I'm not sure how to describe what happened early this morning so let me start at the beginning....
I left my apartment to get some groceries and drop off my rent check a little before 5 AM.
My car was parked in the new parking garage. As I started to exit (I needed to go left on Storrs St. towards the intersection) I stopped because the road was blocked by a solid barrier of snow preventing me from going across to the proper lane and plows were plowing in the other.
In the lane closest to me there was a plow coming my way.
That plow driver went right by, oblivious to my dilemma. There was another plow around the intersection of Pleasant St. extension and Storrs St..
Still unsure what to do I pulled out and braced to blast through the pile of snow to get into the correct lane. Once I got further out into the road I discovered that there wasn't a lane on the other side of the snow pile.. just more snow!
By that time the other plow was coming towards me. I was in the center of the road, (semi-stuck) and the plow just continued on by, literally plowing snow within a foot or two of my car and scaring the crap out of me.
I yelled and waved for him to come help me. He backed up and basically yelled at me (something like 'what are you doing in the road!').
Stop and think about that for a moment.... I was leaving a city parking garage, they clearly saw me sitting at the exit wanting to get out but drove right by. They had snow piled up in a solid barrier blocking the north-bound lane (Storrs St.) and part of the intersection, no signs or any direction for drivers trying to navigate their maze of snow piles, and instead of stopping and providing me with some direction the driver yells at me? Then he makes my situation worse by plowing more snow around my car! All I could see was a pair of bright headlights coming at me, a huge plow, and I literally didn't know if I was going to get hit.
After that I managed to gun the engine and plow through the snow (that the plow had just made deeper) into the wrong lane and made it to the intersection. I headed up to Main St. hoping to find a Concord Police cruiser somewhere, drove by the police station but it was closed, drove towards the south end a ways but seeing no police I headed back towards Storrs St..
Why?
Well first of all I was fairly mad.... Though 'incredulous' would be a more appropriate word.
Second, I had a video camera (which [thankfully] had been recording since exiting the parking garage*) and I wanted to get more shots of the road including the entrances to the shopping center which were inaccessible.
Third, there is a part of me that seriously dislikes mean people and especially ones on the public payroll!
----------------------------------------------------------------
If I just blew the incident off nothing would be learned and the same dangerous situation could repeat itself, possibly with disastrous results. This kind of behavior has to be punished and corrected so hopefully it doesn't happen again.
That is my goal.
----------------------------------------------------------------
- So to continue.. I went back down onto Storrs St. and tried to see if the entrance to the shopping center down by the state liquor store was accessible. It too was blocked but not as badly as the others, so I made my way through the snow (almost getting rear-ended by some guy who stopped, honked, and yelled at me, failing to realize that he was going too fast and following much too closely for the conditions).
After that I got shots of the plows at work and the road conditions. At one point I tried to flag down one of the plow drivers (to ask why they hadn't assisted me) but he ignored me and drove right past!
At that point I decided to go on my way and do my shopping but there was one problem.. all the exits were blocked by the barrier of snow the plows created. After sitting at the northernmost exit (while the plows were driving past ignoring me) I had to get out of my car and gesture to one of the drivers to plow a spot in the snow so I could get through.
So there's your tax dollars at work....
And please don't get me wrong.. as I've said on this blog before, I have great respect for the plow drivers and other workers working long hours clearing the streets.
That said, some common courtesy, and a recognition of the need for public safety while they move the snow around is crucial. Ignoring drivers, yelling at them, and scaring them by plowing dangerously close to them is negligent and borders on criminal behavior, and I for one won't tolerate it.
I'm exploring different options at the moment, and I'm preparing (and making copies of) the video** for potential public display on the Internet, and/or as evidence to show relevant public officials/representatives if need be.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Plus there are additional issues concerning the city's care (or the lack of) of the stairs next to the dumpster which (too many times) have been left unshoveled/icy, and extremely dangerous (as my sore tailbone can attest to!). Also the adjacent stairs leading down into the new parking garage have been left in a similar condition. That says to me that the safety of the citizens using that area isn't important to those whose job it is to maintain it.
