Storm-water Sewers/Basins Blocked - Causing Flooding

Many storm-water drains and their basins (pits) are in drastic need of inspection and maintenance. I have observed drains and pits that are totally blocked - due to yard waste washing onto and into the drains and basins. Many of the pits beneath the sewer-covers are filled with everything from bottles and cans to clothing, Styrofoam objects, baby toys, etc.

This condition exists in many neighborhoods in Huntington. Are any of your neighborhood's streets flooding because drains and/or gutters are cluttered with solid waste that needs removed? Are the drain-pits filled with debris?

(To make a comment about this issue, click on "Post Comments" at the end of this post.)

Own A Vacant House? What About the Neighbors?

There are many vacant houses in Huntington. Many of them are vacant due to a death, and the folks who are responsible for deciding what to do with the property live out-of-town. Sometimes, the yard and general appearance of the vacant home become an issue with the neighbors. And the unkempt condition may, in fact, cause harm by reducing the market-value of the neighboring homes and, eventually, damaging the reputation of an otherwise nice neighborhood. Here is an example:


In a comment made on another issue elsewhere on this blog, Anonymous said...

"In our Southside neighborhood, mostly a well cared for place, we have a house where a lady died and no one has lived there for almost a year. She has a son living here but they are not doing anything to take care of the property. The leaves accumulate and they do not mow unless someone calls him and asks them to. The house is run down and I heard they have no intention of doing anything with it. What recourse do I have if any? Thank you for all you do."

This kind of situation is unfortunate for the folks who are left with a responsibility they truly wish they did not have. However, fair-play dictates that the property be kept clean and tidy.

As always, The Golden Rule should be in play. Approach the young man and let him know of the neighborhood's concern. If you find that there is good reason why he does not keep the leaves cleaned up and the grass cut, maybe the neighbors could agree to help out. Nice is always better. Let me know how it goes.

(If you would like to comment, just click on "Post Comments" at the end of this post. You can do it anonymously, and we need your participation in these community discussions, which are meant to stimulate citizen involvement in making our city a better place to live, work, study and play.)

It's a Bird; it's a plane! No, it's a flying plastic bag!

HUNTINGTON, WV - There are litterally (pun intended) hundreds of those small plastic bags, which almost all retail stores in our area use for customer-carry-out, flying all over Huntington's business and residential neighborhoods! As usual, the west coast cities always seem to be the most progressive in dealing with community issues. Here is the latest action from California. Read on:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — City leaders approved a ban on plastic grocery bags after weeks of lobbying on both sides from environmentalists and a supermarket trade group. If Mayor Gavin Newsom signs the ban as expected, San Francisco would be the first U.S. city to adopt such a rule. The law, passed by a 10-1 vote, requires large markets and drug stores to give customers only a choice among bags made of paper that can be recycled, plastic that breaks down easily enough to be made into compost, or re-usable cloth.

San Francisco supervisors and supporters said that by banning the petroleum-based sacks, blamed for littering streets and choking marine life, the measure would go a long way toward helping the city earn its green stripes. "Hopefully, other cities and states will follow suit," said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who crafted the ban after trying to get a 15-cent per bag tax passed in 2005. The 50 grocery stores that would be most affected by the law argued that the ban was not reasonable because plastic bags made of corn byproducts are a relatively new, expensive and untested product. Some said they might offer only paper bags at checkout.

We hope that our local Huntington and Cabell County office-holders will take note and consider the damage done by these bags to our city's image and environment.

(If you would like to comment, just click on "Post Comments" at the end of this post. You can do it anonymously, and we need your participation in these community discussions, which are meant to stimulate citizen involvement in making our city a better place to live, work, study and play.)

A Good Deed on 5th Street

An anonymous comment under my post "Where Have All The Trees Gone?", elsewhere on this blog, reported this:

'Good Deeds at 5th Street West..."Joe", who is the manager of the neighborhood tavern "The Paddock", along with some helpers, cleaned out the railroad walkway / underpass at 5th Street west...It was full of broken bottles and many things that words cannot describe... They also cleaned up litter from the railroad right of way and all around the area. Everyone should take it upon themselves to be as good of a citizen as Joe, his helpers and the others in the neighborhood cleanup teams...'

