The request came from out of the blue. “Let me see the bottom of your shoes.”

It didn’t make any sense on the spur of the moment. But the question was from my son Toby, the general manager and onsite leader of the present generation of family ownership of the Powell Tribune. It was “the boss” asking.

I complied though the directive didn’t make any sense.

“Nope. No reddish smear there,” he said in a detective conclusion.

I suppose I was relieved, but I didn’t know why. Then he explained.

Someone had walked through the fresh red, checkerboard concrete sidewalk in front of Powell Tribune property. The new red replacement strip was made necessary where tree roots had caused the sidewalk to heave and protrude unevenly. Red sidewalks and Bent Street tree plantings were part of a 1990s downtown improvement project.

I don’t believe Toby really thought that I had been the culprit. Besides, there was the imprint of a small dog alongside the footprints smack dab through the red checkerboard.

The point is the freshly poured concrete had been completely blocked off by nine orange construction cones. The offender had to step around and through the area that any clunker should recognize as off limits.

The concrete contractor just shook his head in disgust. He’s seen too much of this kind of disregard in the past. Discovery of the footprints came too late to be troweled out.

The City of Powell is a loser in this episode, too. Actually, it was a city project. The city led the way in the initial downtown improvement project and did the prep work for the replacement red sidewalk this time around.

All anyone can do now is appeal for respect to those orange cones wherever they are employed. They are there for a reason.