KINGSTON SIDEWALK REPAIR

This was the scene a few weeks ago along Broadway in the Midtown West portion of the city.  Yes, it's a stump grinder and a city crew finally getting to that Locust Tree stump across from Perry Motors.

Like most of the Locust Trees planted in sidewalk lines, the bluestone or cement slabs get pushed up in a dangerous position leading to occasional harm to pedestrians and financial threat to the city.

 

This is the last portion of Broadway to see streetscape attention. The overgrown trees, heaved sidewalks and dissolved brick pavers from the 80's have outlived their use. The residents and merchants patiently await action in their Midtown West Commercial District. When will the Community Development Committee see fit to shift Streetscpae CDBG money to this area?

This is how it looks today. Better, but not great. The tree and it's unbridled root base, made it impossible to install the last dual parking meter at this location. I no longer see any obstruction. Let's see if the meter crew get out there this year.

SEWER BOND CYCLE COMPLETE

For those of you who saw the Freeman article regarding the City of Kingston sewer completion, you'll read just how long the governing body and the DPW have been working on the problem. Years.  

Because some areas of the city haven't experienced upgrades, some sewer lines predate the NYC sewer lines. Our city engineers have been systematically replacing old sewers with separated lines as dictated by the NYS DEP.
 

While serving on the Council, my comrades and I were saddled with the implementation of a sewer replacement project that was going to cost the taxpayers allot of money, but it had to be done. 
The news Monday was that Mayor Sottile has officially closed that project and labeled it "DONE".
 
The last portion which included Abeel St, Wilbur Ave, O'Neil and a dozen other essential lines throughout the city, ended with the resurfacing on Greenkill Ave this fall.
 
Sottile was quoted: “While the sewer work is not glamorous and a lot of people don’t see exactly what you are doing, they take it for granted. But I am proud to report that I said I was going to do it and I did.”

 Don't mind me if I point out that the project actually finished under the bonded limit. Something of an anomaly in this atmosphere of municipal cost overruns. Credit goes to our city engineers, purchasing department and the Mayor for staying on top of what could have been a financial boondoggle had they not been up to the task.

It's worth knowing where our tax dollars are going during this time of economical uncertainty. It may cost us a little today, but the price of disaster has always been greater in the long run.

TRANSFER STATION CLOSING?

I understand the Common Council is considering closing the Kingston Transfer Station on Route 32. I dont have the numbers associated with the cost of running this division of our DPW, but I thought I'd show everyone just how much money we spent this summer fixing the grounds around the operation.

 

As you can see, there is a tremendous amount of fresh macadam throughout the site. The cement retainer blocks aren't cheep either. The man hours alone could have funded dual recycle/yard waste pick up all summer.

So why shut this down now when so much had been invested? If the money was available then, why cry about funding today? The whole idea of having the public access to waste dumping is so the impact on the street is less during the year. Even if there was a minor loss in running the station, the decrease in curb pick up well surpasses the extra man-hours Monday thru Thursday.

With an estimated 1.8% tax increase heading toward 2011, the elimination of the Transfer Station is likely to increase the tonnage at the curb, thus out weighing the savings and convenience for Kingston taxpayers.

Just my thoughts. Happy Winter!

RECRUIT CENTER SHOULD BE KINGSTON DPW

Freeman reporter Kyle Wind did a detailed report on the possibility of the Kingston school district investing in additional land in the near future. Notably; the almost vacant Army Reserve Center on Flatbush Avenue is being looked at for storage.

As noted in the article: The district currently leases warehouse space at 918 Ulster Ave. in the town of Ulster, and voters in February 2009 approved a five-year extension of that arrangement, with the rental price being lowered from $5.50 to $4 per square foot, creating a $187,480 savings over the life of the lease.

Board President James Shaughnessy said the district will explore buying the building from the federal government now that the facility is moving operations to Saugerties and suspects they might sell it to the school district cheap.