Let me add a "thank you" to Joe at The Paddock for showing the kind of community involvement that will re-kindle a sense of community in Huntington that must exist if any city is to have a quality of life that makes it a good place to live, work, study and play. Joe, pass on our compliments to your other crew members. Best regards!

(To make a comment about this issue, click on "Post Comments" at the end of this post.)

Littering or Dumping? There is a Difference

There is a difference in what is commonly called "littering" and the even more evil practice of what is legally called "dumping".

The photo on the right is "litter" on a section of Charleston Avenue that has been accumulating. It is ugly, but it can be cleaned up with just a little effort by those folks living there. They just have to decide to be responsible citizens and commit to doing it.

The photo on the left is a "dump", as defined by West Virginia state law. It is the intentional dumping of solid waste on public or private property. In all cases of "dumping", it is very time consuming to clean up and extremely expensive. This photo was taken on Saturday, March 17, 2007, on Upper Union Road in Huntington. This dump has been growing for months, as the perpetrators continue to drive into this quite neighborhood under the cover of darkness to do their evil deed.

There are penalties for both littering and dumping. The littering penalty for throwing trash from a vehicle is 3-points on the registered owner's driver's license, up to a $500 fine and/or up to 30-days in jail. The penalty for dumping solid waste on public or private property is a fine of up to $25,000 and/or up to 1-year in jail. The West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) is now using cameras in a covert manner to apprehend violators. The Adopt YOUR Block project for Huntington is requesting that the Upper/Lower Union Road dumping site be equipped with covert surveillance equipment in order to identify, and prosecute, the "dumpers" who are blighting our Huntington neighborhoods and wooded areas.

What do you think about our planned-practice of using cameras to catch violators?

(To make a comment about this issue, click on "Post Comments" at the end of this post.)

Are You "Passing the Buck"?

Another "Neighborhood Issue" that was put forward elsewhere on our blog as an item for discussion and action:

Anonymous said...

"The neighborhood concern that is most troubling to me is the seemingly widespread belief that fixing Huntington's problems is someone else's responsibility. Residents are quick to blame city government, out-of-town drug dealers, absentee landlords, etc but it is very rare that an individual says, "I think this might solve some of our problems, and I'm going to make it my responsibility to try and make it happen." (Litter Gitters being the exception, of course!)

Residents of blocks with poorly managed rental properties could make a point of introducing themselves to the tenants and letting them know that they are not pleased with the landlord's care of the property. Gardening enthusiasts could start and nurture community gardens on vacant lots or sponsor garden contests to encourage neighborhood beautification. A family could "adopt" an elderly or ill neighbor and help with errands, home repairs, etc. There are dozens of ways each resident of Huntington could spend one or two hours a week making the world right around them just a little bit better."

(If you want to comment or raise another "neighborhood issue", just click on "Post Comments" at the end of each post.)

Dog Attacks Concern Huntington Resident

An anonymous comment elsewhere on this blog brought to my attention another serious "neighborhood issue" - attacks by roaming dogs!

Here is the resident's comment re-posted so that you can be aware of this potential danger:

"Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "What Neighborhood Issues Concern You?": "Dogs Attack In Rotary Park. Our dog was attacked by three roving dogs in Upper Rotary Park Monday 3-12-07, while we were walking our dog. This attack occurred near the second overlook of the walking trail in the park along the trail that overlooks the old Big Bear Store at 29th Street. I have contacted the Park Board on 3-14-07 and the Animal Control Shelter on 3-12-07 and 3-14-07. These three dogs consist of a rust colored chow-mix, a long-legged looking beagle mix and a mostly white hound dog mix with a black mask head. These dogs were seen twice by us at the location given above. They also have been seen on the Roby Road side of Maupin Road. These dogs will attack anything that is defenseless. "

There is a law requiring all owners to keep their dogs on a leash. Remember, you are responsible if your dog attacks and injures an animal or human. It is each resident's responsibility to report roaming dogs to the Cabell County Animal Control Department. Let's all look out for each other. Be a good citizen - report roaming dogs and dog packs.

The Cabell-Wayne Animal Control phone number is 696-5551.

