Disgracity, Part 12!

More lovely pictures below...

As I recall, it was late last year when I first noticed DPW's damaged water valve cap in the middle of the street at the intersection of 6th & Washington, a few feet from the new hotel with the $450/night rooms.  At the time, the cap was upright but missing a piece, very loose, and barely holding on.  To me, it didn't look much different than all the other damaged infrastructure of ours that Rob Perry and his DPW foreman, Frank Rogers, ignore for as long as they possibly can.  Then, tired of trying to avoid looking at it and walking and riding past it, with -- surprise! surprise! -- the valve cap in worse shape, I sent a Hudson Hub request on July 23rd to DPW informing them of a "hole in the middle of the intersection of 6th & Washington," adding that "the hole has been there for months."  Within minutes, I received an email that the status of my "new request" was "Open." Someone at DPW included a simple response in the form of abbreviation in lower case letters:  "ok"!  (ok what?  "ok, we will continue to ignore our damaged infrastructure in the road"?)  I was also told that the estimated resolution date for my request was "August 2nd," 12 days ago.  Within the hour, once again via email, I was informed that my request was "Closed."  Exactly one week later, I got yet a third email regarding my request, this one asking me to fill out a survey regarding how I felt my request had been handled by the city.  I immediately sent that email to the trash pile in the clouds, as I do with every one I receive.

Yesterday, I took these three pictures of DPW's broken, loose, dangerous, and disgraceful water valve at 6th & Washington, just the kind of thing pedestrians and cyclists love to come across, step in, or ride over.  Of course, anyone driving a vehicle near or over it won't notice it and may not even feel it.   Certain holes in the street choose who they want to send to the hospital.  

Early this morning, at least 12 hours after yesterday's rain had ended, that DPW water valve was full of dirty water, right up to the top of the valve and the level of the street.  I could barely see the broken, jagged cast iron cap inside -- the cap that was likely forged in the 1930's. (Sorry, no picture.)

If Rob Perry is not, by definition, a SLOB, we need to remove that word from the English language.