Seriously, how much time and effort is required to clear the snow and/or spread some sand on the ice?
If necessary I'll suggest a meeting of all the people involved at some point this spring including CATCH/MB Management, relevant city department reps, and our Councilman Allen Bennett.
But that really shouldn't be necessary, should it?
I just want to nail down who's responsibility it is to keep the area clean and safe and have someone lite a fire under their butt to make sure it stays that way.
If there are city manpower/budget issues then some form of shared coverage by MB Management, The Green Martini, and The Lighting Place should be looked into.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* I recently started taking a video camera every time I go out
(for many reasons).
So fortunately in this case it's not my word against theirs....
**For the moment I'm not going to post the video here
(or anywhere else) but that could change....
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Showing posts with label public. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Friday, December 14, 2007
What Has Happened To Concord's Police Department?
This is hard for me to understand. Especially with all the negative press they've had lately. But unfortunately this morning at around 1:50 AM another representative of the Concord Police department has given them a black eye when dealing with the public. About fifteen minutes before that someone woke up everyone in the building who lives on the side facing the new Concord Commons building when someone from the city crew that was clearing snow used a snow blower to clear the alleyway between the buildings! If that wasn't bad enough, after they were done they continued with shoveling (that's what they should have done with the small amount of snow in the alley in the first place), but the person doing it kept banging his shovel on the wall of the building to knock the snow off. I finally opened my window and yelled at him that there were people trying to sleep up here, to which he yelled something belligerent! At that point I decided to call the police to make a noise complaint.
I called their non-emergency line, a woman answered the call and I proceeded to explain what the problem was. She immediately stated "there's nothing we're going to do about that"....
I started to say "but I thought there were noise laws...". The next thing I knew she had hung up on me. I just sat there, still holding the phone to my ear for close to a minute, trying to contemplate what had just happened. Just a few minutes before I was sleeping soundly, and now I was literally shaking with disbelief. I sat there for another minute or so and called the police back. I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but I couldn't, and wouldn't stand for that kind of rude behavior from people who work for the public!
When the phone was answered it was by someone who identified himself as the shift supervisor. I explained what had just happened, along with my original complaint. This time I got a courteous person who took the time to listen to my complaint, and even though he also said there was nothing they could do, he explained that it was because because the snow removal crews weren't subject to the same noise laws that everyone else is.
He apologized for the behavior of the previous person and listened patiently as I continued to go on that I was able to understand the need to clear the streets at night, but that the job could have been done by shoveling alone instead of a snowblower, and also that the person doing it should have been more thoughtful towards the residents and definitely not belligerent like he was when told he was waking people up.
In all my dealings with the Concord Police over the years 99% of them have been professional and courteous. Every one of them was polite and helpful (except for that one rookie who treated me like a criminal after my late father's car had been towed away and I was distraught). That 99% seem like genuinely nice people. I have the utmost respect for them and the dangerous job they do, and the last thing they need is another example of one of them being rude to the people who pay their salary. What this woman who answered my call did was take a bad situation and compounded it by being curt and rude.
I'll be speaking to our local and state representatives about this latest episode and we'll find out what they have to say about it.
And one last thought.... The episode I just read about in the police log regarding a man who had just been released from prison after 30 years and was homeless was troubling. Sure he had been told to leave the building and was technically "trespassing" , but instead of arresting him, the human thing to do would have been to find him shelter for the night and steer him towards a public assistance program. Instead they sent him back into the system. How cold and heartless can you get? That's not the kind of society I want to belong to, and it's not the kind of society I believe we should strive for. Shame on the officer who made the decision to arrest him instead of giving him the help he so obviously needed.
I called their non-emergency line, a woman answered the call and I proceeded to explain what the problem was. She immediately stated "there's nothing we're going to do about that"....
I started to say "but I thought there were noise laws...". The next thing I knew she had hung up on me. I just sat there, still holding the phone to my ear for close to a minute, trying to contemplate what had just happened. Just a few minutes before I was sleeping soundly, and now I was literally shaking with disbelief. I sat there for another minute or so and called the police back. I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but I couldn't, and wouldn't stand for that kind of rude behavior from people who work for the public!
