With construction now going on at the Wire Road bridge and in the "Pit" parking lot, it gives us the opportunity to revisit one of our favorite editorial chestnuts: construction.
We're fairly certain we write this editorial once a semester, but this time we came to a realization we had not previously been aware of: the odd connections between our football schedules and the timelines for Auburn's construction deadlines.
For example, the Wire Road Bridge project is scheduled to be finished by April 11, almost a week before the A-Day Game April 17.
It does somewhat make sense that Auburn's construction schedules follow the football ones. Gamedays turn Jordan-Hare into the fifth largest city in Alabama, so making sure those fans can get into town quickly and undisturbed is a priority issue.
The football fans help drive our local economy. Many local businesses depend on their foot traffic to make ends meet.
We understand the peak times for having construction projects done coincide with when they are being used less, and when football isn't here, those places don't see as much use.
We get it, but that doesn't make it right.
We kowtow a lot to the football program around here.
We begrudgingly sacrifice already scarce parking for rabid fans in RVs that show up days before the game.
We deal with road blocks and closures to divert gameday traffic.
We know not to drive around in the hours before and after the games.
However, we're here, too.
The students, faculty and staff at Auburn are also a huge factor in Auburn's continued well-being.
Without the University, Auburn would just be Opelika's smaller sister city.
The football fans are temporary invaders; we live here, work here and shop here year-round.
Fans come and go, but this University is a market of tens of thousands of people who will always be here.
Perhaps it's time to start thinking locally, to take care of our own before we bow to the whims of the orange and blue clad invaders.
We hope such a day will come, but we doubt it will.
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