How Cheap, Low Class and Disrespected Can We Be Treated?

Upon closer inspection in the wonderfully warm sunlight this morning, I realized that I misspoke last night about HPD's and DPW's sign replacement effort yesterday.  While the broken-off single sided polyethylene aluminum "Dibond" crap sign on the east side of 6th Street at Columbia was replaced with a double sided crap sign of the same EASILY BREAKABLE material, the sign that went missing on the other side of 6th Street was not replaced with a double sided crap sign.  Rather, it appears that someone decided to reattach the same single sided sign that had been broken off the pole (or possibly a different broken sign, perhaps from the 700 block of Columbia Street) but with about two inches of the bottom of the sign missing.  Someone with a box cutter probably made a clean cut across the bottom of that polyethylene sign right above where it had been sheared off of the bracket on the pole a few days ago.  So classy!  So very classy!

Since HPD Captain David Miller seems to be the spokesperson for all things parking these days, I guess this was his idea to save a few bucks.  Instead of installing a double sided $29 crap sign where a $19 crap sign went missing -- as he had done across the street yesterday -- our Parking Captain decided to stick with a single sided sign facing the street, but with some information missing from the bottom.  Information no one parking on 6th Street would ever find useful. 

According to David Miller, "Parking is running great!"
  But when?

It's times like these that I'm reminded I live in upstate New York.  It's times like these that I find myself having difficulty being proud of the city I've lived in for twelve years.  That civic pride is so elusive, especially these days.

Double sided, with all information readable, including 
the hours when paid parking is in effect and the contact
information for the Parking Bureau.  Ready to be snapped 
off to the ground once again.

Last night, during the so-called Code & Infrastructure Committee meeting, where no one from the Code Enforcement Department was present (once again) and where no issues related to code violations or the city code were considered or discussed, the three members attending (Mohammed Rony was absent and the chair of the committee, Jason Foster, didn't know why) made it clear that they consider all out of service fire hydrants -- including the one pictured here found on 4th Street --  to be perfectly acceptable, no matter how long they go unrepaired or unreplaced.  All three members agreed that since Rob Perry and the Fire Department have no problem with fire hydrants being out of service for years (possibly permanently) -- even those covered in plastic bags for years -- they don't have a problem with it either!  Why would the committee members argue with the authorities about being so nonsensical and slobbish when it comes to out of service fire hydrants that are of no use in case of a house or three on fire?  Heaven forbid Rob Perry or anyone from the Fire Department should have to offer a sensible explanation as to why a fire hydrant has been out of service for seven years or more and covered in a series of fucking black plastic bags for at least four years, directly in front of a retail business and ancient buildings and soon to be across the street from a hotel whose wood skeleton was recently installed.