New Haven Independent

Posted by: Taxed To Death | July 12, 2007 4:13 PM

This is just pitiful. Call your alder at home, although, if your Alder is anything like mine, it won't change a thing. Post winter, the potholes were so bad on my street, we were in danger of losing small children and cars to the growing holes, not to mention the damage it was wreaking our our cars. They finally patched the holes the other week. They get to it when they get to it...but by god, don't be late with those taxes! They'll sell your house in a second and tow your car too.

Posted by: WEBbloger 1 | July 12, 2007 10:31 PM

Wake po little fairy, if there are no cars parked in violation on your street, you can be sure the police, meter maid and 10 city contracted tow trucks are off to greener towing pastures. After all $$$ talks, all others walks>>>>>>>>>>.

Posted by: jade | July 12, 2007 11:37 PM

i have lived in westville for 2 years. my street was not swept until this april. it was swept that once because i started harrassing the public works department and my alderman. that was the FIRST and LAST sweeping that occurred! my alderman basically told me to give up!!! now, i understand that there are more serious matters for the town to be concerned with, BUT keeping our streets clean does a LOT of good. i understand your plight, and it is frustrating, but perhaps if more people complain maybe something can be done.

Posted by: ben | July 13, 2007 5:23 AM

We need referendum government. what is/where is the quid pro quo? If I can get a ticket for not making the street available to clean, can I write public works a ticket for not cleaning the street. Since
moving to the New Haven area i have always wondered
about this curious no service. Even when the sweepers come-by the street is not clean....whose job depends on good work well done?

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 13, 2007 9:06 AM

jade
When I first moved there it was never swept. Then one day I got out of my car and talk to a woman forman and the whole summer it was swept. But I quess she is gone so last year I gave up. This year it is just the point of. Public works is 2 blocks from my house! They park on state street in my area, they half ass sweep a few of the streets in our corner but it is at the end of the day and by then all the cars are parked back on that side and it is to late to move them.
I have talked to the people that answer the phones at PW, all the dept's downtown that would listen, my alder is a good person but is very little help to our side of East rock unless it is to but some kind of half way house of rehabilition house in our area and maybe a push for the basketball hoop we got so the kids.
I did talk to this other person at the mayor office this week (i had also spoke with her last month)she said a cindy was going to call me because the guy that she had directed me to last month never returned my calls I think his name was Alex (not sure). but that was on tues and then I called again on Weds and nothing. I also spoke with the guy Fred at PW he gave me a blow off story and the same answer thatI have been getting, we are last but they would try to work a rotating thing out ...I was told that last month to by other people. I am going to try the B person again today to see if this cindy person will ever call me...Cross your fingers I guess she was supose to talk to this John person. Dam how am I remembering all of this it is like spinning in circles!!

WEBbloger 1
you could be right...they never post the paper signs but there are street signs and we do keep moving our cars but some have stoped or move them back early and early because they don't think our street will ever be swept. The minute we stop moving our cars the tow trucks will come and and the street will finally be swept.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 13, 2007 9:23 AM

ps and I think if that happens everyone that is parked on that side deserves a free pass because it is not really there fault.

Posted by: Taxed To Death | July 13, 2007 10:04 AM

Wouldn't it be nice if the city took care of basic services first and best, before trying to expand its menu of services? Police is messed up, potholes are left open, streets aren't clean, when your brittle recycling bin gets too torn up and you can't tape it together anymore -- public works just takes it and you have nothing. It would be nice if the same attention is paid to these things as the illegal immigrant cards they're going to hand out in a couple of weeks.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 13, 2007 10:30 AM

Ben your comment made me remember a quote..

some wise words of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lives a great street sweeper who did his job well."

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 13, 2007 12:17 PM

****UPDATE****

I just got off the phone with the god of Public Works!
John has been on the job for 36 days. He said changes are coming! He seemed very excited about things that will be happening to make that department work for all of us. He has promised that I will get my shinny clean asphalt paved road every month now!!
But he also took so time to explain about trash pick up and recyclables. He said the cost to get rid of trash is $3.00 per what ever and the same amount of recyclables only cost $1.00. But because PW was slacking in the pick up of recyclables many people have stopped doing it. So he is asking that we start recycling more he promises that the changes are being made for them to be picked up. Maybe the NHI can do a story on the changes he is making and his plea for us to start recycling more.

But thank you Paul for printing this story. And helping me with my plight!

Posted by: Taxed To Death | July 13, 2007 3:58 PM

Don't hold your breath -- they told me they'd cut taxes. uhhh..not only didn't happen..they went up on the parking fees by 25% -- and some other high percent on building permits. lol... Fire up your personal broom..that's what I did at my house.

Posted by: Common Sense | July 13, 2007 8:32 PM

Tax To Death claims the city takes his brittle beat up torn and taped recycle bin and you have nothing. All he has to do is go to the Public Works Department on Middletown Avenue and fill out a very short form an he'll have a new bin in minutes. I'm on my third bin the latest today. I return the old one before it falls apart. Never had a problem. You have to accenuate the positive once in a while.

Posted by: toomanytaxes | July 15, 2007 6:29 PM

Lets hope they actually follow up an clean your street. The street sweepers must have missed that MLK quote. They drive about 50 MPH down the street and don't clean up anything. I think it is a ploy to just generate revenue. What a sweet deal for the city and the towing companies! I wonder if they are campaign contributors?

Posted by: Ned | July 16, 2007 11:24 AM

The street that I live on does get swept regularly - which is good, but one has to ask: how does all of that trash end up in the street in the first place? There are a lot of slovenly people, in New Haven, that throw their garbage in the street and in the parks; I see it all the time - the car window goes down and the trash gets dumped out, or the person is walking down the street eating or drinking and is followed by a trail of trash - napkins, food containers, bottles, cigarette butts, etc... - kind of like Hansel and Gretel, only not charming. The people make the place...
East Rock Park is particularly depressing. Is there still a "Friends of East Rock Park" organization?

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 16, 2007 12:24 PM

Ned I agree...people are eighter lazy or just think of there cars more the the planet! I painted a sign across from my house that says PLEASE DO NOT LITTER made it quaint and it seems to have helped with some of the trash tossing. We have to remind people that it is our job to take care of the world. I wish we can get signs with the crying indian up.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 24, 2007 4:29 PM

WAAAAHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
I have a clean street!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for posting the story.

Posted by: Nan Bartow | July 24, 2007 6:44 PM

Hooray for Cedar Hill. You never give up. You give spirit to New Haven. Because of you New Haven is greener and cleaner.

Posted by: gee | July 31, 2007 9:59 AM

What's ironic to me is most of the trash on my street -- virtually all of it -- is left by the garbage guys who are careless with the garbage cans when they empty them. It leaves trash all over the street, blowing into yards. Every week it is a cleanup job.

Meanwhile, you're lucky if you get a street sweep once a year.