Great Idea! Try this site: www.freecycle.org

Anonymous posted a comment to my blog about our blog not being more "positive". I'm re-posting the comment, because their positive suggestion is such a great idea! Here is the idea:

"Hey Litter-Gitter, I thought you may want to know (and promote) a web site called www.freecycle.org. It's a site that advertises people who want to give away stuff for free. Instead of putting "junk" on the sidewalk for people to take or just throwing it away, you can post what you no longer want and people who want it will contact you and arrange to pick it up.

My wife used the site last night and we quickly got rid of our old pots, pans, and crockpot. Anyway, if you're looking for a "positive" post, why not try promoting the site? It can have the effect of putting less stuff in junkyards.

Negative Comments About My Approach

I've been receiving unfavorable comments about my "negative approach" to discussing issues that affect our neighborhoods. It has been suggested that I need to be more positive, as I anger people with my criticism of the city government and the folks who litter, improperly dispose of household waste and fail to keep the block on which they live free of cigarette butts and litter. I stand guilty. It's hard to be positive when you are wallowing in garbage.

One person suggested that I adopt some blocks myself and get out there and clean them. In that area, I am not guilty. I currently clean the 10th Street viaduct, the 16th Street viaduct and 27 other blocks, and that doesn't include my neighborhood on Kanawha Terrace that I help keep clean and attractive.

As I have moved around the city to various neighborhoods, I have met lots of folks and have recruited them to be a litter-gitter on their own block. Currently, their are about 700 other citizens who can be seen around town with the orange Orang-U-Tong litter-sticks, which have been purchased for us through a state matching grant made possible by the generous donation of $2500 from Heiner's Bakery. If you want to help, I will deliver you one - call me at 523-7902.

The whole concept with our Adopt YOUR Block - Be a Litter-gitter program is based on the idea that if the folks living on each block of our city would commit to keeping it picked-up, the whole city would look so much better. And the job would not over-burden anyone.

We cannot expect our city government, with its current financial issues, to keep every street and gutter clean. They are operating with a tax base that has shrunk as the city's population has decreased from 80,000 people to about 50,000. Result? - much less tax revenue and continuously increasing costs of delivering services. Take a look at your own block. Could you do more?

Speaking of Landfills

Speaking of landfills, the Herald-Dispatch recently reported again on the 1994 order by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) that required the City of Huntington to stop accepting trash at the 60-acre landfill at Deitz Hollow, because it did not have an underlying liner. That was approximately 13-years ago!

As far as we citizens know, no one in the city government has ordered the preparation of written specifications and the related total cost for moving forward with the shutdown of this ecological disaster! With only 11-years remaining to complete the closure, wouldn't it be a prudent plan to determine the total cost with the intention to approach the federal government to get the job done using today's dollars. The cost is not going to go down! Let's get on with a complete calculation of the total cost and head to Washington, D.C. to camp out there until we resolve the funding issue. The clock is ticking!

We are going to have to have another landfill for our city - is anyone addressing that issue? As citizens, we are in the dark. This is another example of the lack of transparency in our city government.

(To comment on this issue, click on the link "Post Comments" on the right at the end of this message.)

Where Have All the Trees Gone?

Many years ago, circa 1955, I lived in Charleston and would come to the state's Band Festival each year. I was amazed at the beauty of the avenues and streets with their stately trees - spaced with precision repetition - throughout the city!

After having worked in Huntington over twenty-years ago, I left for another job and didn't return until five-years ago when I chose this city to spend my retirement.

I was stunned to find that many of the attractive trees were missing! "Where have all the trees gone?" I asked. Over the past five-years, I have answered my own question by simply observing the indiscriminate carnage inflicted on the city's tree-treasure. Topping them has assured their eventual demise, chopping them down and not immediately planting a new one ensures that the citizens who come after us will not have them to enjoy, and the numerous tree stumps all over the city attest to the indifferent attitude of government decision makers related to the preservation of our treasure trove of large, magnificent trees.

I suggest that the remaining trees be maintained with care. Trees should be properly pruned and the practice of topping them out should be stopped, according to an article in today's Herald-dispatch written by John Marra, West Virginia University's Cabell County Extension Agent.

The city government should take inventory of the many tree stumps still in the ground all over the city. Why not have a plan to begin immediately to remove each existing tree stump and planting a new tree in its place? Future generations of Huntingtonians will remember us for our thoughtfulness.

(To comment on this issue, click on the link "Post Comments" on the right at the end of this message.)