Way to go Ron Davis!
How long before some Unions complain?
Posted on 05/26/2012 2:29:15 PM PDT by matt04
The ragged-looking grass growing up around the veterans’ monument in the center of Avalon Park was getting on Ron Davis’ nerves.
That’s why on Friday Davis, who lives across from the park on Revere Street with his wife Barbara, paid a contractor $175 from his own pocket to cut the grass in time for Memorial Day.
“I’m not angry at the city,” Davis said. “I just got sick of looking at it.”
Patrick J. Sullivan, director of Springfield parks, buildings and recreation management, said he’s also sick of looking at unkempt parks.
But budget constraints have forced him to prioritize. He’s only been able to mow around children’s playgrounds and athletic fields and a few smaller parks, particularly those at or near entrances to the city like on State Street or Island Pond Road.
All the terraces will be mowed at least twice during June, before the city’s budget year runs out. After that, he hopes to get more inmate crews from the Hampden County Correctional Center or crews of horticulture students from Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy.
Sullivan said he’s gotten a lot of complaints and he welcomes people to call in. He knows of other neighbors who, like Davis, have taken matters into their own hands. He thanked everyone, including Davis, for their efforts and asked that he be made aware of what people are doing. That way he can direct resources to parks that don’t have neighborhood benefactors.
(Excerpt) Read more at masslive.com ...
Way to go Ron Davis!
How long before some Unions complain?
How long until someone’s arrested for contracting labor in a public park without a permit? Or for the crime of removing debris without a permit?
I mean, seriously, we all know what’s going on... Priority one: Feed the looting of the public funds by funneling money off to pensions and health care for public employees. Priority two: Funnel money to any organized public employee labor.
Priority Last: Anything that could be used to justify raising taxes yet again - cut library hours (but still pay staff), don’t mow parks (but still pay for county employees who are supposed to do it..)
I’ll bet he’s violated all kinds of nanny regulations. We can’t let him get away with it!
I was expecting to read that the unions either got him arrested or sued him for doing work that was supposed to be done by union people.
Unions are going to go postal on him.
It’s a weekend, so I don’t think there will be a complaint until Monday, but I am sure there will be one.
He’ll be fined, at the very least.
For a $175 I would have liked to see what it looked like before!
And yes, now that it is in the news, the unions, OSHA, etc. will get involved. If not, this would be a great opportunity for an “after school” program. Get the kids out there working and helping their community.
Tuesday, Monday is a holiday.
I bet there’s hundreds of people on welfare/funemployment who are just waiting around for something constructive to do.
Thank you Mr. Davis, that’s a wonderful Memorial Day story. It’s a great way to honor veterans.
maybe the connecticut river valley can be taken back from hell after all.
Not to be critical, but if it bothered me that much I would toss the mover in the trunk & mow it myself...
budget constraints??
more like budget priorities
priority must go to items of public good FIRST... like mowing parks, paving roads, etc
SECOND would be paying for all those pensions (what a freakin scam)
How about letting the thousands of new able-bodied food stamp recipients fill in the gaps, in exchange for additional food stamps? (We know our pathetic Socialist courts would never allow them to have to work for the basic food stamp allocation.)
Wonder how many would show up to apply for that program?
He’ll be cited for obstructing municipal inaction. Hats off to him, though.
Hey good on Ron Davis. Might be a good idea for Tea Party groups. Find a disheveled city park or venue, then have local TP volunteers go in and tidy it up. In return the city gives TP full access to hold rallies at no cost or fees.
We used to mow the bar ditches along the road but now we are forbidden and they only mow once or twice a year.
Away with unkempt parks!
Every park should be kempt!
“How long until someone’s arrested for contracting labor in a public park without a permit?”
I’ve wondered the same thing, because here in NJ things are much worse; we’ve gone from road surfaces that resemble Mogadishu to foliage covering “Stop” signs. Rather than do an honest day’s work, our public works employees seem to have slowed down even more than before in an effort to get their laid-off buddies back on the job. Due to Governor Christie’s tax cap, that isn;t going to happen...
“How about letting the thousands of new able-bodied food stamp recipients fill in the gaps, in exchange for additional food stamps?”
I thought the last time this was raised politicians thought that it would be “demeaning”; what kind of message does that send to the people that do this work for their livelihood?
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