My suggestion? I think the City of Kingston should consider purchasing the property and moving the DPW operations to the site. The postage Stamp piece of property on Prince Street is congestive and the current buildings are in need of repair. Why not relocate to a more conducive location with room to expand?

All the offices could be at ground level and the front lawn could be morphed into visitor parking. The options are limitless. Once out of the old space, the city could offer the old lot for any number of businesses that need room to grow. Thus, putting it back on the tax rolls. [commercial rate]

I mentioned this to the Mayor when the word got out about the Saugerties development. There was some grumbling at the time about too far off into the future, but here it is. The time is now. We haven't done the repairs on the current buildings that we discussed back then. So, let's jump at it before the overextended school board decides to pursue the purchase.


Thanks Kyle for getting this out there.

BI-WEEKLY RECYCLING: GET READY

I dont have to tell you what I think about the changes in Recycling collection here in the City of Kingston. This going to change the way we all store our separated waste.

Here are my seven buckets of recycling that I put out this Monday. What do you suppose my curb will look like when I place another week's worth at the same curb?

How are we to expect the citizens of this city, who already resist separating their trash, to join the noble cause of recycling when the bottles & cans will now linger in the back yard for two additional weeks?

I know the press has publicized the matter to death (after the change happened of course), but who's idea was it to make this policy change? Alderwoman Andi has already voiced her opinion on her blog, several others have been in the papers, but why did this happen in the first place? Shouldnt the Council been notified so that they could inform their constituents?

You know the nine Aldermen would have hand delivered fliers to our doors had they been alerted beforehand.

MY DAY ON PACKER SIX

So, this past Tuesday, at the request of one of the city employees, I went to the DPW barn at the beginning of their morning shift. I was there when they were assigning trucks for the crew and accepted the invitation to ride with one of the teams.

With Paul driving packer 6, and accompanied by Andre and Charlie, we set out to collect trash in the uptown district. First, I will remind you that Tuesday was a nice crisp day and is also the lighter of the four collection days for the garbage crew.

After a few stops, I put on a reflective vest and joined the guys throwing trash. Walking fast along the packer, grabbing the bags and cans along the curb didn't require allot of experience to do well, but it does require common sense to keep from hurting yourself. I must say, the temptation to pull from both sides of the street is strong. The streets are narrow enough that the collection from both sides seems the natural method. But that's against the contract.

With the new rules in place as of Nov 1st, the trucks no-longer leave the barn at 5:30 or whenever they left, now they're lucky if they get out around 7:15 after the mandatory safety checks. Which aren't initiated until 7am. Go figure.

Now we approach the uptown district and there are already cars parked for the business district and people walking all over the place. So much for getting through this area without delays. Oh, did I mention we only pull from one side?

Every street we passed through had to be revisited to collect from the opposite side. So, not only did we walk the route twice, but we also spent that much more diesel and offer that much more risk of accident in a more crowded neighborhood. And get this...the mandatory break, we had to trek back to the barn on O'Reilly St to take that break.

So, drive back out to the Stockade, we resume where we left off. You know...walking the route twice in heavy traffic. We got quite a bit done before lunch break. We went to UCRRA before taking lunch; knowing we would be closer to the barn when we were done. 4.5 tons on the truck. Not a bad scoop for the morning.

After lunch we treked back to uptown to finish the route. (you know, walking the streets twice in heavy traffic using double the fuel) Now we really hustled through the residential portion of the Tuesday run, collecting enough to warrant another journey to UCRRA before the 2:30 cut-off time. Another 4.5 tons.

Getting off the scales before the end of the shift, Andre went off with another crew while Charlie and I tackled the leaf bag collection in Ward Seven. Zipping up and down the Stephan/Derrenbacher neighborhood streets was interesting. Even while pulling from just one side of the street circling around twice. Did I say circling the streets twice again? I'm sorry.

