I don’t know about the rest of you, but speaking for myself, these last two weeks have finally started to feel like summer — and I’m still trying to work out if that’s a good thing or not.
And yet, on this very page (right next to my column, in fact) you will find a message from Derby Public Schools Superintendent Heather Bohaty welcoming patrons back for the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
Yes, it’s officially back-to-school season. It feels like July just started, and here we are already almost to the end of the month. Blink and you might have missed it.
Safe to say, life comes at you fast sometimes. Like when a pair of newlywed teachers you’re interviewing mention how their courtship and marriage took even them by surprise considering how old they were getting — closing in on 30. That hit this journalist approaching the 40-year mark right in the gut. Oof!
I mostly kid, as Smashmouth prepared me a long time ago for the fact that the years start coming and they don’t stop coming. But sometimes that’s a good thing — especially given the amount of massive projects going on around Derby.
Right at the mid-point of July, I got to go on a tour of Derby’s wastewater treatment facility that is continuing to see a massive overhaul set to improve efficiency and the overall treatment process for the benefit of Derby residents.
Double-checking the timeline, it’s hard to believe that project started back in 2023 and will be finishing up by the end of next year. There are a lot of updates being made, with a few intended to negate the smell produced at the plant — which might make more than a few local residents happy.
Beyond the wastewater plant, it feels like just yesterday (fun fact: it was March) that work began on the library’s new Rhythm and Read Park. And yet, by this time next month that park — and splash pad feature — should be open to the public. Given the comments I’ve seen and heard about the need for an additional splash pad in Derby, I can only imagine that the park’s debut will go over extremely well.
Not much for splashing? Well maybe this sizzling news will perk you up. Taking only slightly longer than the park development, Morgan’s steakhouse — which had a groundbreaking at the start of 2025 — is on track for a fall opening.
There’s probably plenty I’m leaving out, but the rate of progress in Derby is eye-catching. While the traffic adjustments on K-15 might seem like a hassle now, those three months of road work will likely pass by quick. And before you know it, Decarsky Park phase two and the revamped High Park will make their debuts as well. To those involved in these varied projects, I say — keep up the good (and surprisingly fast) work.
