Five Inches? Maybe Four? Do I Hear Three? (How's That Budget Coming Along, mayor?)

And this tractor trailer didn't even turn onto Park Place!  Had it turned, the trailer most certainly would have scraped up against the sign, possibly knocking it over.  AGAIN!  For a THIRD TIME!

Something Tells Me...

... that not only will the ugly plywood annoyance surrounding the first floor of 541 Warren stick around all winter and well into next year, but no one at City Hall gives a crap how long it remains or that it's already been around too long.  Did the plywood appear in March?  Or was it in December?  What is its purpose, particularly since work seems to have recently ended when the dumpster out front left and was not replaced.  How is this sight good for anyone's soul or the city in general?  What are city residents gaining from such preventable ugliness?  What happened to paying attention to aesthetics and important details here in one of New York's most historic municipalities, the first city to be incorporated in the United States?

Apparently, Margaret Morris Is "Really Happy" With Her New 20-Foot Concrete Driveway! She Even "Came Up With A Number" To Pay For It Herself! And The Moon Is Made Of Cheese!

Here is the timeline -- at least as far as I am aware of -- in regard to the recent driveway issue on the west side of South 5th Street south of Cherry Alley that readers are likely aware of by now.

Whose Pockets Will The Money For This Emergency Project Come From? How Much Longer Can This Continue?

Yesterday afternoon, in the upper portion of the 500 block of Union, I came across a few DPW workers, including the foreman Frank Rogers, and one guy working for a contractor hired by a utility, likely National Grid.  Over the past few years, that guy has spray painted our streets and sidewalks more than you can imagine (his primary color, if you will, is yellow), all of it in preparation of excavation to mark where gas lines lie below so that no preventable or regrettable "accidents" occur.  (Honestly, given the amount of excavation of our streets and sidewalks and the number of different contractors doing the digging, I'm surprised we haven't had a gas line rupture and explode yet.)  Anyway, that guy is doing his best to keep the accidental gas leaks and explosions to a minimum, as well as keeping National Grid from being sued and dealing with a big headache. The last thing they need is for 2 or 3 houses or an apartment building to go up in flames because a contractor nicked a natural gas line out front with a backhoe.  Our streets and sidewalks look like shit with all that spray paint, but at least we're alive. For now, at least. 

Is EVERYTHING Broken?

Given the city's troubling financial outlook, I wasn't at all surprised to see that tonight's scheduled monthly meeting of the FINANCE Committee was cancelled.  Not rescheduled (it's too late in the month for that, I guess) but cancelled.  That committee is made up of Margaret Morris, Rich Volo, and two others who we should not be relying on for anything -- Mohammed Rony and Lola Roberts.  At least Greenport resident Dewan The Fraud Sarowar isn't offering any financial wisdom to the committee.  Thank goodness for miracles!

What If A Hudson Cop Had Been Waiting At The Red Light?

Would they have backed up and out of the way to let the big rig get out of town and to the bridge? (Pics taken Friday.)

Sorry, The Wait Is Not Over!

For those of you, like me, who thought that there was no way 2026 was not going to be the year that a new paved area would finally arrive completely surrounding the Antiques Warehouse down at the end of South Front Street, I do not have good news for you.  Big work is going on there, but it's the roof above the enormous building that is being replaced, not all the ancient asphalt surrounding the building that is full of potholes, missing chunks, loose chunks, loose stones, crumbled asphalt, patches, cracks, depressions and other assorted ugly, dangerous crap designed to ruin your car, bicycle, and what's left in your faith in humanity. Oh well, there's always next year!  Or the next!  (Can you imagine how much it is costing the owner to replace the roof, which definitely had leaks?  Can you imagine how much it will cost them to replace the asphalt?  Let's hope the public's appetite for beer and antiques keeps up!)