City snow plows

[Jeff Dreger]

"we have a shortage of salt."

Is this true? How is this possible?

1. I have seen very little salt use so far this winter.

2. How do we not plan for having more than enough with contingency plans? How are we different from the cities that can and did?

We are not being represented well and we are not being served well. Gross mismanagement.

[Grace O'Malley]

Well it's obvious they aren't salting or plowing. Then why are the trucks driving around doing nothing, like I witnessed yesterday? This is a serious safety issue and I am angry. They have money for a stupid RC drone to play with but can't keep the streets somewhat clear? There's a lot of BS coming out of City Hall right now.

I stay in Lakewood in spite of being harassed by my friends who live elsewhere. If there's one thing that would make me give up and move, it's a decline in city services. That's the first step towards a city in decline.

[Jeff Dreger]

Beating a dead horse here I know but here's wife's morning report:

"Yes, roads in LKWD were ridiculously horrible. No excuse. Twice the amount of snow here in BCH and the roads are fine. Ridiculous. Still giant piles and chunks of snow all over LKWD roads. Avon was in better shape."

[Ryan Salo]

Beating a dead horse here I know but here's wife's morning report:

"Yes, roads in LKWD were ridiculously horrible. No excuse. Twice the amount of snow here in BCH and the roads are fine. Ridiculous. Still giant piles and chunks of snow all over LKWD roads. Avon was in better shape."

I think everyone needs to call Pat Lewis @ city hall and complain. The number to streets and forestry is 216-529-6810.

We need to force a chance through our collected voices.

[marklingm]

Keep calm and relax, folks.

Our new city manager will save the day.

Right, Steve Davis?

Right, Jim O'Bryan?

Right, "City Hall and Friends?"

[Jim O'Bryan]

Keep calm and relax, folks.

Our new city manager will save the day.

Right, Steve Davis?

Right, Jim O'Bryan?

Right, "City Hall and Friends?"

Matt

No let's just keep doing the same thing it is working so well.

I wonder if maybe the city has been cut so bad even a city manager couldn't fix it.

When you take a mostly residential city, an old city of homes and direct millions from the
neighborhoods into propping up friends businesses, while making drastic cuts to city services
maybe a tad too much blood letting even for a professional to stop the hemorrhaging.

I think we are pretty sure that amateurs dressed by the emperor in clothes like his have become
a recipe for disaster and mediocrity.

A couple months back an elected official tried to assure Ken and I that no one official could screw
up Lakewood so bad it could not be saved. At the time I agreed, but.

A half million dollars lost on our trees, for a friend. hundreds of millions into downtown for a
friends, more and more cuts for friends taxes, and pretty soon you are left with nothing. Or at
least nothing like what attracted 85% of the residents here in the first place. CLEAN with GREAT
CITY SERVICES.

.

[marklingm]

No let's just keep doing the same thing it is working so well.

I wonder if maybe the city has been cut so bad even a city manager couldn't fix it.

***

A couple months back an elected official tried to assure Ken and I that no one official could screw up Lakewood so bad it could not be saved. At the time I agreed, but.

Jim,

Elections have consequences.

Blame the person, not the position.

If this guy is the problem, then residents should just toss him out in the next election:



Photo by Jim O'Bryan


Lakewood was fine before Mike Summers took over as mayor.

And Lakewood will be fine once Mike leaves his throne.

Matt

[Jim O'Bryan]

With less plows on the roads and less drivers, the crews have been working hard around the clock.




.

[Danielle Masters]

Yesterday my husband and I drove over to the Target on 117th. The roads in Lakewood were horrible, snow everywhere, not a plow in site, big piles of snow and slush all down Madison. Once we hit 117th everything changed. The roads were clean, no snow or slush just nice black pavement. Last night the plows came up and down my street 6 times between 9 and midnight. It does not good to continue to push the snow around if you aren't going to salt, plus honestly they were just wasting gas because they got as much snow off the roads as they were going to. I sent an email complaining. Services are declining, taxes have gone up, please tell me why I should stay in Lakewood? And please don't say for the schools because we no longer use them. What will ultimately drive us away is the declining services, if my city isn't clean and neat I'll find one that is.

[Grace O'Malley]

Danielle

My feelings exactly. I was OK with high taxes because I felt I received good services in return here in Lakewood. With the trash pickup change and not keeping the roads up, I'm not too happy any longer.

It's pretty sad when you have to admit that Cleveland did a better job on the roads than Lakewood!

[Scott Meeson]

Services are declining, taxes have gone up, please tell me why I should stay in Lakewood? And please don't say for the schools because we no longer use them. What will ultimately drive us away is the declining services, if my city isn't clean and neat I'll find one that is.

Danielle,

Which taxes have gone up that you believe should continue to support the level of service that you expect?

Picture3.png (102.45 KiB) Viewed 3708 times

City Revenue.png (88.55 KiB) Viewed 3708 times

City Revenue 2.png (116.78 KiB) Viewed 3708 times

http://www.onelakewood.com/pdf/Finance%20Reports/2014_Lakewood_Comprehensive_Budget.pdf

Maybe it should be the city's turn to upgrade its share of the infinite tax resources that we have in Lakewood?

Scott

[Stan Austin]

With all due respect------- I drove down Madison and Detroit earlier. My average speed was between 24 and 26 miles per hour. In the summer time my average speed on those streets is about 28-32 miles per hour.
Use the same or less salt------drive carefully------ and wear mittens--- this is WINTER!!!!

[Jim O'Bryan]

Jeff

We live over one of the largest salt mines in the world. There cannot be a shortage. Perhaps
the city forgot to budget for salt in January, or taken a different tack, like many Scandinavian
countries and keep road plowed to 1" or 2".

I was thinking about rally in the snow, and when dry and cold its pretty driveable. With all of the cold
patches that pop with plowing, maybe, just maybe there a reason like that.

No matter, I got a tip that Rocky River was much better than Lakewood, and I have to admit, crossing
the Detroit Bridge it went from a mess to clear at the Border. But when I got a block off the business
areas, the snow was actually deeper on the side streets than in Lakewood.

See for yourself, Wander with Johnny Cash and U2.


Is driving on snow safe? Please watch...


.

[Danielle Masters]

Figures, honestly this is why I rarely come to this place anymore. As a taxpayer and homeowner I come here and say the roads are hell which they are. The roads in Cleveland are in better shape, or they were yesterday. I pay more in property taxes and city taxes than I did a few years ago and now my trash service sucks and the roads are awful in the winter. These are services that have gone down and I come here to vent my frustration and charts are thrown out. You know what I want, I want fricken clear roads like they used to be but what I don't want is to come to the deck anymore. Get over yourselves, Lakewood is going downhill and there is a reason very few folks post on the deck it isn't welcoming and it's all rah rah Lakewood. God forbid anyone brings up legitimate concerns and if they do and aren't part of the in crowd they get attack. Pathetic.

[Grace O'Malley]

Don't get upset Danielle. I'm with you and you are quite right about the roads AND the taxes. Trust me, most everyone I know is pissed about the road conditions. They just don't post on the Deck.

I'm not buying the idea that we are struggling and, that's why our roads aren't clean, because EVERY city has increased costs, yadda yadda. Every city has concerns over revenue but they manage to keep the roads clean.

They also manage to find salt, too.

BTW, even one of the youthful drivers in my household has complained about the roads. They were out today and traveled through RR, Westlake, and N. Olmsted. Guess who they said had the worst streets?