DUKE ENERGY DIDN’T LOCK THE BARN

Our city has just experienced a massive power outage cause by a major storm. Many folks were without power for a week. Obviously, no electric company can prevent storms and falling trees. However, there are ways to mitigate the potential damage caused by the forces of nature. Homeowners should be held responsible for trimming tree limbs that are in contact with electrical wires. This does not happen in our city. However, now that the crisis is over, Duke has trucks out frantically trimming trees in public and suburban areas. Conventional wisdom calls for locking the barn before the horse is gone. But it looks like Duke Energy didn’t lock the barn in time.

At our house , our electrical power line radiates from a pole in the yard of the next door neighbor. Those electrical wires are intertwined with the leaves and branches of numerous trees on his property. Several years ago, I notified the electrical company that this dangerous situation existed. Weeks later, they sent out a truck to see what I was talking about. The electrician drove into our driveway, stepped out and briefly glanced at the wires in the trees next door, then drove away. When I called several weeks later to ask what they were planning to do about it, they rudely replied, “we don’t trim trees and we can’t ask a homeowner to trim his tree.”

When I called the city engineer, I hit the same brick wall. He said, ‘the electric company is a private entity, over which the city has no control.”

In the case of our recent power outage, the company spokesperson explained to our local newspaper that prolonged power outages occurred in suburban neighborhoods away from the main power lines. Meaning that homeowners in those leafy neighborhoods had not been advised or required to trim their trees and bushes resting on power lines, even though they represented a disaster waiting to happen..

So what I’m hearing is that no one controls the electric utility company service in our city. They can do what they please, and get away with it. Which begs the question: Who is responsible for removing trees touching power lines?

According to the National Electrical Safety Code”, it is the responsibility of electric utility companies to trim trees touching power lines. Although, if the tree is on residential property, the homeowner has to assume the costs of trimming trees around power lines. Electric utility companies should conduct such maintenance during their yearly rounds (every 6 to 12 months). However, if the tree is touching a power line, the homeowner is responsible for its removal.”

Last week, Duke Energy and the City both paid the price for neglecting their responsibility of keeping power lines from touching tree limbs. . Actually, the people who really paid the price were the citizens who threw out rotted food, couldn’t shower or cook , turn on air conditioning or charge their cell phones.

It’s time for Duke Energy to start locking the barn before the horse gets stolen, not after. If they can’t handle that responsibility, the city needs a contract with a new electric utility company.

September 15, 2022

5 REASONS FOLKS FLEE FRUGAL CITY

About a month ago, the Chamber of Commerce announced the results of a survey about the way the locals feel about our town. To their dismay, it turns out we have a negative self image. Even though 59,000 people live here, they don’t think it’s a very great place, and lots of them have moved away in the past several years. We used to have a population of 71,000 in 1960, but it’s been slowly dwindling ever since. What is wrong? College towns are supposed to be attractive. Recently, we’ve built a mega million dollar convention center, and voted in a new casino to attract the gambling crowd. We have a new concert center, great parks, and low cost of living. And the mayor just announced that we’ve balanced the budget. What are the 5 reasons folks flee this frugal city?

5 reason folks flee frugal city. Who wants to stay in a place with poor infrastructure?city — 5 REASONS FOLKS FLEE FRUGAL CITY. Poor infrastructure and lax code enforcement don’t help.

You have to wonder if saving all that money –to the point where we have an excess of tax money—is such a good idea. It’s great that the City Council and the politicians who run things are investing in ways to attract tourists. After all, tourists spend money in restaurants, hotels, and malls. But then they leave. Not many of them are so impressed with what we have that they feel any great desire to relocate.

As a long time resident who’s also lived in other cities from time to time, it’s easy to see what’s wrong.

1. Infrastructure is sadly lacking. Yes, our main streets and highways are paved and well maintained. But if you drive through the inner city, along side streets and alleyways, you will encounter numerous pot holes, crumbling sidewalks, and deteriorating , poorly maintained houses. Quality of water supply is questionable, when black sediment is frequently seen in toilet bowls.

2. Code enforcement is not functional. The inner city is blighted with run down, weed filled yards and properties. When you complain to someone in that office, they claim to be understaffed, to the point where optimal code enforcement is not possible. Other cities impose large fines for homeowners and landlords who don’t maintain their property.. But not this city. Why do we not have enough money for optimal code enforcement? Maybe that would be a place to spend some of that extra money, rather than building more and more running trails for wealthy suburbanites,

3. The city does not have a municipal indoor swimming pool. They gave into pressure when the local YMCA closed their pool, and agreed to partner with them to reopen their aging pool Unfortunately, the YMCA is poorly funded, and managed by the YMCA in an adjoining county, who has no vested interest in improving our community. . The pool is frequently closed due to broken parts and electrical problems—sometimes for months at a time.

4. Poverty level is 26%–twice the national average for a city of this size. The problem is way too complex for me to solve. I suspect poor people stay because of cheap housing in run down areas. They simply can’t afford to move. Unfortunately, many don’t have cars and you see them walking along the streets with bags from the Dollar Store. Homeless people congregate near the library, but unlike many other cities , no social worker is stationed inside to help find them a place to live.

5. Trains running through the city cause traffic jams and delays to everyone going about their business and ambulances headed for hospitals.. There are three overpasses on the outer edges of town, but that doesn’t solve the problem of long waits at numerous inner city rail crossings.

Instead of spending tax dollars to attract tourists, it might be better to find ways of persuading people to stay. Right now, we are earmarked for 34.1 million dollars in American Rescue plan money. However, the politicians who run the city can’t decide how to spend it. How about asking all of the folks who live here?

