When A Hudson Hub Request Goes No Further Than "Thank You For The Info."

For anyone wanting to let City Hall know about a problem they see or hear, there are numerous categories to choose from to make a "request" on the Hudson Hub app, from "Fences" and "Noise" to "Traffic signal."   The idea is, presumably, that if a city department agrees that your request is a problem, they'll take care of it.  But it's not always that straight forward.  Often, help is not on the way.

Gettin' It Done The Morris Way!

Last night's monthly meeting of the Services Committee wasn't as notable for committee members who did show up (2) as it was for those members who did not show up, neither in person nor virtually (3).  Like not at all. 

What A Difference Three Weeks Makes! What A Difference Rich Volo's CAC Makes!

At the April meeting of the Conservation Advisory Council, I asked chairperson Rich Volo what, if anything, the council does about homeowners who fail to maintain their sidewalk trees, particularly in terms of weeds and litter at bases that go ignored for months or year after year.  Here is exactly what Rich responded with:  "It's the responsibility of the owner to maintain their tree."

The Trouble With Trees and Utility Poles! And Wind!

National Grid was busy dealing with three downed trees in the city on Tuesday night and much of Wednesday after the storm blew through town.  One of the three trees that combined to knock out power to all, or nearly all, of the city was located on the west side of the entrance to 810 Union.  The entire tree toppled in the wind, bringing down a utility pole just beyond the east side of the entrance, with the top of the tree reaching all the way across the adjacent parking lot entrance of the ophthalmology office.  Unsurprisingly, it didn't seem to have much of a root structure at all.

Feeling Revitalized Yet? Feeling IMPROVED? What Year Is It?

Yesterday morning, I came across one Luizzi worker creating a lot of noise and dust on North Front Street while doing his best to improve the ill-advised decorative stones along the sidewalk that Luizzi left us last year and that the city found to be unacceptable early this year. It's entirely possible that he was one of Luizzi's many workers doing shoddy stonework on Front Street and elsewhere last year as part of the multi-million-dollar DRI project on the city's west end that supposedly wrapped up a year and a few days ago.

Quit Your Worrying, They Only Cost Us $22.50 Each! We Can Always Afford To Buy More Of Them!!

 

The DPW Water Department recently bought twenty new metal fire hydrant markers that are easily bendable, have bright orange "flags" made of heavy duty plastic, are readily available to children and drunk people to "play" with, and also add charm to a city whose few charms seem to be slowly but surely disappearing!  And, of course, the hydrants can't do without the markers (not until this year, that is)!  Unless, of course, it's one of the many out-of-service fire hydrants found around the city.  No need to waste any money, time or markets on those useless things! No need to be reminded where they are! Just leav 'em be!

When Collecting Data Is Nothing More Than A Red Herring Waste Of Time, Talk and Effort!

There are now eleven $10,000 parking kiosks on Warren Street.  3 of them are in the 700 block.

Meanwhile, there is not one speed limit sign along all of Warren Street.  NOT ONE!  Yet the issue of speeding vehicles on Warren Street -- and elsewhere, to a lesser degree -- has cropped up at the two most recent meetings of the so-called Safety Committee.  If you follow closely what is said about the issue, you can only come to one conclusion, though:  it's all a waste of time and HPD is no help!