"AIN'T TO PROUD TO BEG" temptations
Well at least ask nicely?
News I found interesting this past week.
Mentor digs into it's general fund ( must be nice to have a stash) for up to a million dollars to provide residents with up to $1,500.00 to correct homeowners flooding problems. Now right off the bat Painesville solution is to send you to the fire station to pick-up a plastic bucket, a quart of bleach, along with a stiff broom in need of some assembly. Tough lot us Painesvillians.
Now take it a step further, for a citizen of Mentor to get up a $1,500.00 grant for sewer repair. They must submit their plans to the engineering department and they are the final arbitrator if the plans being the right method to correct the problem.
Over the weekend I watched a neighbor in my Mother's neighborhood start working on his solution.
First lets put a lot of dirt in the backyard and change the lay of the land and have flooding directed into your neighbors property. Then get three or four of your buddies rent a backhoe, purchase four or more twelve packs of Beer and let the digging commence.
First question out of the box "did you go to city hall and get a permit?" Oh yes. You know it should be in view of the area in question. Next question to do exactly what? Response hardly made any sense. Asked do you know where the gas line is? No, Well I'll tell you although your digging on both sides of the house. Its on this side of the house. Did you call East Ohio Dominion before you started to dig? Oh, have you noticed your driveway is starting to collapse from underneath ? Really, have another Corona.
After a call to Councilman Fodor, and Ward IV councilman DeLeone construction came to a halt.
I have witnessed assistant city manager Doug Lewis twice on Sunday making sure all had stopped. These three officials should be thanked for their quick response.
Now lets understand if this neighbors were replacing the roof on his garage I for one could care if he did or didn't have a permit. What I fear will happen with all these "shoemakers" doing this work in the end one property may or may not be made better off and at the same time screwing up five or six properties down the road. People in this neighborhood view construction such as this suspiciously
On a final note the property owner had no idea where his redirected water would end up. My first guess into a nearby homeowners basement.
posted by terminator1 @ 5:19 AM
17 Comments
17 Comments:
NPR did their Friday Roundup show talking about the innovative thinkers in Mentor. I think we need a couple here!
They covered several local topics, here is the link:
http://www.ideastream.org/soi/entry/55295
You do realize that if you wouldn't have called, the job would have been finished Sunday. Many in our neighborhood would be scratching their heads after the first hard rain. Not only a permit but a fine for not getting the one in the first place.
Shoemaker haven't heard that for quite some time.
Next question, was the City Engineer out there at all? Does he have any idea what goes on in this City or is he too worried about sheds (that someone else finds)?
This should be a lesson to all. If things don't seem right, ask questions and expect answers. That is why the rules are in place. Don't wait for someone else to do it.
9:05 I didn't see him then again I believe he lives in Rocky River, Ohio. I would have called him but that's long distance.
I believe the clean up kits (bleach, pail, mop, etc) came from the Red Cross? They weren't supplied by the city and the fire department was only in charge of passing them out. You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, I'm sure there were people that appreciated the supplies at the time.
7:38 A gift horse? You must be connected to the administration somehow?
Look compare a bucket, bleach and a broom to the city next door to you willing to help finance your problem to the tune of $1,500.00?
Now that's a gift horse.
I am glad Painesville council didn't have a 'special' meeting to explain to us about studies, and co-operation and the likes. Mentor on the other hand had the resources to do something.
No, what I would appreciate would be if the city took out their backhoes like they did at least once a year when I was a kid and clean that creek out. No one will take any responsibility around here. All we do is studies.
We study downtown, we study the hospital site, we study flooding. You name it we study it.
IMO, this is one of the major problems with cities (and American business in general) in this country. As long as no one can see what does, or does not, get done, why do it? After all, no one will see the cleaned out sewers but if the guys spend their time planting flowers everyone sees that.
After years of neglect, every time there is even a slight rain we have problems. The same thing happens on Vine St in Willoughby (at the RR bridge),in Mentor at 306, under the subway in Painesville. The lines are not cleared of debris UNTIL there is a problem. After all, no one sees it, right?
It makes me think of Tiber Creek. I can go back many years and all we hear about is a study (with the County, the EPA, the Corps of Engineers, whomever) to determine what should be done. All these years later, NOTHING has changed or improved. Call City Hall and ask where the flooding on Tiber stands today and I am betting that you will hear that we are studying it.
7:44 Out of sight, out of mind.
I'll add painting fake brick crosswalks in the downtown area.
If customer's were bee's we would be the busiest downtown in the land!
What kind of phone service still charges for long distance? Get with the times man! 😆
Speaking of planting flowers..... I drove through downtown last Friday and was shocked to see grade school and maybe junior high school students on the back of a city dump truck with shovels and wheelbarrows. These kids were mulching new market mall! Girls and boys. Had a young adult that seemed to be in charge. Also another group of same age boys weeding the beds at city hall. As I sat at the light I could hear the kids pulling plants and asking, is this a weed?
Is this our new day camp program? Does it come with lunch? So much for swimming and flag wars....
Seriously, who were these kids? Did they get a mulching or weeding badge? A free week of day camp?
Where are the city maintence crews? And just an FYI all the plants in the city hall beds were donated this year. The city called nurseries asking for donations. We sure do a lot for local business don't we?
1:55 I also seen them? Please tell me this isn't part of the Painesville's vacation cam,please!
Now they were donated? The claim was made that downtown businesses purchased them?
1:45 You call him then.
Many groups decide that it may be a great idea to instill volunteerism their youth hoping they will continue the practice into adulthood and request projects such as this one. Obviously you did not belong to a church group, boy scouts etc. or at least you didn't earn your citizenship merit badge.
I did belong to those groups that instill volunteerism but we usually did it at the old folks home or other deserving places, not a city where taxes are paid.
Who plants beds of flowers with no intent to weed or take of them?
Kind of like the "parks" where the old schools used to be. Oh gee now we need to mow the grass and plant trees.
this city has no clue how to plan ........ anything!
1:11 Now if some church group wanted to get some of their kids together for a day or two of community service and to teach volunteerism fine.
Now if parents were paying money for there children to be in day camp, it seems your than paying to volunteer?
The flower beds and plants downtown should be the responsibility of the city, or the merchants.
Term, you stumbled on how things get done around here. Start Friday after 6:00pm and finish before 7:00am Monday morning. Everyone's GONE!
11:52 That sure worked well for Orwell Gas on Mentor Ave.
3:12 I forgot about that.
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