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021

CITY BYPASSED WINDBLOWN SENIOR TRASH CANS

In case you haven’t heard, we’ve been getting some pretty scary weather here in the Midwest. Like, tornados in Kentucky. And high velocity winds barreling through towns . Last night, the wind was so strong that it blew down the trash cans I had set out along the street. Remember, we’re seniors who finally persuaded the city to give us two smaller cans instead of one big one. That was a fight we finally won. However, the waste management company isn’t happy with us. They showed us their ire by refusing to pick up our trash this morning. The city bypassed windblown senior trash cans.

There are usually two, strong, able bodied men in the trash collector’s truck. However, they rely totally on automation to pick up the cans. A big old vise that reaches out its claws, picks up the cans, then dumps the contents. Often , they then throw back the empty cans, leaving them on the ground. At any rate, when the truck passed our driveway early this morning, they could easily see that the strong wind had blown over our skinny trash cans, leaving bags lying in puddles of water. Did they care in the least? Hardly They turned up their noses and drove right on by, knowing full well they were leaving two seniors in the lurch. What were they expecting us to do? And why couldn’t they have stepped out of their comfort zone, got out of the truck, and set the cans upright?

I took a few deep breaths to control my anger, got dressed, walked out in the rain and set the cans upright, closing the lids. Then I called Republic at some out of state number. The person answering the phone thought I was calling from Indianapolis. I guess that’s what my address in Indiana made her think. Anyway, I told her what had happened, and she was kind enough to get in touch with the local office, She said she would take care of it, and she did. A few minutes later, I looked out the window and saw the cans had been emptied. Thank you, ma’am.

What if I hadn’t been awake early this morning while the trucks were still in the vicinity.? What would we have done about our trash for the coming week? It’s disgusting that the city would bypass windblown senior trash cans.

April 20, 2020April 20, 2020

IS IT OKAY NOW TO BREAK THE LAW?

Since they’re letting people out of jails and prisons because of Covid-19, does it mean they’re free to break the law? Obviously, not. But now, police seem less likely to care about lawbreakers who defy civil code. While out for a walk. I saw a homeowner pour gasoline on a pile of wood and light a fire in his backyard. This sent huge clouds of black smoke billowing out across the neighborhood. But when I called the police to report this code violation they seemed annoyed. “We’ll check on it when we have time,” the dispatcher said. Obviously, he didn’t welcome my call.

In these difficult times, I can understand that first responders are dealing with far more urgent situations. However, my city has always been lax about code enforcement. If you call to report a neighbor’s violation, the police take your name and it goes on your record. Twenty five years ago, I called the police about a neighbor’s barking dog keeping my family up all night. That’s still on my record. I guess it means I’m a chronic complainer. Also, they tell the violator that “a neighbor” complained about them, which doesn’t make for a friendly situation. That’s probably why most people hesitate to complain about barking dogs, unmowed lawns and wood smoke from burning fires, to name a few.

The police department seems to forget that Code Enforcement is an important function of local governments to accomplish community goals. Code Enforcement helps empower the citizens of their community to create and maintain safe, healthy and attractive living and working environments.

The fact is that breathing in wood smoke can be irritating if not downright harmful. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fine particles of wood smoke “can get into your eyes and respiratory system, where they can cause health problems such as burning eyes, runny nose and illnesses such as bronchitis.”

Bonfires in city backyards pollute city air — Is it okay now to break the law? Wood smoke pollutes city air and is prohibited by most civil codes.

These fine particles are also linked to premature deaths. The EPA advises that anyone with congestive heart failure, angina, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema or asthma should steer clear of wood smoke in general. Children’s exposure to wood smoke should also be limited, as their respiratory systems are still developing and they breathe more air (and air pollution) .

I know, the coronavirus is a much more serious threat than wood smoke, But on the other hand, if a police officer stops to check on someone’s illegal fire, at least they aren’t walking into an infectious indoor environment.

Just because we’re all preoccupied with Covid-19, it shouldn’t give others a free pass to violate civil codes. Or does the pandemic mean they can break the law, and get away with it?

October 23, 2019October 23, 2019

DO VOTERS CARE ABOUT KURDS OR BENGHAZI?

A Marine Reserve Center, directly across the street from our house, is a daily reminder of our brave Americans. There’s a plaque near the building with the names of those in that battalion who recently lost their lives in the Middle East. We’ve watched these fine men and women come and go over the years. They seem like our own kin . Would I like to see a few more names on the plaque because we’re defending the Kurds? Actually, no. And, will our retreat influence the next election? Do voters care about the Kurds or our mission in Benghazi?

This Marine Reserve Unit is directly across the street from our house — A plaque at the Marine Reserve Center has the names of four who gave their lives in the Middle East.

The 2012 attack on the American embassy in Libya brought about a two year investigation in 2014. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was criticized for not coming to the rescue of the four American citizens who died in Benghazi. Because the US ambassador was gay, he was singled out for extreme torture. You might have thought this would affect Hillary Clinton’s support from the LGBT community, But obviously, it didn’t. She easily won the popular vote in the 2016 election.

If we had stayed in Syria to defend the Kurds, how many of our men would have died? — If our troops had stayed to defend the Kurds, many of our soldiers would have lost their lives,

Now, we have the President’s decision to pull out of the Kurdish held territory in Syria, Apparently, the Turks informed the President a massive invasion was about to take place. If our troops were to stay, many of our men would die 7,000 miles from home. Questions about the wisdom and integrity of this decision will drag on until the next presidential election.

But do these events influence the way Americans vote? In our modest, middle class neighborhood, yard signs supporting various political candidates proliferate . From the looks of it, we’re fairly divided as to political party leanings. In 2020 , will my Republican neighbors vote against Trump–or Pence– because he decided not to stay and fight a losing battle? Will it be a deal breaker? If we go on past history, I would doubt it.