Apparently prompted by complaints from residents in the Urban Services District, meaning the former City of Athens, the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County recently came out with a statement about how the folks over at Solid Waste have been playing catch-up since the snow storm back at the beginning of March (scroll down to the second item). As a result, the local media dutifully reported the difficulties caused by the storm to the county’s leaf & limb pickup schedule (see here, here, and here [scroll down to the next to last item]), which has been so severe as to prompt Solid Waste to augment its efforts by hiring private contractors.
To which my response is – all together now – “What leaf and limb pick-up?”
As I noted last year, contrary to what the folks downs at City Hall would have you believe, that service is not available to all residents of the county. To review the particulars of that episode, see here and here.
And while I am at it. another consequence of the storm was damage to the engine bay roof at Fire Station No. 6. We are now some eleven weeks removed from the snowfall and there are still no signs of life whatsoever at the station located at the intersection of Athena and Olympic. See here and here for my previous gripes about that. The Unified Government has insurance coverage for damage to its buildings, right? So what is the holdup in repairing the roof?
Had similar damage occurred at, say Fire Station No. 3 (a.k.a. the Five Points Taj Mahal), I seriously doubt that almost three months after the fact repairs would not even be underway. Once again, it appears that the folks who live in the formerly unincorporated area of the county are getting the short end of the stick.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
General Services District Lament (again)
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4 comments:
I'm going to have go ahead and disagree with you Jimbo.
See: http://acc-recycle.org/leaf.htm
Leaf and Limb is a service for the GSD and USD. Sure they don't come often, even to my in-town neighborhood, but you are incorrect in saying they don't serve the GSD.
And as far as insurance goes... when was the last time a insurance bureaucrat acted as quick as you'd like? never speedy for me.
Perhaps I should have been more specific. Yes, leaf and limb service is provided to the general services district in a "general" sort of way, but not to my house.
See the following:
http://theotherathens.blogspot.com/2008/09/same-old-refrain-leaf-limb-edition.html
http://theotherathens.blogspot.com/2008/09/leaf-limb-redux.html
"The Athens-Clarke County (ACC) Solid Waste Department provides pickup of leaf and limbs to all residents in Athens-Clarke County. "
So, either you don't live in A-CC or they are deliberately lying on their web site. I think I'd be suing for the cost of disposing of my leaves and limbs.
That is my point precisely. Notwithstanding the Unified Government's policy and rhetoric, there are places where leaf & limb pick up service is not available.
I am not arguing with the rationale provided for that lack of service, but rather with the claim that it is available "to all residents."
Unlike water and sanitary sewer service, leaf & limb pick up is not funded by a fee but by general taxes. I pay the same millage rate as everyone else, but do not get the same services.
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