Anyway, we set out to dump the leaves at our designated site for the end of the day; couldn't leave em in the packer because the morning crew needs it for the Wednesday run on Thursday. (holiday)

Earlier that morning, while we were circling the Pearl/Washington Ave area, I noticed the 12 man crew scooping leaf piles on upper Pearl. Using large excavation equipment, a whole lot of fuel and man hours to collect the loose piles. Doesn't seem right to me.

Considering the amount that Charlie and I collected ourselves in bag form, I'd say we have issues in regards to leaf collection. I recommend the council address this once again in the 2010 session as I did in 2008. The loose leaf piles on the street should be a distant memory.

Those same 12 employees could be throwing bags at a faster pace and the neighbors wouldn't have to put up with the unwanted debris and unwarranted street closure during the process. Imagine having the loose leaf crew collect cardboard, trash and recyclables. I know; over the top wishful thinking.

Anyway, with the good exercise on the back of a packer being similar to a day at the construction site, I was of course willing to do more, but I had to go clean up and prepare for the Council meeting scheduled that evening.

The issue of "Stint" should be a topic of discussion for us Councilmen as we head into 2010. The practice was successful for 30+ years and implemented for good reason. I'd like the opportunity to address it before leaving the Council.

The only other Alderman who has experienced the job of refuse collection was Al Teetsel, and for me, it had been 7 years since my first time. As I was leaving the DPW barn, the repeated question from the employees was whether we could see Bob Senor and Me on the back of a packer for a day, and see if Bob could keep up with me. I think I impressed the guys with my stamina. Even if it was the lightest run on the lightest day of the week.

EVERYDAY HEROES IN OUR EMPLOY

Every once in a while, we get to witness the DPW crews performing some of their expected tasks. Friday, I stumbled upon the storm drain vacuum crew digging away on Andrew Street. You cant help but hear the machine in action when that shoot is poking around the drains.

Here you'll see just what is clogging this storm drain. Tree roots. There's no limit to what you'll find in one of these, but when organic destruction like this plays a significant part in the continued repair cycle, you begin to understand why we visit them so often.

Eric Wiley and Louie Palen managed to scrape this one clean, but I know there is no end to the repair list that's waiting for them. My hat is off to the unsung heroes that keep this city working in every department.


May you all survive this next budget crisis.

DEPARTMENT MERGER? REALLY?

I don't know how the initiative to merge the DPW and Rec. Departments together came to be. I certainly had no prior knowledge of the concept before the story broke in the local papers.

How is that possible you ask? Well, from what I've heard from my colleagues, no-one was consulted from the Council before the press release. Needless to say, a few of us have reservations.

Reading the banter between management and the union leadership, while chatting with the rank & file, I have to urge caution to those who are rushing to make this merger happen. Why?

The Departments were created separately for a reason. The training for operations in the two are different and the job description for either will provide much confusion during the time of transition. I'm not sure how much was developed as a proposal before letting the public know of the concept but so far, from what I hear from our employees, it seems empty.

Additionally, there is the threat of yet another wave of grievances and lawsuits as a result of this internal transfer of personnel. This may constitute a shift of job description without employee consent. Was this not considered? We don't have the money for this nonsense!

In an email to the Council from the CSEA Pres, Bart Robins says: "The Mayor did not involve us with this this move of his, he simply told us he was doing this in the near future and showed us some archaic code where DPW oversees maintenance of the parks. This can still be done without the merger."

The issue of Rec. seasonal help and their subsequent replacement by full-time employees came up. They'll be doing overtime hours with unforseen financial implications. [good greif] I think this may need serious discussion amongst the Council and the Administration to better understand the fast track nature of this merger.

Keep in mind, we have had years of discussion on the subject of how to collect trash and recycling better and yet here we are merging departments in a few months? Is it safe to say I feel apprehension as we step forward on this issue.

