Broken City, Flailing City, Failing City (Better Late Than Never)

 

(Non-existent editor's note and apology:  This piece was written over 4 weeks ago but never got published.  I forgot all about it.  Hey, there's a lot to keep an eye on these days, and I've only got two eyes.)

I took the first three pictures late yesterday morning.  The lead picture is particularly notable because this is at least the third instance in the past 4 or 5 months where HPD's plastic paid parking signs have fallen off the repurposed parking meter pole in front of lovely 720 Columbia.  As of today,  HUDseen has featured all three instances, though it's entirely possible I missed one or two.  First, it was the original sign, installed in early February.  Then, one sign became two back-to-back signs, their tops secured with a pair of binder clips designed for holding sheets of paper together.  Now it has been another pair to fail, these two being "held together" with a screw or two.  

A stone's throw away across the street on the sidewalk of Park Place, the only pair of parking signs on the only parking meter pole for the only two parking spaces on the east side of the street went missing at least two weeks ago.  TWO WEEKS AGO! That pole also originally had one sign that went missing months ago and was replaced with two signs back-to-back. 

Anyone parking in one of those two spaces who lacks familiarity with the city's new paid parking system/scheme is left in the dark about how to pay for their space, and they shouldn't be blamed for thinking that parking is now free downtown.  But what does Parking Captain Miller care if visitors don't know what the hell is going on?  Enforcers have likely still been ticketing cars parked there that haven't paid for their space.  Yay, more "meter violation" tickets! We're in the money, honey!  People parking there who notice the lovely forlorn-looking parking meter pole between the spaces also can't be blamed for saying, "What the fuck is going in this town?" Welcome to Hudson, you're not the first visitor to ask that question... this week.

Then I happened on another charming scene, this time on South 4th Street.  Your guess is as good as mine as to how many signs have now fallen off that pole.