The return of the blue line on Railroad Avenue

WARWICK — The saga of the blue line on Railroad has hopefully been resolved and put to bed.
Earlier this December, an unusually large crowd gathered in the meeting room of the Village Hall to express mostly outrage at the painting of red and white lines alongside the blue line on Railroad Avenue. The red, white and blue lines were intended to be a compromise for two opposing groups.
It all began in October, when with good intentions the Village Board of Trustees had authorized the painting of the blue line to support the police.
But soon there were letters to the editors and petitions and comments on social media by groups that strongly opposed or supported the blue line.
The issue appeared to divide the community and was reported as such on major TV networks.
The mayor's office then held a series of meetings and discussions with various factions, which led to what they believe is a meaningful resolution.
The Village Board agreed to short term goals of reinstating the blue line along with a plaque giving the history of the thin blue line, the intent and its importance to the law enforcement community.
And at a work session held on Monday, Dec. 12, the Village Board determined to move forward with reinstating a singular blue line on Railroad Avenue.
During the meetings, one of the proposals for reinstating the blue was to paint a double-yellow line, which is a legal road marking, with the blue line painted down the middle.
That suggestion became the final decision and recently, the Department of Public Works, with financial aid from the Warwick Police Benevolent Association (PBA), closed the issue by painting a neat and straight double-yellow line, with a center blue on Railroad Avenue.
- Roger Gavan