City Of Madison Messing Up Terraces, Angering Taxpayers « CAFFEINATED POLITICS

Once again the method the City of Madison employed to pick up spring piles of brush and leaves from terraces caused concern, and even some anger from residents and taxpayers.  There were many residents who found the way city leaves were picked up last fall to be nothing short of ridiculous.  Those feelings have been transferred to the spring-time pick-up.

Terraces were marred by using too large of equipment with large deep-treaded wheels.  Little consideration was made for the way many residents of the city try to maintain the terrace space.  Before and after pictures of the damage the bobcat type machine does to the terrace would make for some interesting conversations with city workers.

This spring the number of folks I have spoken to, or heard from, on this matter regarding the terraces all paint the same picture.

The city, by using the wrong equipment, and not being careful are scraping off topsoil, grass, along with other growth.  In addition they are running the machines over tree roots and riding over curbs and onto yards and gardens.  They leave being ruts and ripped up sod.

That is just not the way the city should be operating, or the way the terraces that many folks work hard to maintain should be treated.

My concern about how leaves are taken from terraces started in the fall of 2009.  It was then the city brought in a bobcat type tractor to gather the leaves from  my terrace.  This, in and of itself, was ridiculous, as in previous years a couple of guys had jumped from a truck, and raked the pile into the street.  It took a couple of minutes.  Then a small jeep-like vehicle pushed the leaves into the lift on the back of a city truck.  The leaves left, and the terrace was not damaged.

But in 2009 due to the bobcat being driven like a 17-year-old with a new license my sod was ripped up, deep track marks were left, and it looked like hell.  All just to get the leaves off the terrace!  Worse was the fact the city crew must have thought this was an acceptable way of doing business.

Again this year we found a way not to need to place anything on the terrace as we have worked hard to keep the space looking nice.  This is, after all, the city we call home, and want it to look nice.  I suspect most of my fellow Madisonians feel the same.

I only wish the city crews that pick up the leaves and brush all felt the same. Share