Posted by: Noel Jones
At last night's City Council meeting, I took the opportunity to clarify the West Ward's garbage issues as best I could.
The trick to the trash problem in the West Ward is three-fold:
1. Absentee landlords in our neighborhood are not enforcing proper packaging of garbage by their tenants (this is something that can be easily written into a lease), so on garbage day, the trash goes out, loosely tied, or in some cases, not tied at all, and so it spills out when the garbage guys come around to dump it, or simply gets caught in the wind before the garbage guys ever get there, and it blows around in the streets, onto sidewalks and into people's yards. This is a code enforcement issue.
2. We don't yet have a street sweeping program.
3. We are approaching a 65% rental rate, according to the WWNP, which is a very transient population and with transient populations in a low-income neighborhood, comes a litter problem. The litter sticks in people's yards and on the sidewalks, not making it to the streets, so a street sweeper will not be able to help us with the litter. This is why we have been asking to use Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money (federal tax money handed out to states and cities each year) to pay the Ambassadors of Easton to pick up litter in the West Ward, the way they do Downtown.
News from Wednesday's City Council meeting:
1. Funding for the new street sweeper was approved, and the mayor said that our new expanded street cleaning program in the West Ward will begin April 1, 2010! So we are making progress, it's just that progress is slow and takes persistence from residents in the form of a lot of annoying meetings over a long period of time, but in the end (fingers crossed) it pays off.
2. Some of the CDBG funding requested by the Greater Easton Development Parntership (GEDP) to pay the Ambassador's of Easton to pick up litter downtown was cut to give to the police department for saturation patrols. I spoke up to ask why we have been told repeatedly that CDBG money cannot be used to pay the Ambassadors to pick up litter in the West Ward, and yet the GEDP felt confident requesting it for that very purpose. I asked further if all that is required is that a non-profit ask for the funding on citizen's behalf to pay the Ambassadors. The mayor answered that the GEDP had raised $800K of private funds and were asking for the CDBG money to make up the difference. He went further to say that if we raised, say $200K through the WWNP or some other non-profit and then applied for the CDBG money, that they might be inclined to give it to us. This sounds like a good initiative for the WWNP's canton program, if you ask me, so remember to bring it up at your canton meetings--I know I will be bringing it up at mine. We could put up urban ecology program money (canton program money) and then ask the City for CDBG funding next year to pay the Ambassadors and begin to see this neighborhood clean on a daily basis...this would do a lot for attracting good families as home buyers and increasing neighborhood pride.
3. A new code officer has been hired that will be dedicated to solid waste issues specifically. Her name is Diane Reynolds and she is a West Ward resident, so she has personal motivation to see the West Ward cleaned up. Diane, if you're out there, reading this, you could very well become a neighborhood hero!
Below are news articles on last night's meeting:
Valley 610 Blog Article by Michael Duck on Street Sweeper Progress
Michael Duck's Morning Call Article on CDBG Cuts Discussed at City Council Meeting
Ed Sieger's Express Times Article on CDBG Cuts Discussed at City Council Meeting
What do you think about the CDBG money and where it's going to go next year?
Post a comment!
Yours,
Noel Jones
Neighbors of Easton
Posts
10 comments:
I recall this being a campaign plank of the mayor in 2007. He is delivering on the program, the money has been appropriated. This has happened all within the first two years of his term. When he took office we were on the verge of municipal bankruptcy. Real estate taxes went up more than 65% in the previous four years. He inherited more than $2mm deficit and more than a million dollar deficit in healthcare fund.
The proposed budget has no tax increases, no fee increases, same level of services, a city-wide street cleaning program he spoke about and said we would have and you constantly nag on him and want to take credit for everything.
You even ragged on him about the Movies at the Mill and I was there. It was phenominal. I read your blog and get upset, this time I wanted respond. I like most in this neighborhood have lived here a long time. We have seen real progress in the last two years and we appreciate it. While I applaud your vigilance and activism, let's not destroy people that are helping us.
Thank you.
One more thing. Your picture of the home at 14th and Washington Streets is really beautiful and it has a lot of great architectural detail. Too bad it doesn't look like this today. Weeds are all overgrown. You can hardly see cars approaching when you drive through this intersection. It's even difficult to walk because the sidewalks are overgrown with bushes and weeds. Why not put a picture of it today side by side and let the owner know how awful it looks. I understand he thinks it looks great.
I voted for the charter study recommendation.
It served to recruit professionals to manage the city, to eliminate the Treasurer, to permit tax increases such as the wage tax increase and to end the constant rift between council and the mayor.
I believed that these factors are too often overlooked. The prior mayor had problems. He ran a form of government that was broken. There was not much he could do to improve the situation.
Had not the charter study passed, the city most surely would have gone bankrupt. We are not out of the woods yet. Even the current Mayor admitted that the following year looks bad.
