Gotta proverb for that? Meanwhile, New Albany’s bicentennial history, error-by-error.

It's hard to believe that Gregg Seidl turned down the News and 'Bune's invitation to serve on (another) select small advisory committee, one charged with suggesting weekly New Albany bicentennial story ideas to a congenitally absentee newspaper management cadre that bears bearing no real sense of New Albany.

Gregg WAS asked, right?

But of course he wasn't, and I knew that when I asked the question at Facebook. Gregg replied with tact, grace and dignity, and he is to be commended for taking the high road, as always.

I'll speak only for myself: This is not about Dave Barksdale, Vic Meginnity and Marcia Booker, the advisory committee members enumerated in the editor's explanatory piece (below). They'll come up with solid, predictable, conservative suggestions for a solid, predictable, conservative series, one best read while baking white bread out of surplus school paste and Coors Light.

Rather, it's about the News and 'Bune's typically and traditionally tone deaf way of doing business, and the city's utter, ongoing bungling of the bicentennial to date.

Gregg should have been consulted about the megabuck coffee table book that was farmed with borrowed money to an out-of-state, paid hack. He wasn't asked. Now he isn't asked to contribute to the newspaper's weekly effort, dooming us to the same view of the same people ... yet again.

I'd ask the newspaper's management to speak for itself, but frankly I'm afraid it might result in the publisher's daily social media Bible verses becoming pop-up ads at the web site. Then I'd have to get really annoyed. Are these people ever going to get it?

Now there's a bicentennial article idea, Amanda.

VAN HOY: New Albany’s history, week-by-week, by Shea Van Hoy (News and 'Bune)

The News and Tribune would like to thank the three committee members who helped brainstorm ideas for this list and will continue to be a wealth of information through the year-long series. We wish to publicly recognize David Barksdale, Marcia Booker and Vic Megenity for their participation and keen memories.

Greetings from 'Bama.

Straight Outta Mobile: "Grant Line work to stretch through July 31."

Observing the oddities of local newspapering is a longtime sport for jaded New Albanians, as when on-line stories about GOP election recounts, the Jingle Walk and and Grant Line road construction are lumped together beneath a photo of Republican kingpin Dave Matthews.

When I tried to find the story a second time using the News and Tribune's wretched and entirely variable search engine, it remained hidden, but at least there was the entertainment value of batting away a handful of pop-up ads amid the overall futility. A Google search did the trick, and because I'd hate to have anyone else endure the same agony, here's a reprint of OSIN's piece on the composition and duration of the Grant Line work.

Grant Line work to stretch through July 31

The more than $2.7 million Grant Line Road construction project is under way, as traffic has been backed up along the route at certain times due to the closure of turning lanes at intersections including University Woods Drive and McDonald Lane.

The project — which is being footed through relinquishment funds the state provided last year after the city agreed to maintain a portion of Ind. 111 — is slated to last until at least July 31.

The initial phase of the project stretches from Mount Tabor Road to McDonald Lane. While turning lanes will likely remain closed for most of the construction, officials expect two-way traffic to continue without the need for flaggers.

“The huge majority of the time, there will be two lanes open at all times,” said John Rosenbarger, director of public facilities projects for the city.

In order to ensure two-way traffic is available, Rosenbarger said flaggers may be needed for a short period while a temporary lane is built.

Among the upgrades, Grant Line Road will have five lanes of traffic including a turn lane from the Interstate 265 exchange to University Woods Drive.

“It will make some traffic improvements and importantly provide pedestrian access and a pedway,” Rosenbarger said of the project.

The second phase of construction, from McDonald Lane to Beechwood Avenue, is the “real priority,” he added.

As the city is finalizing engineering plans for the second tier of construction, Rosenbarger said officials elected to proceed with the I-265 to McDonald Lane section first because the state already had design strategies for the span from when it was considering building an overpass over the train tracks near the Pillsbury plant entrance.

The Indiana Department of Transportation scrapped those plans when it elected to pay New Albany $6.125 million for the city to oversee repairs and upgrades to 4.5 miles of Ind. 111.

“So we had a pretty short process to complete plans for a surface road instead [of the overpass] and the right-of-way was mostly in hand through the previous INDOT effort,” Rosenbarger said.

As for starting a project on a major thoroughfare while the Sherman Minton Bridge closure continues to stifle traffic in the area, Rosenbarger said officials are hoping one situation won’t have a major impact on the other. In fact, Rosenbarger said traffic actually appeared to be less dense due to the bridge closure during a paving and sidewalk project along State Street that occurred in September and October.

“We observed a pretty major reduction in traffic for that particular thoroughfare as a result of the Sherman Minton closing,” he said.