The Circus Continues

I've been reporting on the still not permanently repaired water main under South 4th Street (across from the Post Office) since the break occurred on July 9th.  Most recently, 11 days ago, I wrote about how our DPW Superintendent Robert Perry claimed at this month's meeting that he had been having trouble for the prior 3 months coordinating a date with the Catskill DPW to get them over here with their special saw to permanently fix our temporarily fixed pipe. 

Today, 3 and a half months after our important pipe broke, I spoke directly with Bob Young, the Catskill DPW equivalent of our Robert Perry (though it is clear to me after just our second conversation that the Catskill DPW Superintendent is friendly, helpful, willing to speak frankly with the public, and refreshingly easy to get in touch with on the phone!).  Though he didn't even have to speak to me, Bob told me that he, his department, and their saw were "no longer involved" with helping Hudson DPW and our pipe needing attention, adding that Robert told him he was "going in a different direction."  I failed to ask Bob when Robert told him this.

Two weeks ago at this month's informal council meeting, I asked Robert Perry why DPW didn't have a special saw to help repair certain pipes, but Catskill did.  This is exactly how our $115,000 DPW Superintendent responded:  "We all make choices, Bill.... It's more than just a saw.  You have to have a hydraulic unit that operates it."  Apparently satisfied with Mr. Perry's non-answers, the council president then shut me down, not allowing me to continue to try to get at the truth.

"Different direction?"  Is our superintendent now looking east instead of west to borrow a braided guillotine saw, perhaps from Claverack this time?  How about up north?  Was the Chatham DPW smart enough to buy their own braided guillotine saw to fix their own broken pipes when nothing else can do the job?  If they have one, will they lend us the saw, hydraulic unit, and expertise, maybe 3 or 4 months from now if we are lucky? 

A company by the name of E H Wachs seems to be the go-to for guillotine saws.  Their saws range in price from $9,000 to $13,000, depending on the width of the pipes needing to be cut.  The hydraulic unit which powers the saw costs close to $10,000, while the in-person training provided by the company is free.  This is information that I can only assume our DPW Superintendent has been well aware of for years.  

Last week, I spoke with a resident living in a home close to the bricks, chunks of asphalt, dirt, gravel, cones and etc. still in the street above the water main break.  I asked how he felt about seeing the mess for the past three months.  "I wish they would just fix it," was all he said, and he was clearly not at all happy with the situation.