City of Huntington's Employees Do Care

Sometimes we are critical of the City of Huntington's failure to respond to the needs of our various neighborhoods. However, when you pause to consider how "out-manned" the different departments of our city government are, due to money and manpower shortages, you have to cut all departments a little slack.

I will quickly proclaim that the City of Huntington's street and sanitation departments have always responded to specific neighborhood issues, as I have brought them to their attention. The employees who answer the call to handle different neighborhood needs are always courteous and enthusiastic. Rob and Dennis, pictured in this recent photo, showed up on a recent Saturday and gave a helping hand to residents of 9th Avenue who initiated their own neighborhood clean-up. They were genuinely glad to be an important part of this neighborhood's effort to be the best they can be. I offer a tip of my hat to the men and women of our city's various departments. Thank you for your service to our neighborhoods!

Again, the root cause of most of our on-going issues in Huntington is a lack of operating funds and the severely reduced number of employees in our public works departments. If we are to improve the physical condition of our city's infrastructure, which includes: street maintenance and cleanliness (brick-ones included), sidewalks, curbs and gutters, storm-water/sewage system, traffic nomenclature, solid waste management, etc. - we are going to have to find substantial funding to pay for it. It may take extraordinary financial assistance from our state and federal governments to get Huntington physically "re-conditioned". In the meantime, every citizen needs to take personal responsibility for helping our city workers by properly handling household trash, picking up litter on their own block and showing some appreciation for the thankless job our city's sanitation and street department crews are performing without adequate staffing and funding - and in many cases wihout our thanks.

(Comments are encouraged. You don't have to identify yourself. Just click on "Post Comments" at the end of each posting, click the "Anonymous" button, and have your say. Any ideas for making our neighborhoods better? Tell us all about them.)