Screwed? Or Just Lucky?

"Attention to detail is not about perfection. It's about excellence, about constant improvement." (Chris Denny)

With that wonderful, irrefutable quote in mind, I have a few questions about something that's been attached to a city sidewalk for the past 6 months that seems to be acceptable only here in Hudson. 

First, how often have you come across a piece of plywood that is somehow secured with wood screws over a hole in the curb ramp of a sidewalk that is directly in line and adjacent to a pedestrian crosswalk and 12 inches from an ADA caution mat? 

Second, what the flying fuck is a piece of plywood doing screwed to the Columbia Street sidewalk partially covering the curb ramp where smooth concrete should be?  Why was it "permanently" screwed there after the sidewalk in front of Lucky's was redone earlier this year?  What the hell is it covering that couldn't be removed, fixed or dealt with properly at the time?  Do you suppose anyone from City Hall has approached Mr. Lucky about that piece of wood that's been on top the curb ramp for the past 6 months?

WTF?

Third, by the end of this coming winter when that lovely piece of plywood completely disintegrates and loosens itself from whatever it is screwed to (and the four wood screws scatter into the street), will we all be lucky enough to have it replaced with another lovely piece of plywood that City Hall continues to ignore?  Did the perpetrator of this great idea think the plywood cover would last forever?

Fourth, would a similar -- or larger! -- piece of plywood secured with wood screws over a curb ramp at an intersection on Warren Street be acceptable to Kamal Johnson, Rob Perry, Craig Haigh and the city's ADA Coordinator, Mayor's Aide Justin Weaver?  For 6 months, perhaps?  How about for 6 years, with a new a piece of plywood installed every 6 months?

Fifth, if the fine folks at Hudson City Hall can't or won't do anything about (or even notice) something as conspicuous, stupid, ugly and dangerous as this, what other simple tasks aren't they capable of or interested in dealing with to allow Hudson to be a respectable and safe place to live and walk?  Since when did a piece of wood screwed to the top of a curb ramp -- whatever its size, condition or secureness -- become acceptable for even one day to the people at Hudson City Hall?  Since when did ignoring something so obscene as this become in the best interest of the residents of Hudson?  Why does it often feel like we are we are stuck living in the 1980's and 1990's when things, as we all know, were not good here in Hudson?

It will be interesting to see if our new mayor finds a way to change the culture at City Hall that allows something as obscene (and growing obscener by the day) as what has been in front of Lucky's gas station for the past several months.  My goodness, I hope Joe can!  Otherwise, we are all screwed.

I recently came across a quote attributed to Albert Einstein that I am hoping will apply to the change in personnel coming soon to the Hudson Mayor's Office:

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.

Indeed, Albert!