Where have all the flowers gone?Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone?
Girls have picked them every one
When will they ever learn?
Words and music by Pete Seeger.
Well I return to Saratoga and my first thought was. Holy fuck call the cops, some bastard stole every flower on Broadway. Really here we are almost June 1 and just a couple dandelions, some duck shit and a thousand cigarette butts.Really I was at the Council meeting where Anthony "Skip" Scirocco. Commissioner of Public Works was given $20,000 for the procurement of flowers. I ain’t no CPA but 20k will buy a lot of petunias. So where are they Commissioner?
You know when I come home and see this kind of deterioration in the city it just makes me want to vomit. This is what you get when you have a corrupt incompetent Democratic committee who refuses to run anybody against their favorite Republican. Really check out Albany’s Washington Park.
Next the hottest Memorial Day on record and the Saratoga/Capital District Region - NYS Parks refused to open Victoria pool. Remember at $8 a pop the Victoria is the MOST EXPENSIVE Public Pool in the state. Now they will give you some bullshit about no life guards. Well the same lifeguards who watch Moreau Lake State Park watch Victoria Pool. On Tuesday May29 2012 the day after Memorial Day,Moreau had SIX life guards for maybe 20 people. Remember they all work for Saratoga/Capital District Region - NYS Parks. Check out the video with three working the chairs and there were three more relaxing at a picnic table.
This is also bullshit. Moreau Lake is open 7 days a week rain or shine. I get in for free after buying a $65 Empire Pass available for any car with a New York plate. It will get you in for free to any State Park, except of course Victoria Pool. They only take cash $8 for anyone over 12 and 6 for any kid with at least one leg out the womb.
Finally a quick video for the unstable Commissioner of Public Safety Christian “toothy” Mathiesen.
Albany had a Downtown noise problem but they solved it by putting up a few of these signs. It isn’t rocket science Chris, but then again why rent signs when you really want to hire 100k cops
Now if Albany could just do something about human trafficking rings and gunfire.
See you at Moreau Lake where I will be safe under the watchful eye of six lifeguards
26 comments:
Good work,john, nystate would have made a ton of money at victoria pool with the best weather memorial day weekend in memory. Save the victoria society gets constant incredulous calls begging to go to the victoria pool. So sad.
It's hard to get all the planting done when Skippy's favorite upgraded MM1 only works 4 days a week & the Supervisor of the flower crew is also now supervisor of the employees at the park. And the former park supervisor is doing a labor's job at the garage handing out two or three rakes a day.
I agree. The City looks like a shit hole. But hey, its only the track's 150th anniversary.
Look at the median along Union Avenue by the track. WTF, is anyone still awake at the DOT who can get that mess ready for the summer tourist season? But hey, its only one of the City's primary gateways.
I was talking to a landscape architect a few weeks back and he commented how butchered the base of the trees are on the east side of the highway across from the Dance Museum. Girdled by the eggheads running the brush hog. But hey, its only one of the City's other primary gateways. No worry if the trees all die in a few more years. Then the DOT workers won't have to worry about raking leaves. I think that's how they think.
In the City, there are weeds everywhere and the few street trees that are still half alive are being mangled and mutilated by Saratoga Restoration's boom lifts when ever they need to scrape some paint. Just tear the branches off if they're in the way. Weren't they forced to at least replace one of the trees on Caroline because they mangled it so bad when working on one of the buildings? Same thing on the corner of the Church on Congress a year or so back - just rip the branches off.
What a shame. this City could really look nice if a few more of the DPW workers could actually get out of their pickups once a day. I was observing a female DPW worker raking leaves in Congress Park several weeks ago. She spent more time drinking her coffee and walking between the Gator and the few leaves that she had collected than actually working. My grand mother who has been dead for 30 years could get more work done in half the time.
So, GREAT JOB Screwrocco - you're a major Fuck Up (as if that's a surprise to anyone).
I think JT's workload is getting out of hand - which is not a bad thing. But maybe we need a dedicated site just to document (video and still) the pathetic maintenance of this City by the DPW. That unto itself is a significant part of Saratoga In Decline.
The old rule of thumb said "don't plant annual flowers until after Memorial Day" in our part of the country.
Not defending Skippy, but maybe we should be patient.
OK - I'm no gardener so perhaps no flowers until after Memorial Day but AT LEAST DO SOME WEEDING AND FILL IN AROUND THE BASE OF THE STREET TREES WITH SOME MULCH OR SOMETHING.
Better yet, how about replacing some of the dead street trees (or hasn't the City's official 'tree counter' finished milking that job and submitted his final report). You know, where all the empty squares are that USED to have a nice tree in them.
Note to Skippy - this ain't the Hollywood Walk of Fame - no one's going to be filling in all the empty holes with a gold star for you.
This place is starting to look like New Jersey. Actually, there are some areas in NJ on the way to Newark Airport that now look much better than Broadway and the side streets.
Way to go Saratoga - maybe we should just privatize the entire, overpriced nightmare that is the DPW.
Hell - Moreau State Park is laughing all the way to the bank -- see the new addition to the education center? - $300,000.- thanks to the Saratoga County Water Authority (mitigation $ for site disturbance) And more money will be coming down the pike...They can afford ten lifeguards - with benefits - as other parks go wanting...
We can do the wait & see but I'll bet the flowers will look just as bad as last yr. More than half of them died & had to be replaced.
Glad I'm not a bride holding my wedding ceremony in congress park. There's more weeds than grass & no flowers planted at spit & spat or war memorial. WTF?
Funny thing,,,,I drove by pat design's house over the weekend and he was planting his whole yard with flowers,looked pretty nice.
