That’s a question we really have to start asking ourselves and soon! Better yet, let’s find some guts, neighbors, and stand up and kick some elected-official ass at a public village of Ravena, Town of Coeymans and/or Town of New Baltimore public meeting.
They even managed to miss the potholes and get some on the sidewalk! Good for your carpets!
Several months ago we reported on roadwork being done on Rt 144 under the Lafarge conveyor track. That work done by the New York State Department of Transportation was so shoddy that the road was worse after than it was before the work. They had to come back and redo it. Taxpayer dollars wasted!
We also reported on the Misuraca dodos paving several streets in Ravena with loose stone that was everywhere but in the streets. Now the streets are still a mess and tens of thousands of Ravena taxpayer dollars are either on the local lawns, in your carpets, down the sewers, everywhere but on the streets. Taxpayer dollars wasted!
This is what New York State, the village of Ravena, an the Town of Coeymans are doing with your money!!!
We have regularly reported on the Town of New Baltimore’s Highway Department’s pack of baboons going up and down New Baltimore streets and road shoveling steaming hot-patch or blacktop into water-filled potholes, or into potholes and leaving it to be washed away or stuck under your car but not doing much for the pothole problem in New Baltimore. We won’t even remind you of the mind-boggling storn drain work that collects everything but water in the National Historic District. Well, that’s what you get when you hire monkeys. Taxpayer dollars wasted!
On Wednesday, March 18, 2015, a contributor to this blog was driving down Main Street, Ravena at about 3:30-4:00 p.m., and noted two large New York State Department of Transportation trucks and a crew of about 7 persons filling potholes. There was a pick-up truck, too, with a large digital sign reading “Road Work Ahead.” That’s nice, you’d think. Well, according to our contributor, it gets better.
Didn’t even bother to pat it down with a shovel!
“That’s what they told us to do.”
Slowing down enough to see what the crew was doing sent the observer over the edge. It was so disturbing that he turned around and confronted the crew: “What is it you are doing? Don’t you know that’s not going to last 5 minutes. Can’t the state of New York provide you guys with a tamper to keep that stuff down?” You see, the “work” crew was simply throwing shovel-fulls of blacktop or cold-patch into the holes and leaving it!!! Not even a pat with a shovel!!! It was strewn all over the place.
Well, what was even more annoying was the response the observer got. Not only did the fools just stand there with idiotic grins on their sagging faces but one even responded, “That’s what they told us to do.” Without waiting around to find out who the “they” might be, the observer took the pictures that appear in this post.
The blacktop will be gone in a couple of hours but the potholes will still be there.
So, New York State taxpayers, that’s where your dollars are going: Two huge trucks, two huge trucks burning fuel, loads of blacktop, seven (7) or more dildos either standing around or throwing shovels full of loose blacktop into potholes and leaving it there, loose. How much do you think that operation is costing us? Taxpayer dollars wasted! The blacktop will be gone in a couple of hours but the potholes will still be there.
And Where are the supervisors?
One glaring question is this: Where are the supervisors who are supposed to be ensuring that the job gets done right? Well, they’re the ones standing with the blank look on their face playing pocket-pool and dreaming of what they’re going to do with their hefty pensions they’ll be collecting for standing there with a blank look on their faces while playing pocket-pool. And what about our town and village highway superintendents? Shouldn’t they be on hand while this work is going on in their jurisdictions? Isn’t it their responsibilities to ensure the work is done right on village and hamlet streets? Why not ask them? Well Mr Flach, Mr Misuraca, Mr Dellisanti? Where are the supervisors?
Who is doing the animal control stuff while Mr Tanner is doing his other job?
And who is doing Mr Tanner’s Job when Mr Jeff Ruso is at his other job and Mr Dellisanti is, well, elsewhere?
Now, New Baltimore taxpayers. Here’s one for you to choke on: One of the NYSDOT laborers who was among the crew doing the make-believe roadwork in Ravena was none other than the New Baltimore town animal control officer, Mr Joe Tanner. In fact, Mr Tanner recognized the observer and courteously said hello. That was nice. But it raised another question we’d like to ask the New Baltimore town board and perhaps New Baltimore taxpayers might want to ask the same question. If Mr Tanner is employed full-time by the New York State Department of Transportation, and if Mr Tanner is out with road crews doing what they appear to be doing — wasting taxpayer dollars now while accruing pension benefits besides — who is doing the animal control stuff while Mr Tanner is doing his other job? Or does Mr Tanner have a special arrangement with the New York State Department of Transportation to take off when there’s an animal problem in New Baltimore? Or does New Baltimore schedule its animal emergencies for when Mr Tanner is off or after he finishes his state job? Given this situation, it’s no wonder that a barking-dog nuissance in the hamlet of New Baltimore can go on for literally years and the town of New Baltimore supervisor, Mr Nick Dellisanti, and town boardmember and animal control liaison, Mr Jeff Ruso, can’t seem to get a handle on it and put a muzzle on the beast. Since Mr Tanner is off doing his state job and Mr Russo is off managing his nursing home, that doesn’t leave much animal control in New Baltimore, does it? In response to requests for assistance Mr Tanner simply responds, “Sign a complaint,” because it’s impossible for him to investigate because he’s on a road crew somewhere else. Mr Russo stays silent because he’s off in Guilderland or somewhere at his office. And Mr Dellisanti? Well, he inspects the parks on Sundays and drives by the dog’s owner’s house. Taxpayer dollars wasted!
It’s about time taxpayers started barking!The Editor
