Residents of Millbrook Falls gathered at Tuesday night’s town council meeting to discuss what officials are now calling ‘The Situation on Maple Street,’ a pothole so persistent and seemingly self-aware that several locals have taken to leaving it offerings of loose gravel and, in one case, a birthday card.
The pothole, first reported in 2022, has grown from a minor inconvenience to what Councilman Gary Petrosky described as ‘basically a member of the community at this point.’ Petrosky noted that the pothole has survived two repaving attempts, one particularly harsh winter, and an ill-fated encounter with Frank Dunmore’s riding lawnmower, which now sits permanently listing to one side in his garage.
‘I used to swerve to avoid it,’ said local resident Carol Yentz, 54. ‘Now I just wave as I drive by. It feels rude not to. It’s been through more town budget cycles than half our elected officials.’ Yentz added that she has started referring to the pothole as ‘Gerald’ and believes it deepened slightly last week in what she interpreted as a personal greeting.
Public Works Director Alan Feeney confirmed that repair funds have been allocated for Maple Street four separate times since 2022, but insisted the money kept ‘mysteriously’ redirecting itself toward the annual Founder’s Day gazebo restoration instead. When asked whether the pothole would finally be filled this fiscal year, Feeney paused for a long moment before saying, ‘Gerald deserves better than a quick patch job. He’s earned a proper send-off.’
The council ultimately voted 4-3 to table the pothole discussion until next month’s meeting, immediately after which they spent forty-five minutes debating whether the new bench outside the post office is angled ‘aggressively’ toward the bakery.
