Contrary to the die-hard pessimists, of whom Bolesławiec has no shortage, who claim that our town has gone to the dogs in recent years, I will allow myself to hold precisely the opposite opinion on this matter.
For when walking through the streets of Bolesławiec, one cannot fail to notice the positive changes that have taken place over the last two years.
It is enough to stand in the middle of the market square and look at the town hall and the meticulously renovated façades of the townhouses in the northern and eastern rows of the old town. Nor is it possible to overlook the large-scale work being carried out to replace underground utilities. It is also worth heading, as part of a walk, to the “Słoneczne” single-family housing estate and the area on Lubańska Street, where construction of the estate’s internal roads has just been completed. Parks and squares, which until recently did not look very inviting, have also now become places of genuine relaxation for a growing number of pensioners and disability-benefit recipients, who are quite often accompanied by grandchildren left with their grandparents by working parents. I also suggest going to the railway viaduct on Dolne Młyny Street, where the final section of a huge sanitary sewer collector is being laid. This will enable the mechanical section of the sewage treatment plant to be put into operation quickly; it is one of the largest environmental investments in the Jelenia Góra Voivodeship.
And all this has been achieved with the extremely modest resources of the local-government community, alongside drastically reduced subsidies from the central budget. It should also be emphasized that the councillors, who sometimes had to make dramatic choices when allocating these funds among particular purposes, encountered local-government issues for the first time in their lives, since the current council includes only three people from the former national council, while everyone starting out finds it difficult to avoid mistakes. The point, however, is to minimize them—and this, it seems, our local government, as well as most other Polish local authorities, is managing to do. There is no news of any municipality falling into a budget deficit, whereas a deficit in the state budget has become a chronic phenomenon.
Presenting my view of municipal affairs, diametrically opposed to that of the incurable pessimists, I can kindly advise them to abandon their “no” attitude from time to time, since—as psychologists demonstrate—constant negation is harmful to health.
So, as part of their therapy, they should at least once a month acknowledge with appreciation, for example, the fact that a new, decent pavement has been laid on their street, or that colorful, attractive rubbish bins have been installed in a nearby park. I guarantee a marked improvement in their well-being.