The Daily Camera, our local newspaper, just published a story by local writer and historian Silvia Pettem on the history of a local retail center just down the street from my office. The reason for the story is the installation by the Public Work's Transportation Department of bus shelters with side panels depicting local history and architecture.

"The City of Boulder Public Works Department's Transportation Division recently installed historically themed glass panels in two North Broadway bus shelters -- in front of Ideal Broadway Shops, as well as across the street on the east side of Boulder Community Hospital.

At both places, you can wait for a bus and learn about the past, while picturing your predecessors in the immediate commercial area."

The entire Broadway construction project is just about to finish up much to the relief of Boulderites. And along with the newly paved street there are new bus stops, many of which have these local history lessons on graphic panels or most interestingly, embedded in the concrete. Take a stroll down the street and see what has been done, it is surprisingly good and should give all of us some measure of confidence in the ability of government to make something really well.