As Union leaders and the Mayor dive into this further, I'd like the Council to be more closely involved or maybe other Councilmen are having such discussions and I don't know about it. Wouldn't surprise me.

NEW DPW SUPER ON THE HORIZON?

I was doing some work around the city today, and ran into dozens of people I knew who were genuinely thrilled at the prospect of former Alderman Mike Schupp stepping into the leadership roll at DPW.

Mike had been a household name here in Ward Nine for several terms on the Council before retiring and moving closer to work. His last years engaged with Mayor Gallo were more like fireworks than teamwork and his exodus from the Council was expected to signify the end of a rebellious Ninth. Guess I proved that wrong.

The Freeman article says: The mayor hasn't received an application from Schupp yet, though he noted the superintendent’s job was just posted this week. The man currently in the job, Steve Gorsline, plans to retire next month.

The combination of the sexual harassment case, the long years in the department and the $12K retirement incentive were enough to draw Gizzy to walk away from DPW.

The paper points out that the Superintendent position is paid $66,332. With benefits, the total compensation is $86,628 per year. We repealed the stipend for the Dock Master title during the last budget.

I dont know what Mike was getting paid in his current job with the state but the opportunity to come back to Kingston must be too strong to ignore. He said: “I have had a career with the state, and it has been a good one, but my roots are in Kingston." Mike went on to say: "I like the challenge.”

It will be a challenge. There's alot of work to do all over the city. The crews do a good job at what they do and their training allows them to do the tasks they are scheduled to do, but it's the morale within the ranks that need attention.

They've been through so much this past year alone. So much that the Mayor, Council and Union leadership agree that Schupp's appointment would be instrumental in DPW recovery. That's saying something.

Submit your application Michael and lets see what your years with the state will bring to the table.

[I dont have a picture of Mike yet for these posts]

YARD WASTE TIME AGAIN!

Let me say right away. DPW will not collect your yard waste in plastic bags.

I don't know how many times the staff has to tell everyone as the season carries on, but the bags pile up at the curb, year after year. They split open due to weather and UV exposure, until the curb is littered with a mouldy lump of partially composted grass and clippings.

The picture above is the first yard waste combatant here on Brewster Street. He makes a point of using plastic bags every spring just to irritate the neighborhood. It will sit there for months unless I finally break down and barrel it one Sunday night.

You don't necessarily have to purchase the yard waste bags from City Hall or Herzog's either. You can continue to fill and curb your 32 gallon cans as most of us do. It's less work and contributes less of a footprint on the ecosystem.

Collection of yard waste and wood starts this Monday March 16th. with your regular trash pick-up schedule.

For more information: call dispatch at: 338-2114

SUSPENDING STINT WORK POLICY

The Mayor is looking to the Council for direction on the “Stint-Work” policy. As the Freeman described it so well : Stint allows employees in the Department of Public Works to leave early as long as they get their work done.

I want that policy at my job. I come from a family of home builders. The four of us work together to create large homes, additions or even a two-car garage. But none of our projects would get done if we operated on “Stint”. Would it work at your job?

Understand, not all of our DPW employees have this option. The welders, carpenters and many others work a full 8 hour day. The “Stint” applies to the Refuse/Recycle/Brush/Wood crews that hit the streets early in the morning. The job is tough, sometimes gross. Most of the public doesn’t do that level of exertion in a day, so some would agree with the policy.

However, we are in a new era. Tax dollars are scarce and the issues surrounding the harassment drama have placed additional focus on the workings of DPW. Notably; the “man-hours” and the apparent abandonment of the workplace early.

I don’t blame the Mayor looking to the Council for some support on this. Sottile has been working in overdrive and in stressful conditions for quite a while now. (Partially his own doing) But it is his prerogative to keep or pull “Stint” from the daily operations.

My first thought, I agree that the Mayor can pull the policy for a day to utilize the time they are already paid, for a specific task. I would expect a 24 hour notice of such a change to allow the crews to schedule their afternoons better, but a 21 employee grievance for the Harassment Test on a regular workday? Troy, Bart, you’re working against the taxpayers, not just the Mayor here.

