The Observation Deck

Jeff Dreger wrote:Wife just got home and reported that outside of Lakewood the roads were good - just wet - but that in Lakewood the roads were largely still lousy. We don't get why.

Jeff,

Mike Summers ran for City Council and was appointed Mayor based, in large part, on his belief that government should behave more like business.

Then Mike changed his belief and blogged, “Why doesn't government behave more like business?” See http://lakewoodmayor.blogspot.com/2012/ ... -like.html.

Why the sudden epiphany?

Because if his administration behaved like a business, Mike would have been fired.

If you paid a private company to do much of the work Mike’s administration does, you would terminate that private company.

You wouldn’t continue to tolerate excuses for the private company’s repeated failure to perform.

And, yet when Mike’s administration fails to perform time after time, folks always give him a pass.

“Mike is nice, but …”

“He tries hard, but …”

“He can tweet, but …”

This is our money.

We elected these people.

While they might not always represent us individually, they always work for us collectively.

Matt

Sorry to be the proverbial (literal?) johnny-come-lately, but I was busy snowblowing and shoveling many of Lakewood's fine establishment's sidewalks.

Just as a quick fyi, this is a picture from yesterday at 3:10 in the afternoon on Madison at Atkins. This is a main drag and it's pretty snow covered 11 hours after the first crews went out. The side streets were much worse off at this time. I was up and down them all day long. I spent all day returning to my clients, (Drug Mart Plaza, Lakewood Furnace block, LCCC, apartment complexes) and I kept up with the snow. And I'm only one man. It can be done.

In the Mayor's response, I have to respectfully disagree.

3) We plow and salt side streets sufficiently to make 25MPH speeds safe. We do not scrape side streets clean until all major arteries are clear, usually in 2nd 24 hour period after the snow has fallen. This strategy reflects plowing and salting’s impact on road maintenance and environmental concerns.

Would you travel 25mph down Madison at this time? I sure wouldn't. It's not safe to do it. And it's about future road maintenance and "environmental concerns". I fear that means they do less plowing and salting to adhere to some study by someone or group with a one-size-fits-all theory or cost-benefit analysis. How's trying to fit Real Life into some researchers box workin' out for ya?

I think the City's responsibilities need to be focused on the S's. Streets, Sewers, Safety, Sanitation, Schools. When financial times get tough, hard choices need to be made. The ancillary things need to be paired back or the City is at even greater risk of deterioration - both infrastructure and image.

Also, btw. Riverside/West Clifton/Rt. 237 is the exception to the snow plowing rule. My family lived on it for 25 years. It gets special attention because it's a State route. We were always clear to get out of the driveway.

Just puttin' in my 2 cents worth. Now to prepare to get hammered again tomorrow. I doubt this conversation will end here...

Update...

Excerpt from wife's email sent just after she got to work today around 1pm.

"Lakewood needs to get a grip on their plowing. Every other city I drove through had roads that were fine (including Cleveland!). "

It seems the old axiom is being turned on its head: "You can tell when you get to Lakewood as the roads are NOT clean and plowed."

I have to admit that I did drive on 2 nicely cleared streets today, Detroit and Larchmont. It is obvious that the city has the ability to clear the snow down to the pavement so your tires are making contact with actual road. Now we just need to find out why it is happening on so few streets. I took Clifton to the shore-way to downtown this afternoon and Cleveland has really committed to using more salt or something, it was almost night and day difference.

If city hall is going to continue this very limited commitment to clearing streets I just wish we would get a list of streets that are safe to drive on. I am sure someone has that list, it can't be random.

Any thoughts on how we can get it?

I agree Clifton being OK on the Cleveland side, and pretty slippery on the Lakewood side. I guess salt would be the reason.

Another suggestion has been posited.

The EPA has already visited Lakewood, and there are rumors that an expensive fix may be being held over the City's head if issues regarding our "pollution" are not addressed. I can imagine quite easily that salt could be considered an undesirable 'pollutant' being dumped into the Lake and Rocky River. Since we're a much larger City than the surrounding suburbs (and Cleveland's broke...), we might be the biggest ox the EPA can gore about reducing pollutants.

Love to hear some thoughts from City Hall.

Not challenging, just asking...

