INC NEWS - trashy thoughts

[RW Pickle]

It hasn't been that long ago (maybe a couple of weeks to a month) that our
yard waste didn't get picked up on schedule. And now today, neither the
trash or the yard waste were picked up. Why? Because in this miserably
cheap town we live in, we do not support the services we use with enough
funding to operate properly? No wonder Durham always looks "broke down".

Don't like potholes everywhere in our streets? It's because there is no
money to fix them. I think there are about 55 miles of roads that
currently need to be paved. And that doesn't even include the gravel ones
that have never been paved for the first time. Remember, this is just in
the City.

Want your trash picked up on a regular schedule? Get rid of the aged fleet
and get some trucks that will work with out being repaired daily. I
remember some figures from the guy over in Fleet Maintenance where we
spend 3 times what a new truck costs on fixing some of the vehicles. That
means we could have bought the same truck 4 times! Yet we fix the trucks,
patch them up way too regularly, because there is no money there to get
new ones and it actually costs us more. What kind of sense does that make?

But both of these problems are solely about the bucks. Public Works is
doing more today with less than they ever have. But they can't keep it up.
Solid Waste is no different. For the last 2 years they have had to cut 5%
off their budget. The same thing this year if it happens. That's 15% we're
behind on funding services at levels most people in other communities
expect to work seamlessly.

Everybody wants to walk. In fact, DurhamWalks.org is about that. But where
are people supposed to walk? Our 50+ year old sidewalks are up 4", down
4", up 4", down 4"; mainly because of trees. Do we loose our big oaks for
sidewalks? Who knows how that's going to work out. But with the $3M bond
money for sidewalks that was just passed last year, that'll only fix,
repair, or provide somewhere near 4 miles of sidewalk in this whole big
town. That's about as far from my house to Bill Andersons (on one side of
the street). Not really enough money to make a dent.

How far do you think money goes? Not as far as we would hope. What are we
to do? Either accept less or pay more. Those are the only solutions.
Budget time is upon us and so are elections. Think hard about what you
want for yourself, your neighborhood, your City. Either decide that less
is better and expect no difference, or get behind some of the budgets that
really affect the way our city looks and is thought about by others. The
politicians are no different. Get behind one that will make it the way
you'd like to see it as well. They will represent our Districts in State
Government where the "big bank" is located.

But just don't sit there. And don't get up and say I can fix this or that.
Because these are big problems with big price tags. What you can do is use
your power of one (email is so easy) to tell those who will vote to
approve spending to fix problems or use your vote to send someone to
represent us who will work to create the vision we would like to see. But
without getting involved at this simple level, it's hard to imagine any
change coming down the road. Things do not happen overnight. It all takes
time and it has to start somewhere if it's ever going to get there. At
this point, it's hard to even see a dust cloud in the distance....

I'm just venting because sometimes it gets to me. Maybe you feel the same.

RWP
27 Beverly