Sottile was quoted: "In these difficult economic times, it is hard to justify to the residents of the city compensating these employees for a full day of work when they are released early."

"I support suspending stint work when the city needs the workers," Sottile said. "As we progress through time I believe stint work should eventually be removed to allow the employees to perform the work that is needed on a daily basis."

If “Stint” were to be eliminated, the refuse crews would be able to slow down and would diminish the physical ailments that are associated with rushing through a tough job; thus decreasing the sick time for employees recovering from those ailments.

Maybe this is the time Jim, but come to our table and lets assess the options before we are asked to memorialize our thoughts.

KINGSTON'S DISCRIMINATION POLICY

During Wednesday’s meeting of Laws & Rules, we discussed the Sexual Harassment case that has plagued the DPW Department and City Hall for months.

The Human Rights director, Tawana Washington, said that the final report was nearly complete. Alderman Charlie Landi jumped in first, asking that the Aldermen get a copy as soon as it is finalized. Hoffay echoed the opinion as did the rest of the Council.

We all feel, as Landi was quoted, that the public should know what we’ve spent all this money on in court. The outcome, should be aired out regardless of the commission’s verdict. However, the Mayor disagrees.

On another note, Tom Hoffay, with some verbal inspiration from me, proposed changes in some language in the “protected class” descriptions.

The original language states in section one; unlawful to discriminate based on sex, right in the first paragraph. That has been changed to: unlawful to discriminate against Gender, Gender Identity, and so on. The word SEX has been relegated to a verb only in this context.

Also added to the long list of “protected class” descriptions is the term, sexual orientation. Although it is included in the New York State statute on non-discrimination, we had it placed front-and-center with the rest.

As you will recal, Gov Pataki signed the SONDA legislation years ago. It has altered the employment landscape here in NY since. The security of employees who are or perceived to be gay/lesbian in the workforce has caused a noticable decrease in employee dismissal and diminished sick time.

I expect to see a better workforce serving in our DPW as a result of the revised Non-Discrimination Policy as well as the harassment course everyone took. Take these tough lessons to heart and be mindful of your co-workers boundries.

CARELESS CHOICE OF WORDS

Oh Junior, what have you done now?

This war of words among Republican leaders is quite revealing. To see the end of this story play out, I need a front row seat. I better pull up another garbage can and get comfortable.

Each of the members of the Council have bad days, and we take turns pissing off other members sometimes with a vengeance. But the dirty mouth will bring you down every time.

To maintain your equanimity during all frustrating moments in any confrontation is our biggest challenge, and having any level of training in the world of public speaking, like a lawyer, should give anyone the edge on control. This tit-for-tat (I got tit in my article) between Teetsel and Cahill is unfortunate, but the hypocrisy in the timing is what gets me.

Rich, a word of advice, learn when not to jump into an issue. What is going on in DPW and City Hall regarding sexual harassment and the administration is no-longer a laughing matter. Your past comments will sting for a while, and people will snicker at you for a few months, but your source of income depends on respect in the court room.

Teetsel is correct in pointing out the double standard that Cahill has offered the public. When the allegations of sexual harassment were leveled against city employees, Rich should have stepped back and watched rather than inject himself into something no-outsider can help.

I don’t condone the actions of anyone harassing co-workers or in the home or in public, and I even recognize the harassment can work both ways, but leading the cause for the purpose of making personal headlines is sad at best.

Lets get back to what matters most to City residents…Jobs, Taxes and Safety.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLASS 101

Little by little, the City of Kingston is becoming a model city. It wasn’t too long ago that our image was that of Old School “Good Ol’ Boys” Politics and Ethnic ties took priority over good sense.

With the recent past city wide protest of the “White Supremist” rally and the significant upgrade to our Human Rights Mission, we see signs of maturity.

