Dear Action Line: Is it possible to designate a road as being a permanent construction zone? Since utility work began several weeks ago on Junction Street the traffic has never been calmer or quieter. – Hunter McCleary
Dear Hunter: Now that’s making lemonade out of lemons. Or liverwurst out of liver. Or beet juice out of beets. Or Beetlejuice out of beetles. Action Line hates liver, but loves liverwurst. But you don’t care about that.
Some people just keep a positive outlook on life, no matter how many lemons or beets or bloody pieces of raw liver are thrown their way. Thank you, Hunter, for adding the ingredient of positivism into this column.
Mike Somsen, the city’s street superintendent, whose crews are out there working hard in this 120-degree heat, is appreciative of this unexpected perspective.
“Finally, we found someone who likes road work on their street,” he said. “I have been looking for this person for 30 years now. It is unlikely that their neighbor agrees with them though.”
Action Line drove by on Tuesday and noticed that, while traffic did move slowly through the work area, it did tend to speed up to make up for lost time afterward. But Action Line could not locate the speed gun iPhone app (that must be on there somewhere) and really couldn’t tell for sure. Also, one vehicle shifted into reverse, backed up at 90 mph, and rerouted up Clovis to apparently avoid the delay.
Somsen suggested that for a different opinion, the question writer talk to neighbors on Columbine Drive a few blocks away.
“After the complete rebuild of the neighborhood’s utilities, sidewalks and street over a three-year period, that neighborhood is very glad to see the road work signs go away,” he said.
But there is something to be said, Action Line knows from having friends on Columbine, for having smooth sidewalks your grandmother can walk along without falling face-first, and for having street gutters that drain properly and don’t form ice-rink-sized frozen ponds during the winter.
Finally, Somsen added that anyone with such ideas should know that “setting up your own work zone without the proper permit is frowned upon.”
Rats.
Dear Action Line: Well, I have lived in Durango for 44 years and thought I had seen it all, but I was wrong. How many tax-paying citizens are aware of the “Overfilled Trash” surcharge? I was charged $12.50 for a one-time supposedly overfilled trash can, which means evidently the lid wasn’t completely closed. The city requires me to put my trash can out by 8 a.m. but doesn’t pick it up until 1 p.m. How do they know that a neighbor didn’t put a trash bag in my can? Am I supposed to watch the can for five hours or set up a security camera so I am not charged this outrageous fee? My charge for weekly trash collection is less than $4/week, so this surcharge is equal to dumping my can three more times! The city is supposed to serve its residents, not nickel-and-dime us to death with outrageous and arbitrary fees. Maybe I’ll just throw my extra trash bags into my neighbors’ cans so they can pay the overfilled trash can fee instead ;) – Mad as Hell and Trash Talking
Dear Mad: Hang on a moment while Action Line tries to determine the best neighbor’s trash receptacle to “borrow” in a pinch. Yeah, they’ll never notice.
Now, let’s see if we can pull off the rare “answer shorter than the question” trick.
Joey Medina, Durango’s solid waste and recycling manager, said the city bills about 20 to 25 “overload” charges per month. That’s not going to pay for new pickleball courts or a parking garage, even if we want to buy land in Bayfield and put them there. (Good idea, right?)
Residents are billed for what fits in a can with the lid closed, Medina said. Many residents who overfill are OK with the extra charge every now and then, knowing that the alternative is a stinky garage for a week. Others get a little incensed at the charge, call the city and complain. If their record is “clean,” often the city will wipe out the one-time charge, Medina said. Habitual offenders probably won’t get a break.
An overloaded container can be a problem as it might spill during the truck’s automated lift and dump. Although not required to, the driver generally gets out and cleans up the mess, Medina said.
Truck drivers take photos of overfilled trash cans and forward them to Medina’s office, so if you want to play forensic trash investigator and figure out which neighbor has been using your receptacle, you could study the picture for clues.
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Note to neighbors: It’s OK, Action Line’s trash doesn’t smell.