3)      We plow and salt side streets sufficiently to make 25MPH speeds safe. We do not scrape side streets clean until all major arteries are clear, usually in 2nd 24 hour period after the snow has fallen. This strategy reflects plowing and salting’s impact on road maintenance and environmental concerns.

From: Tuttle, Michael
Sent: 01/06/14 02:47 PM
To: Tuttle, Michael

Subject: snow removal

As we all know, Lakewood is billed as a walkable city. It is up to us to make sure that businesses and homes [especially doubles] keep up with the ordinance [snow must be removed within 24 hours]. If you have a complaint, email Mary Simon at mary.simon@lakewoodoh.net She will inspect and site.

Mike

So businesses and homes, especially doubles, have to clear their snow within 24 hours or risk being cited. But the City can wait until, usually, the second 24 hours (which would be 48 hours...usually) before the side streets are scraped?

The section of Clifton from w117 to Cove where I turn south still had a lot of ice slicks on it this afternoon. That's a first in my 25 years here. Can someone from the city weigh in somehow? If there's a particular reason it would be good to know. Out in Willoughby along similar type main roads where I work, the roads were down to pavement yesterday.

I NEVER thought I'd ever complain about plowing in Lakewood. It's always been better than surrounding cities. Now, however, I am disappointed in the poor job. I just drove down a slippery, snow covered Riverside and passed a truck with the plow up and no salt was being laid down. Lights flashing and screaming by but they couldn't drop salt or plow?

I just got back from downtown and there was a startling contrast between cleveland and lakewood again driving on clifton. It is as if lakewood is rationing their salt supply.

I did drive down Gilbert just to see how it was, and while it wasn't salted either, it was freshly plowed... except for the sidewalks...

I just wish city hall directly addressed what is going on. I just keep hearing the same old "same plan for last 4 years" line.

HELL HAS FROZEN OVER!


This is not Hell, but the Emerald Canyon at the height of the storm today.

BUT

Grace O'MALLEY and Ryan SALO AGREE!!!!!!



The power of the Deck, and dedication to civic discourse.

After 11 years, they finally agreed on SOMETHING!

I am laughing my ass off.

It might have taken yet another failure of Lakewood services to do it.

But it was worth it.

I cannot wait for the next LO gathering and hope you both are there,

I am so happy right now.

.

Ryan Salo wrote:I did drive down Gilbert

I meant Wilbert, auto-correct..

3) We plow and salt side streets sufficiently to make 25MPH speeds safe. We do not scrape side streets clean until all major arteries are clear, usually in 2nd 24 hour period after the snow has fallen. This strategy reflects plowing and salting’s impact on road maintenance and environmental concerns.

As I took kids to school today I noticed that I did not even feel safe going 25 on Madison 12+ hours after the snow stopped....

I was hoping to talk with the mayor about this at the Y this morning but apparently the roads were not safe enough for him to make it today. The city must have just cleared the path from his house to city hall.

It was totally ridiculous and completely unacceptable this morning. I was going 15 or less while keeping a careful eye on distances but still almost went through Madison/Hilliard as it turned red with kids racing to cross. Dangerous. Too damn dangerous. This city is quickly becoming very unsafe to walk or drive in during the winter. I don't get it. This morning the pavement should have been wet at most. At least on the main drags and near schools. But there was slush everywhere and my ABS and no traction warning lights got a real workout. What's the explanation? Seriously - the official explanation?? No comment? Denying that it's that bad? Things used to be very different when we first moved here (even side streets would have been clean). I have a good car with good tires - granted not an SUV or truck - and I couldn't manage more than 15 anywhere without losing contact with the road. This is baloney!

Michael P. Summers @LakewoodMayor
East room of the White House just finished a dialogue with president Obama with U. S. conference of mayors

https://twitter.com/LakewoodMayor/statu ... 08/photo/1

Mayor Drinks & Dines with Prez as we slip and slide.

I called city hall and spoke with Pat, who is the manager in the streets division. He said it was his call to not have all the trucks out right now. He said it is because we have a shortage of salt. He said their supplier can not get us enough so he isn't sending the trucks out to even plow. I asked him to drive around the city to see how bad it is in certain parts. He agreed to look at it more.

WHAT?!#? We don't have salt so let's not even bother plowing?!?#!?

Heads need to roll.