Eventhough it was hot out Mr and Mrs ASSHOLE got it done,then again he no longer works for the city and is cured from cityidious.
Cityidious is a disease you get when you are union,the union gives you a whole list of things you can and can't do anymore,just like the doctor...
The MM1 comstock gerri was busy making a new list of people to rat on and her little grodie was proof reading it for her while having an extended lunch at price chopper...again
The truth is that the flowers were acting up at night and being loud. They were adding to the toxic environment. Some were even violent. Louie the Lilac was creating a “horticulture hellhole” and the smell of the flowers was creating a “toxic environment”. The flowers were attracting trouble making tourists and drunks were known to become violent in their presence. All flowers must be off the street by 4:00 am. A new decibel meter will measure the noise they make as they grow. Lew Benton will operate the meter for the city on occasions for $75,000.00 a year and his wife will make an additional $75,000.00 a year as the Executive Assistant to the Flower Growth Noise Enforcer. The public safety commissioner has been quoted for saying, “flowers are a gateway to stronger more powerful forms of happiness and before you know it the whole downtown will be a little shop of horrors”. He also pointed out the fact that other police agencies are continually being called in to assist the local police with pollen control. The good news is that the State Department of Environmental Conservation does not think that the enforcement is a county wide issue.
The city DPW needs more four door air conditioned,, SLEEPER TRUCKS its going to be a hot summer this year and we don't need anyone calling in sick.
I was working a job in the city last year,and it was so hot,so we started early to pour concrete.
After we finished I went for coffee at stewarts,,,and then I saw it,their was Little Rikki in a NEW four door city truck with his jacket wraped around him and his neck trying to stay warm,
I said to myself,,, SELF why can't I have a job like this and then I realized that for my whole life I have never kissed anyones ASS and wasn't about to start.....
Thank you,city Dems, you will long be remembered as the party that took Saratoga from getting awards for its flowers to this sorry mess by you clever plan to get rid fo McTygue and subsititute Skippy. There's is the gift that keeps on giving.
Gardening is a labor of love.
Albany gardens and parks were brought to a new height by Judy Stacey. Maybe Sge could help Saratoga.
Eyeinthesky at 9:28
That made me laugh out loud.
Some good stuff in there.
Flowers aren't the only problem...
Where did the city buy their new USA flags that are now on Broadway? They look different.
I remember there was a big fuss about the stars getting all dirty and that the flags didn't last the season because they had to wash them all. Then the flags faded out because of the washing.
In the past, the city got flags with printed star fields which fixed the problem and the flags lasted 2-3 seasons.
But now they are back to square one with embroidered (cotton threaded) stars? So I guess now they'll have to wash the flags and get new ones next year.
And speaking of flags, how come there are 2 flagpoles at the Weibel Ave Ice Rink with no flags? Isn't there supposed to be a New York flag on the left pole and a Saratoga Springs City flag on the other? And where is the POW-MIA flag?
Just wondering.
They wanted tommy McTygue out and they got him out. Now the city looks like a big mess. Great job voters of Saratoga. You must be so proud.
The flower crew now comes to work at 6am-2pm so they can get a head start on watering & planting. Only one problem, they never leave the city garage until 6:45, when they do they go to DD for coffee and return back @ 1:30. Way to manage a dept. Skippy! Great hrs. if you can get them.
What?
Ummmmmmm
What?
Uhhhhhhhhhhh
What?
Miss me?
You're in the TU today with picture.
Saw some kids pulling down one of the birdhouse/cameras in Congress Park. Went to call the DPW after hours. Used to be able to get to speak to a dispatcher and they would get someone out to take care of problems. Now you get a recording to call 911. Too bad my phone died.
Maybe a nice YouTube video showing the latest exploits of the DPW and the pathetic state of the City could be shown at the next City Council meeting on June 5th.
Although I'm sure Skippy wouldn't be able to stay awake for more than a minute or two even for that or,
he'd just sit there with his 'shit eating' grin and at the end say 'no comment'.
How about everyone email JT their best photo/video showing the DPW's incompetence.
Maybe some of the artwork could be shown at this weekend's art show in the city.
Categories could be as follows:
1. Congress Park - Plenty of Issues There/Anything Goes
2. Broadway - (Open Category)
3. Side Streets - Weed Beds
4. Caroline Street Litter, Cigarette Butts and Urine Stained Concrete
5. Dead or Dying Street Trees
6. Special Category - The Saratogian's Asphalt Jungle and Ugly Chain Link Fence on Maple Avenue.
7. Broken Sidewalks and Damaged Infrastructure
Let's get to work.
Check out the Saratogian today. Great photo of Skippy with his look of surprise. If he hadn't done anything with the casino sidewalk he would have had a lawsuit on his hands. Another no brainer but ask all the brides that had their wedding held there during construction. He couldn't have picked a better time to tear the sidewalk up. Work was done in June/July not March or April. More great planning Skippy!
The ceremony after the Memorial Day Parade in Congress Park highlighted Skippy's work. He should have been embarrased, but managed to keep that brainless grin on his face as he stood in unmowed grass and dandilions.
I don't believe he has any control or concept of how to manage.
9;23pm beautiful,maybe pat kane can be in charge of it after all he helped to get screwroco elected,he said the scoopster was a perfect fit for the job.
Skippy lives in his own little world with Donna. He's to dense to be embarrassed about the state of congress park & broadway not to mention the beautiful "water fall" on union ave!
Thats rite skippy and donna walked the city LOL
that fat bitch can't walk a mile in anyones shoes including her own.
Isn't this the city that won some national pretty flowers award a few years ago?
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