When the phone was answered it was by someone who identified himself as the shift supervisor. I explained what had just happened, along with my original complaint. This time I got a courteous person who took the time to listen to my complaint, and even though he also said there was nothing they could do, he explained that it was because because the snow removal crews weren't subject to the same noise laws that everyone else is.
He apologized for the behavior of the previous person and listened patiently as I continued to go on that I was able to understand the need to clear the streets at night, but that the job could have been done by shoveling alone instead of a snowblower, and also that the person doing it should have been more thoughtful towards the residents and definitely not belligerent like he was when told he was waking people up.
In all my dealings with the Concord Police over the years 99% of them have been professional and courteous. Every one of them was polite and helpful (except for that one rookie who treated me like a criminal after my late father's car had been towed away and I was distraught). That 99% seem like genuinely nice people. I have the utmost respect for them and the dangerous job they do, and the last thing they need is another example of one of them being rude to the people who pay their salary. What this woman who answered my call did was take a bad situation and compounded it by being curt and rude.
I'll be speaking to our local and state representatives about this latest episode and we'll find out what they have to say about it.
And one last thought.... The episode I just read about in the police log regarding a man who had just been released from prison after 30 years and was homeless was troubling. Sure he had been told to leave the building and was technically "trespassing" , but instead of arresting him, the human thing to do would have been to find him shelter for the night and steer him towards a public assistance program. Instead they sent him back into the system. How cold and heartless can you get? That's not the kind of society I want to belong to, and it's not the kind of society I believe we should strive for. Shame on the officer who made the decision to arrest him instead of giving him the help he so obviously needed.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
What's up with Concord and it's city workers?
It's 1 AM here at the Endicott and just now someone started up a snowblower outside!
Now I'm all for cleaning up the sidewalks after a storm, but in the five years I've lived here this is a first.
Aren't there noise ordinances in Concord anymore? What are they thinking?
The snow cleanup that normally goes on isn't bad (and has to be done at night) but this is exceptionally loud and undoubtedly woke some people up!
I have to say the crews do an excellent job clearing the snow that piles up after storms, but whoever OKed the use of a snow blower next to a residential building at 1 AM needs to be re-educated.
(It wasn't long ago that I called Jeff Hoadley the Director of Public Properties and left a message/complaint about a city worker running a leaf blower in the alley between our building and the new building at around 7 AM.)
I also have to say that overall the condition of the streets and highways (and other 'Public Properties') of Concord is embarrassing. Weeds growing up untouched, trash strewn along the sides of streets, and most recently trash left untouched around the dumpster beside the brand new parking garage and in the freshly landscaped sitting area down at the corner of Storrs Street and Pleasant Street extension.
On most days (before the snow came) if you walked by the dumpster behind the Lighting Place you'd see broken beer bottles, food and trash from the restaurant, and other trash scattered around from the stairs by the dumpster halfway out to the street. I have dozens of photos I've taken of the trash left scattered around. It remained there unless I picked it up (which I did every time I saw it) or people from the bar/restaurant cleaned it up.
I assume that much of the mess is caused when the trash truck empties the dumpster, and god forbid the driver from getting off his butt to clean up anything that falls out in the process! And not once have I seen any city workers cleaning the area or picking up trash scattered around the public seating area. In the mornings they have someone check and empty the trash bag in the trash receptacle, but in the process they walk right by and ignore any trash in the nicely landscaped area around the benches.
Once when there was part of a sandwich roll and it's contents smeared around at the bottom of the stairs (directly in the middle) next to the dumpster, I asked the server inside the restaurant [politely], then later one of the owners if they could have someone go clean it up. After both of them arguing with me saying "How do you know it came from us? It could have been from anyone, it could be from someone living in the Endicott..." she eventually said that they would take care of it. (The only reason I didn't take care of it myself and avoid the nastiness was that it was a gooey mess that required a hose or other cleaning supplies).
