The Continuing Story Of The Sidewalk Dumpster and So Much More [with update]

Longtime readers of HUDseen may know of my quasi-obsession with dumpsters in general, and specifically the dumpster on the Columbia Street sidewalk just west of 6th Street that has been there for about a year (really, a series of dumpsters).  I've posted about that dumpster and other nonsense there on the sidewalk so often that I thought I would give it a rest.  Until, that is, early yesterday morning.  What I came across there almost made me fall over laughing.  Thankfully, I got myself together in time to take a few pictures for you.  But to be honest, the situation with that dumpster is not funny and only further highlights how dysfunctional Hudson City Hall is (particularly DPW) and how little it pays attention to what is going on with (and what goes on) our sidewalks and streets.  

According to my notes, in mid-June, National Grid began installing new wooden utility poles on the sidewalk along the south side of the 500 block of Columbia Street (think municipal parking lot) where no poles had been.  A worker there told me that a new power line was needed, thus the new poles.  The pole nearest to 6th Street was probably installed in late June or early July.  By then, the dumpster further west of that pole had been on the sidewalk for at least two weeks for use by the contractor sporadically working on the former church. No one at DPW (who issue sidewalk permits), at National Grid or the contractor thought to make sure the new pole and guide wire would not prevent the dumpster from being removed. And, if you can believe it, that is exactly the issue that the two garbage company workers had yesterday morning when they arrived to remove the full dumpster. I took my first picture at 6:40 am..

Allow dumpsters to be parked on sidewalks 
and you can expect the dumb and regrettable
 to happen and your sidewalks to be a mess.

First, they tried the most common-sense approach by backing onto the sidewalk from 6th Street, but there was not nearly enough room to do so without doing some major damage or getting stuck (or both). 

Then they tried to do what the driver who had dropped the dumpster had likely done when there was no pole or guide wire in the way: drive over the crumbing curb onto the Columbia sidewalk and back up.  For lack of space and confidence, this effort was quickly aborted, too.  Keep in mind that this is the truck route.

Then it was back to plan A, completely blocking the 6th Street sidewalk once again.  Nope, still too tight!  They got out of their cab and walked back to the dumpster, scratching their heads, not sure how to proceed.

Pedestrian not sure what to do

                      

As the two were walking away, I heard the driver say to his younger coworker: "My point is, he never should have put the dumpster there in the first place. It's a dangerous place. It's not the right place."  Amen, brother! A few minutes later, I heard him say in desperation, "I'll try anything," though his options were rather limited.

Notice how damaged the curb is from years of neglect and the company truck picking up and dropping off a series of dumpsters over the course of one year.  Don't worry, though, Robert Perry's DPW issued the contractor a $25 sidewalk permit last year allowing them to use the sidewalk for as long as they like for their dumpsters and to destroy the curb as much and as often as they like.  The real damage comes when the full dumpster is being driven over the already damaged curb.  I'm thinking this has happened at least 15 times in the past year.  The question is:  When will it happen next?

  

At 7:00, after the driver had explained the situation to his boss or dispatcher on the phone, the workers gave up and went elsewhere.  Twenty minutes had gone by and there was still no way to reach the dumpster to remove it. 

After 20 minutes, giving up!

There has been a series of dumpsters in the street in front of the renovation project at 526 State Street since, I believe, October, possibly September.  It's such a lovely sight.  Sometimes it takes weeks for a dumpster to be filled and replaced. 

It's one of those reno projects that might take years thanks to a tiny crew that may not know what they are doing.  Early last week a dumpster was removed and for one day there was nothing parked at the corner but cones awaiting a fresh dumpster.  That's when I noticed the deep gash in the street one of the dumpsters had recently left, likely the most recent one.  All HPD parking permits stipulate that wood planks must be put under dumpsters without wheels to protect the pavement.  HPD issues the dumpster/parking permits (why HPD, what does this have to do with law enforcement?) but does no enforcing of the rules on them.

Fresh street gouge from a dumpster

Someone dragged heavy metal on State
Street and the city don't care!

It's funny (sad? bewildering?) to think that the city might finally be getting serious about improving our sidewalks, while at the same time they allow contractors to park dumpsters on sidewalks wherever they want and for however long they like.  Pay one price -- $25 -- and do whatever you like! The problem is that Robert Perry doesn't give a crap what condition the city's sidewalks are in. If he did, he wouldn't allow anyone to park a dumpster of any size on any city sidewalk, not even for one day -- not on Columbia Street, not on Union Street, not on State, Washington, Prospect, any numbered side streets, Front, and certainly not on Warren Street, to name a few.  Doing so, and allowing it to be done, is unwise, disrespectful and, of course, "dangerous," three adjectives that just might describe our DPW Superintendent. 

If the city official issuing sidewalk permits to contractors allows those contractors to park dumpsters on sidewalks, why is the city even making an effort to improve the sidewalks? My advice: Get rid of Mr. Perry before you get too involved or your efforts are doomed. He's no help at all -- he's nothing but a hindrance to progress. Just go look at the condition of the sidewalk and curb along Columbia Street near 6th Street that Mr. Perry allows trucks to roll over and a dumpster to be parked on that literally may be impossible to remove without removing a new utility pole first.  Do you think our DPW Superintendent cares about the heaving sidewalk and those loose chunks of concrete curb sliding into the street?  Do you think he cares if any of the year's worth of dumpsters there gouge the sidewalk?  Do you think he cares if National Grid has to get involved and maybe remove a utility pole they just installed three weeks go so a garbage company will be able to remove their fucking dumpster from the sideWALK meant for people to WALK on?

If that doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will.

Over 30 hours later, the full dumpster on the Columbia sidewalk is still there waiting to be replaced.

Will our Great Communicator on Zoom continue 
to let the contractor at 6th & Columbia park their 
dumpster on the sidewalk once the dumpster
stuck there is finally removed?

UPDATE:  By 2 pm today the dumpster had been removed.