I for one appreciate Susan Young's participation in this forum and on this
issue and wish more individuals from our city would participate. I know
that she accepts challenges and disagreements well and will be receptive to
my concerns. I also know she is strategic and will work hard to find and
propose creative solutions. Please continue to talk with us Susan!
Saying that, on this one I happen to disagree with Susan. I have seen the
garbage consistently increase in my neighborhood. I live a block from a
major bus stop, an ICO/TOTAL station we call the "ghetto gas station," a Tom
Thumb convenience store, and two restaurants. The garbage on the streets
here is nuts! I go out every day and sometimes twice a day to pick up the
trash around my house. We do clean sweeps in our neighborhood twice a
summer. And I and other neighbors have gone around the businesses and
picked up trash. And there are business adopted trash cans on this block.
The fence around the Nile Parking lot sometimes becomes a "billboard of
trash." The citizens are doing our part. It is not enough. We need help
from our city, who has continued to back off their responsibility of keeping
our city clean. I support many of the Clean City Initiatives, and wish our
council would do the same.
We need help from the city to attack the "no man's land." The areas that
nobody claims responsibility. Even the business don't want it. For
instance, at the corner of 23rd and 38th. There is a bus stop that collects
garbage all the time. And there are newspaper stands that are "wide open"
with broken doors and litter all over the place. I've even reported this to
the city several times - including Susan ;-) And yet, there has been no
response. The newspaper racks that are broken continue to pile up and the
business that owns the land - The Nile Health Care Center - doesn't seem one
bit interested in it. In fact they weeds growing all over and leave the
whole area around their lot a big mess. And I have personally written to
the Vice President of the ICO/TOTAL station and organized a neighborhood
meeting around their problems including trash and graffiti. The Vice
President committed to coming and then didn't show up (we had over 20
neighbors there). And never responded to a letter. I have worked with my
CCP/SAFE team on this issue and have contacted numerous public agencies.
Susan, here we are: taking full responsibility, but not having our city
government back us up.
I agree with Doug Grow. This city continues to turn away from it's core
responsibilities in order to give wealthy subsidies to corporations who
don't need it. Here underlies the problem that most of us have with the
"citizen responsibility issue." Our city can't even understand it's core
responsibility - it certainly shouldn't be preaching to it's citizens.
Russell W. Peterson
Ward 9
Standish
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