Does it really matter how the mess got there? Shouldn't we all take some pride in our block and keep it as clean as possible? People walking that way shouldn't have to jump over food and avoid broken beer bottles!
I certainly try to do my part, but shouldn't the city take the same pride in keeping the public areas clean and looking good? Who's responsible for that area between the Lighting Place and the new parking garage where the dumpster is? Why has it been ignored and collecting broken beer bottles, cigarette butts, and other trash?
I haven't spoken to Mr. Hoadley or others in person yet but I plan to at some point. Until then I can only guess as to the reasons the city looks so unkempt and some of it's workers seem to lack common decency and sense at times. Maybe part of it's money, maybe some of it's being able to find and keep good thoughtful workers.
I just know that when I walk down many city streets seeing the same litter sitting there day after day and see the same weeds growing higher and higher along the highways, and especially when I see the city spend millions of dollars on a new parking garage and landscaping, then see it not being cared for, I'm disheartened.
Now I'm all for cleaning up the sidewalks after a storm, but in the five years I've lived here this is a first.
Aren't there noise ordinances in Concord anymore? What are they thinking?
The snow cleanup that normally goes on isn't bad (and has to be done at night) but this is exceptionally loud and undoubtedly woke some people up!
I have to say the crews do an excellent job clearing the snow that piles up after storms, but whoever OKed the use of a snow blower next to a residential building at 1 AM needs to be re-educated.
(It wasn't long ago that I called Jeff Hoadley the Director of Public Properties and left a message/complaint about a city worker running a leaf blower in the alley between our building and the new building at around 7 AM.)
I also have to say that overall the condition of the streets and highways (and other 'Public Properties') of Concord is embarrassing. Weeds growing up untouched, trash strewn along the sides of streets, and most recently trash left untouched around the dumpster beside the brand new parking garage and in the freshly landscaped sitting area down at the corner of Storrs Street and Pleasant Street extension.
On most days (before the snow came) if you walked by the dumpster behind the Lighting Place you'd see broken beer bottles, food and trash from the restaurant, and other trash scattered around from the stairs by the dumpster halfway out to the street. I have dozens of photos I've taken of the trash left scattered around. It remained there unless I picked it up (which I did every time I saw it) or people from the bar/restaurant cleaned it up.
I assume that much of the mess is caused when the trash truck empties the dumpster, and god forbid the driver from getting off his butt to clean up anything that falls out in the process! And not once have I seen any city workers cleaning the area or picking up trash scattered around the public seating area. In the mornings they have someone check and empty the trash bag in the trash receptacle, but in the process they walk right by and ignore any trash in the nicely landscaped area around the benches.
Once when there was part of a sandwich roll and it's contents smeared around at the bottom of the stairs (directly in the middle) next to the dumpster, I asked the server inside the restaurant [politely], then later one of the owners if they could have someone go clean it up. After both of them arguing with me saying "How do you know it came from us? It could have been from anyone, it could be from someone living in the Endicott..." she eventually said that they would take care of it. (The only reason I didn't take care of it myself and avoid the nastiness was that it was a gooey mess that required a hose or other cleaning supplies).
Does it really matter how the mess got there? Shouldn't we all take some pride in our block and keep it as clean as possible? People walking that way shouldn't have to jump over food and avoid broken beer bottles!
I certainly try to do my part, but shouldn't the city take the same pride in keeping the public areas clean and looking good? Who's responsible for that area between the Lighting Place and the new parking garage where the dumpster is? Why has it been ignored and collecting broken beer bottles, cigarette butts, and other trash?
I haven't spoken to Mr. Hoadley or others in person yet but I plan to at some point. Until then I can only guess as to the reasons the city looks so unkempt and some of it's workers seem to lack common decency and sense at times. Maybe part of it's money, maybe some of it's being able to find and keep good thoughtful workers.
I just know that when I walk down many city streets seeing the same litter sitting there day after day and see the same weeds growing higher and higher along the highways, and especially when I see the city spend millions of dollars on a new parking garage and landscaping, then see it not being cared for, I'm disheartened.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)