more than 10 times the cost of asphalt repairs. A 2003 comparison by Fort Wayne officials found that paving a section of Wilt Street would cost about $34,000. Repairing the same stretch of the street in brick would cost $352,748.

I have mixed feelings. As a conservative, I share Brown's concern that this would be money over and above what is actually needed. A street would be just as functional with the cheaper alternatives. But I also appreciate the aesthetic appeal of brick streets and the argument that they reduce traffic speed and offer greater permeability for water runoff.

Sometimes, it's worth paying extra for the quality-of-life touches that make a city more livable.  One way to decide in this case is whether the streets are scattered all over the place (making their aesthetic impact less) or concentrated in a small area that can increase their nostalgic impact. Since they're in and adjacent to several historic districts, it's not easy to pick one of those choices, so it remains a judgment call.