My guess is that extra was used this time because of the rain/snow/wind/icing potential and they wanted to really make sure the roads were passable. It's like that way over in Nashua and surrounding areas too. Agreed on the salt impact, but I have no idea on the effectiveness of the alternatives.

Like Olorin said, getting an air fryer will definitely save you a tons of money. Ordering outside works but costly over time. Many foods don’t even require oil to cook in an air fryer, plus they are easy to clean!

You can always call local places and see if they deliver directly vs an app.

The restaurant and the person delivering your food makes better money when these apps are not involved.

They can be great for places that do not deliver

It's a worthwhile goal I don't disagree I'd honestly prefer we switch to sand and tire chains

It's honestly awful all throughout Mass, but I'm looking to start bringing about awareness to the problem.

Our tax dollars pay for roads, which are then destroyed by our tax paid salt and road workers, then our tax dollars pay for the new roads, and on and on.

It's a viscous cycle of a money pit that burdens the tax payer, when our local government should be looking for safer alternatives.

Sure, salt is cheap as hell, but there is certainly a cost/benefit factor that is being ignored here.

My question is, what costs the tax payer more?

• Paying to repave roads, repair our cars, and treat our land that deteriorated at an accelerated rate due to cheap road salt?
• Using a significantly less corrosive ice melt substance (at higher cost than salt), but preserving and extending the life of our roads, cars, and environment?

I’m so sorry. That sounds terrible. These other people don’t let you use a kitchen?

The downstairs area is owned by other people, us roommates stay upstairs

Damn my perception of a lot must be really off. I'd been thinking that this seems like a lot less then I saw when I lived closer to boston.

“I spend an absurd amount of money on food because there isn’t a stove or anything up here except downstairs” lol what?

An air fryer may save you a ton of money, or an instant pot. Better than a microwave and you can make lots of stuff. Uber eats is so expensive!!

I tip all the time, like 8 bucks

I do it occasionally. Please remember to appropriately tip your drivers every time. We live on tips because sometimes we only get 25% of whatever you paid the app.

I would never turn down some McDonalds hotcakes and I would be willing to bet most locations will be open.

Kim’s Donuts is open! They have the best doughnuts!!!

You can always just walk into a hotel lobby in the morning and help yourself to the complimentary breakfast.

They just remodeled / renovated Jade East on Rt 38.

I haven’t been since it reopened but its pretty good.

Dunks on chelmsford st is usually open

I would try Chinese Restaurants for a safe bet. If you're feeling adventurous, try out China Dim Sum lounge on Middlesex St, dim sum is an excellent morning meal.

Art is the handmaid of human good.

It would be beautiful, it would reflect off the Merrimack, the lighting could be an event like Christmas Tree lightings are many places.

People love things like this, there are the Ice palace lights, the zoo lights, there is the 200 xmas tree display in Medford annually, the Boston common tree lighting, Rockefeller center, etc

Why not spend it on schools? Because our schools are well funded, not every dollar should be spent on utility.

This is funding the arts.

Why do you think anyone would come to Lowell to see some lit up smokestacks? Any money would be far better spent funding the arts or education for residents.

That is no small amount of money for an individual but more manageable as part of the city budget.

Some could be lit by projecting light onto them, which would be cheaper. Like one could have the city seal hitting it towards the top and that’s the whole display for 1.

Do you have any research from back when you did the interview about who else owns the other stacks?

I interviewed the guy who owns Wannalancit once and he told me it costs about $30,000 per season to light that, though that was about a decade ago and I think before LEDs.

I suspect it’s still cost prohibitive though. I’m not sure how much the bridges cost but maybe the city could do it now that we have LEDs. I think the bridges are supported by someone other than the city though.

I’d support expanding that effort.

Edit to add my old story on this from 2010 when it wasn't lit: $30,000 per year according to John Power, the primary owner https://www.lowellsun.com/2010/12/01/lowell-pining-for-holiday-landmark/amp/

Also an MV Mag story with the cost and no paywall: https://www.mvmag.net/2016/11/27/christmas-stack/

It'd be rad af, but aren't most of the stacks in bad shape or covered in cell towers? Maybe with the public art being allowed, some more fun stuff could happen...

Well we would only light them at night, so maybe we can do both? I never notice the lines of lights, on the one we have now, in the daytime.

I quite like our weathered old smoke stacks against the back drop of a grey winter sky.