We really want something sustainable. If next year looks bad, then we still have high taxes and fees and not much to look forward to. I hope that the future can be promising, but it does not sound that way.
The point about the garbage is a good one. Even with the street cleaner, if we don't change habits, and if we don't limit rentals; it is not going to be much better. I think that was the point. I don't view that opinion as an attack on any official.
Thank you Anon 9:33. I didn't consider it an attack on the mayor either, in fact, I reported that he and council approved money for the street sweeper, that the program will begin on April 1st, that the city has hired a new code officer, and that we are making slow but steady progress in the neighborhood.
Anon 9:04/9:09...
It seems you have a problem with the homeowner at 14th and Washington. If you do, why don't you go tell him about it yourself? You already seem to know alot about the person since you have claimed in your comments that "he thinks it looks great".
I wouldn't say anything about anyone else's property in this blog that I wouldn't say to their face...and I get a lot of opportunities to do just that on my street and all around town for that matter. Quit hiding behind the curtain like the Wizard of Oz.
As for "ragging" the city; don't forget that nobody down there is working for free. A lot of them are getting paid pretty good money and full benefits to take care of basic services. We aren't getting (or asking for) anything we don't deserve. I certainly appreciate what the new administration has done so far...and there is plenty of room for much more improvement.
DRL
Sorry but I don't know the individual that owns the property mbut I assume that with such a beautiful single he must take pride in the home. I just bthink nit looks soooo much better in the picture on this blog. Right now you can barely see the house.
As for the Administration, I agree therte is so much more to do. But I think it is going in the right direction and for somoene who didn't vote for Panto to date he is proving me wrong -- and I am not ashamed to say it. I got caught up in all of that recyled crap. I just hope he sticke to his programs of clean and safe and financial stability. I am impressed that we have a surplus again this year and no tax increase or fee increase -- that's incredible in today's economy. I believe Allentown is facing a $8 million shortfall and even casino rich Bethlehem is reporting a $2 million shortfall in the paper.
So........keep going in the right direction and yes there is a long long way to go. On that we agreee DRL.
And ther are many reasons I hide behind the anonimity.
Anon 10:42,
The mayor and I go toe to toe often, and I am probably not on his list of favorite citizens, but one thing I am sure the mayor will tell you is that I have the integrity criticize where I see work needed, and to showcase progress when it occurs. But the administrators of this blog are very clear about the difference between change promised, and change manifested, and credit is due when change is manifested, not promised.
When it comes to the mayor's "Clean and Safe" campaign promise, nothing has happened yet, and the only thing that is going to convince residents that it has, is walking out their doors and seeing something different than they are used to seeing.
The mayor has taken some steps to fulfill his promise of "Clean" by approving money for the street sweeper. He can only get credit for coming through on that promise when residents walk outside and see the street sweeper on their street. That is supposed to start happening April 1, 2010. But that only solves one part of a 3-part garbage problem, which I outlined in this post. Still, if the street sweeper actually starts in April and covers the majority of the West Ward, the mayor will enjoy a deserved boost in popularity.
And the only reason anyone posts anonymously, is because they don't want to own their words and take any heat that may come with that responsibility, the way the administrators on the this blog do every day. It is time that people find the guts to have open and earnest discourse, and take responsibility for their words. The sky will not fall. People can disagree constructively. It's an important part of being an American and taking part in our democracy.
Mayor Panto also pushed for the Easton Ambassador Program. They clean the streets of Downtown Easton (Clean) and add eyes to the streets of Downtown Easton (Safe).
The College Hill Neighborhood Association is also creating a Block Watch program in our neighborhood. This group will add eyes to the streets of College Hill.
We cannot wait for Mayor Panto to act on his campaign promises, though we have progressed since he took office. We, the residents of Easton, need to help our local officials in order to make our homes, our streets, and our neighborhoods the way we want them to be. This is done through active communication. Every official's email address and phone number is listed on the City website. Mayor Panto also set up the Clean and Safe Hotline for anonymous phone calls to be made. That phone number is 610-250-6737. Residents can also have their voices heard during City Council meetings, something Noel has been encouraging for months.
We can have our voices heard in a variety of ways; we just have to be take the steps to be vocal. Clean and Safe will not happen with just one person. Clean and Safe will only happen if everyone is involved.
Just a comment on Maurice's house at 14th and Washington. It 'is' somewhat overgrown right now compared to that nice autumn shot, but not out of neglect. He is a responsible homeowner and I'd be glad to have him as a neighbor. I posted a current pic on my blog if you care to look:
http://uglyeaston.blogspot.com/2009/10/not-ugly-but-real-nice-home.html
EHB
P.S. Noel, for now, I'm going to 'hide' behind my EHB moniker since I'm shooting off my mouth on my blog.
ok, EHB, but you're welcome here anytime--with or without the mask--although it is mask season! ; )
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