It has been nearly one year since HUDseen last reported on flooding at the low point of Columbia Street, found alongside the County Mental Health building at 325 Columbia. Unsurprisingly (certainly not to nearby residents, and likely Rob Perry as well), after hours of nonstop heavy rain overnight, another lake formed in the street, on the sidewalks and on properties, though it did not appear to be as deep as last year's lake. (In mid-August, I only saw and took pictures of the aftermath.) This morning, in the pouring rain, in my flip flops standing in the middle of the street at the deepest/lowest point, the surface of the lake was nearly up to my knees, close to 18 inches.
Readers may recall that there was a nasty car collision at the intersection of 7th & State on December 6th, 2024. (7th is the only intersection on State where State traffic does not stop.) In early 2025, I wrote that the city, for reasons having to do with "ongoing litigation," was not disclosing any documents related to that crash. Later last year, as part of a repeat FOIL request I made to pry this information from HPD, I was told -- in the form of another letter from HPD via email -- that any documents related to the incident at 7th & State would be available in June of 2026! I couldn't even get my hands on a simple accident report for several more months. Patience!
It was in the fall of 2023 that the Stewart's intersection was improved. Included in that improvement was a new concrete curb (with ADA mats) and concrete sidewalk on the northeast corner. That corner had always taken a beating, and it still does. If he ever notices, does Rob Perry care how much time and money he will have to spend to keep that corner from being destroyed and a danger to pedestrians who dare to step there?
Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, public parking spaces meant for residents were few and far between in the 500 block of narrow, tree-and-house-lined, one-way Washington Street. The street, one of three, has essentially been taken over by the business complex at 549 Washington, also known as the Pocketbook Hotel (PBH). Just about any parking issues -- certainly those that didn't exist until this year -- on Washington, Prospect, or 6th are a result the PBH business complex.
To those willing to accept it, it is now abundantly clear that the fate of our planet -- and all living things on it -- is looking grim. Quite grim. Flooding after unprecedented rainfall, droughts, forest fires all over (adding more carbon to the atmosphere in a doom loop), heat domes that kill and force Europeans to consider air conditioning, unpredictable and unusual weather (with lots of wind), invasive species spreading to once inhospitable regions, warming oceans, endless wars over oil. It seems like we have passed the tipping point. We (primarily the US and other industrial countries) have simply added too much carbon to the atmosphere for planet earth to function properly. Mankind's disposable infrastructure -- built for our survival -- is completely untenable and in contradiction to the laws of nature. Treating our planet like a toxic dumping ground seems to have finally caught up to us.
Here is some information that has yet to make it to the Announcements section of the city's website. The DPW Water Department is dealin...
