Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Priorities?

"Y'know, a town with money is like a mule with a spinning wheel. No one knows how he got it and danged if he knows how to use it!"
-Lyle Lanley


Well here it is- A week's worth of re-wiring around the fountain so that the circuit doesn't trip when it rains and another week of putting the lights together. Figure there was about 3 people working each day on average (some days 8/some days 1) that's about 240 hours of labor for something that is just going to be taken down again in a few weeks to the cost of another 100+ hours of labor. Let's not even consider the cost of energy that those lights take.

Here are 3 suggestions of what that same 340 labor hours could have accomplished in the park on a more permanent scale followed by ~~why I haven't done it myself:

1) Used 55 gal. barrel of cooking oil sitting next to a tree since May 20, 2007.
** Numerous calls to both sanitation and the health department. Health department did give the city an October 1, 2007 deadline to remove it- follow up calls to health department unanswered.
~~Barrel weighs about 500 lbs. Even if I could lift it into my truck the barrel is not sealed, and this is considered Household Hazardous Waste and as a private citizen I am limited to disposing 5 gallons.
UPDATE:REMOVED FEBRUARY 2008

2) Balustrade hit by car in January 2006.
** Filed Police report the day it happened. Follow up calls & emails to city departments asking for it to be fixed. City vehicles just drive over it as if it was meant to be like that causing more damage.
~~ Do not have access to the key to unlock the chain. Do not have access to power auger. Do not have ability to replace broken parts.

3) Railing on bridge broken Christmas Morning 2006.
** Filed Police report that morning. Picked up broken pieces to prevent them from being stolen by metal scavengers. Arranged a safe place for them to be stored. Called and emailed city departments about where the pieces are being stored. Pieces still sitting where they were put Christmas morning.
~~ Do not have access to the type of welder needed to make this repair. Also since this railing is over an 8 foot drop, there are probably building codes that need to be followed, and I am not going to put myself in a position to be liable in case someone gets hurt. Good Samaritan laws probably don't cover welding railing in public spaces.
UPDATE: FIXED MARCH 2009

There is so much that needs to be done, but unfortunately that would start to cost actual money to repair so I will need to write to (insert allegorical holiday figure here) about that and believe in magical park elves to fix it.

As you drive by, enjoy the lights- but remember those projects less fortunate this holiday season.

Happy Holidays Folks.

5 Comments:

At December 07, 2007 1:05 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

All of the growth, the Petersburg "renaissance" is in Old Town, so that;s where the moronic city "Leaders" address their attention. The lights got up because they are a yearly ritual—within the realm of the city's capability because it has been done before, year after year. Addressing new or unusual problems are simply beyond the scope of their capability. The city council needs to be scrapped entirely and replaced with new leadership from somewhere else. Someone who can get elected despite the long-standing local political machine.

 
At December 10, 2007 10:02 AM , Blogger Supporter of Petersburg said...

I am sick of people constantly attacking the City of Petersburg.I doubt there is anyone who works for the city who is as imcompetent as the Board and officers of the HPLA They could not even plan a neighborhood Christmas party when they had 3 years to do it. They are the true embarassment to Polpar Lawn.

 
At December 11, 2007 8:55 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

supporter of petersburg: It's ridiculous to blame the HPLA board of failure (regardless of how you spell it) if they don't have the support of the neighborhood. If you are on the HPLA email list, then you received the emails asking for volunteers and help for the party. The reality is that no one wanted to host. If we don't have a place or the budget (because few people pay dues) to hire a place, then the party ain't happening.

The board has organized park clean-ups, new neighbor welcomings, and a food drive. Have you participated in any of them? If you can't do better yourself, then you shouldn't complain. Frankly, our city has bigger issues at hand than a holiday party.

If the historic neighborhoods could put aside their petty differences and band together (have you noticed that we all have the same complaints and problems?) we could run this city. As long as we remain divided, nothing will change. We have the power to do it but lack cooperation. Rather than pointing a finger about something as trivial as a party, perhaps you could use your energy to enact positive change.

 
At December 11, 2007 9:37 AM , Blogger Poplar Lawn Alliance for Conservation & Education said...

NOW EVERYONE NEEDS TO CHILL OUT!

1) Anon 1: Yes, I believe in your call for revolution, and slowly your movement is gaining momentum. It seems however, that people have no desire to strive for something better as long as the problems we(poplar lawn) experience everyday haven't made it to their side of the fence yet.

2) Anon 2: You had me at "priorities"- but you lost me with your potty mouth. If you must use that language please use the acceptable "F&#@". However, Thank you for remembering the Peanut Butter Drive we did last year. It was very successful for our first time out. Sad to note though we had greater response from organizations who are no even in Petersburg than we did from our own city mainly because some of the other neighborhoods refused to participate in it.

3) Supporter: From the outside, if HPLA being a social organization that had trouble organizing a party is your biggest concern you completely missed the concept of this post. I am looking for change that will affect the good of the city. The lights (like a party) is only about feeling good and looking pretty it only distracts us from the potential of what could be. I am not sure of where this perfect utopia in Petersburg is that isn't affected by armed robbery, drugs traffic, and where all the promises made by the city are kept, but bring some of it our way. I however, have had my heart broken too many times by empty promises from the city, had been threatened by drunks for disturbing their safe havens, and watch as other property owners feel so disenfranchised by the city that they just give up and move. This is my reality.

Let me just use for example that barrel of cooking oil- What could have been going on in the city that is so important that no one in almost 7 months has been so busy that they couldn't come and remove it. The city was even issued an order from the health department to remove it by a deadline and 2 months later still it sits.

Supporter: Since you have had such great success with getting the city to create and maintain your perfect utopia, perhaps you can at least get that barrel of cooking oil removed as a favor to me. Whether you live in the real world or in utopia you would have to agree that a public park is no place for 55 gallons of something classified as "Household Hazardous Waste".

Phil

 
At December 11, 2007 10:39 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

What happend with tha party? Why was it canceld?

 

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