Now, through unfortunate circumstances, we have implemented Sexual Harassment Classes and all city employees are ordered to take them. What transpired between city employees is unfortunate and until the case is settled, all parties involved have soul-searching to do.

Demonstrations in support of administrative action, are a good civic exercise and allows an emotional release for the public. The gathering at City Hall showed us there were issues of concern either real or imagined by our citizens regarding the speed of the investigations. I would remind everyone that this process is slow and of an intimate nature. Calling for resignations or firings at this stage is premature.

Regarding the classes, the Mayor said in the Freeman: "I do not believe this training has ever been offered by any administration in the past or that any type of training of his nature took place." I have to agree that we have not offered such classes, but there should be a degree of civil discourse in any workplace. Our hiring practices have changed significantly since Sottile took office.

The Mayor was quoted: “There are two sides to every story.” Again, even though Jim and I haven’t been speaking, I have to agree with this as well.

All of us have heard that the “fake breast” (I can’t believe I just wrote that) had been in the DPW offices since the mid 90s and the banter between the employees involved has escalated in the last year. So where does truth end and storytime begin? I don’t know and neither do you.

CSEA MEMBERSHIP HAVE A VOICE

Only days ago, DPW Superintendent Steve Gorsline received an envelope with an abundance of paper folded in it. His first thoughts were, oh no, this cant be good.
But to his amazement, it was.

There has been trouble brewing within the City of Kingston members of CSEA, their leadership and the department heads. Because of incidents in the recent past, the animosity has escalated to a palpable point and very few think they see an easy way out.

Back to the envelope: The papers were a petition signed by almost 100 members of CSEA from the DPW and City Hall. There is little I can say to this, so I will just Post the actual petition…
_______________________________
To: Danny Donohue; Pres CSEA
143 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12210

Dear Mr Donohue;

As members, we write to you regarding the City of Kingston CSEA. Over the last several months, it has become increasingly obvious that out Union President, Bart Robbins and Vice President, Troy Ashdown are acting from a personal agenda which is harmful to the rank and file.

The Superintendent of Public Works, Steve Gorsline has held this position for more than 10 years. His entire career is rooted in the DPW where he rose from laborer status to his current position over a period of more than 34 years. He has been accessible to the public and the employees and until recently, neither his ability nor his sense of fairness been questioned. He was Vice President of CSEA for 9 years, representing the employees in good faith and did his job well. To sum it up, he knows his job, and is conscientious about his responsibilities.

The animosity Mr. Robbins and Mr. Ashdown initially showed toward the current administration has been prevalent for quite some time. When the candidate they chose (with very little input from our membership) lost the election in November 2007, that attitude shifted to the DPW Superintendent where their prejudice escalated. They have launched an ongoing criticism of him and his operationof the department through the local media without thorough research of their information and minimal consultation with us in the union.

Many of us feel their self-serving vindictive attitude and their over all approach is detrimental to us. While they are publicly airing their perceived complaints of Mr. Gorsline, they are demeaning the opinion that the public has of our members who are hard working and dedicated to their jobs. It seems that, if you agree with them, they will fight for you. If your problem does not fit their agenda, it often goes without adequate response and/or resolution.

We approach you for advice and possible assistance. We want our Union to live up to its reputation. As long as Mr. Robbins and Mr. Ashdown continue to head this Union, reputation suffers in the public eye and within our ranks. We know that new leadership can turn that around, but what can we do prior to the next scheduled union election?

We urgently await your reply and we thank you.
___________________________________

Well, there it is. I know for every witness to an incident there is a different recollection of the same event. Im sure Giz has buried himself in work, the Mayor is hiding from reporters and the employees have their own stories to tell, but where will this go?

Someone asked me to get in the mix on this harassment issue. Posting this petition is as far as I will go, and I don’t think opinions from us Bloggers will help any. Let the courts decide, until then…get back to work!