We like to think that we use this podcast as "a bridge to the past", but in this edition of All Roads, the bridges are the history we are looking at. The town of Needham, Massachusetts has an uncommon number of bridges as a matter of necessity, as the Charles River winds its way around most of its borders.

As we kick off our second season, Gloria takes an inventory of the many crossing points that form the town's gateways, including what may be its most beautiful and fear inducing spans.

She also talks with two of the people responsible for keeping the structures safe and functional. Her guests, making a return appearance, are Carys Lustig, director of the Needham DPW and town engineer Thomas Ryder. They explain that indeed, they don't make them like they used to....and maybe that's a good thing.

School may be out for summer in Needham, but the administrative staff will be working hard to prepare for September. Fortunately, they have a modern, cool space in which to perform those duties. But that was not always so. The home for Needham Public Schools is the Emery Grover Building, the oldest public building still in existence in the Town. It was always a bit of a grand, odd duck, out of character for a small, New England town. It was also, for a long while, out-dated, severely lacking, and somewhat dangerous.

In this episode, we remember the town's efforts to bring it back from the brink, and track its evolution to the 21st century with one of the people most responsible for breathing new life into the site, Needham's Director of Building Design and Construction, Hank Haff.

You could say that Nature is what happens when humans stop imposing their will on their surroundings. Judging by the fact that we've been around only for a relatively short period of time, our environment has a pretty strong mind of its own....and that is a good thing.

As our New England spring continues to bring renewal to the natural world, our minds are cast to a couple of companions that we have enjoyed in town during our colorful past. Horticulturally, we have a mystery to solve: why do we have landmarks that refer to Rosemary, when it isn't native to the area? Is it possibly a red herring? Speaking of which, will our fishy friends ever make a real comeback in this area?

We will speak with the Needham Conservation Specialist Tim Puopolo joins us as we talk rivers, marshes, woods, and habitats. It will certainly be a wild time!