HUDseen: The Other DPW Fia$co Continue$

Today is day 3 (or possibly 4) of DPW working on the pipe covered by the mudslide that occurred in the Washington Street lot a little over a month ago. 3 DPW workers, 2 large pieces of digging machinery, more heavy stones laid down for the machinery to be stable and not get bogged down in the mud in a sensitive area with a stream which ultimately leads to the Hudson River.

It's difficult to say what DPW is trying to accomplish today, but I did hear one worker say to another: "We'll be done here today." The other worker did not agree, saying "No, we won't."

I think it's worth reiterating that the problem DPW is dealing with in the lot is one of their own making. DPW Superintendent Robert Perry allowed far too much unregulated dumping in the Washington Street lot last year, treating the sensitive area like a landfill. Anyone paying attention could see it was a dumb idea. The State DEC was informed of the situation and is, as of last week, forcing DPW to correct the problem. DPW may be finished today or Monday with the issue they are dealing with now, but there is far more to correct beyond the pipe itself. A heavy rain could easily cause another mudslide -- there is plenty of unstable dirt and debris ready to go at any moment.

View from well above the work being done
today, while standing on unstable dirt
and debris dumped there last year

This is how DPW spends our money: Allowing sloppy work, then having to fix huge, time-consuming, expensive mistakes, just like the South 3rd Street fiasco (which is ongoing). If there had been no dumping in the Washington Street lot, or it had been properly regulated and planned, none of this work would be happening, because there never would have been a mudslide. These essential workers in the mud should doing essential DPW daily duties: filling potholes in our streets, cleaning up a park, fixing a garbage can, replacing a pair of parking meters, you name it. Instead, they are digging out the mud from a mudslide brought on by their sloppy boss, Robert Perry. For at least the third day, they are reacting to yet another mistake from a DPW Superintendent who makes over $114,000 a year, and, as far as I understand, does not have an engineering degree.

This morning, I considered stopping by City Hall (directly across the street from this fiasco) to ask Robert Perry what his plan was with the situation in the lot and why dumping is still going on there. I did not see his city-issued vehicle anywhere near the Firehouse/City Hall, so I didn't bother trying to find him.