Lincolnite

Buried in Deena Winter's column today is a quick bit of info that the City would love to spend $1 million in federal cash on sixteen new "digital message signs". Really? That's one of our transportation infrastructure priorities? I think we can do better. As far as I've been able to tell, the few message signs scattered around town do nothing. I have seen exactly one of them turned on exactly one time. Is it really worth $62k per sign to never use the things? The portable signs now often used throughout the city seem like a better deal. They can convey just as much information, but since they are portable they can be placed wherever they are most convenient. I like that they can be placed along parade and road race routes as needed, for example. I have also seen them strategically placed in specific neighborhoods to announce public meetings relevant to that area (i.e. upcoming sewer line work). If we do splurge for the unnecessary permanent signs, I hope we can at least put them to good use. I'm thinking Burma Shave ads for the morning commute.

It's official: the City of Lincoln is out over $5 million -- not including lost tax revenue -- and all we have to show for it are two damn parking lots. Catalyst One's death isn't much of a surprise, but it is a huge disappointment. It represents a tremendous failure of City government on par with the largest failures Lincoln has ever seen. This day is historic for all the wrong reasons. Lincolnites should be livid. This kind of misadventure is not acceptable. Millions of dollars are lost, businesses have been disrupted, and public confidence -- not something Lincolnites have an excess of -- will take a beating. Mayor Beutler had this to say:

The mayor’s job is to prioritize need and carefully assess the city’s capacity for new commitments. Lincoln’s taxpayers can be assured that I take that responsibility extremely seriously and will not let our dreams surpass our ability to responsibly finance them in light of such a challenging economy.

Those are timely words, considering one of Beutler's dreams is due to come to a vote in 2009.

Lincoln has crossed the line to buck fifty gas. The current lowest listed price is $1.47 for midgrade at Sam's on North 27th. The lowest price for regular -- my fuel of choice -- is $1.51 at the same location. Who knows, we may soon be able to drive like it's 1999.

I need a history lesson. Can anybody explain to me how firefighting became a political profession? That's not a local question; firefighting has been political in the United States for years. How did that happen, and when? Locally there have been many political spats involving firefighters. The latest involves the City Council's disapproval of a new labor contract. Yesterday's discussions on the topic even turned catty, according to Deena Winter. Hmm, Catty Councilmembers Discuss? The LJS should look into it. Anyway, it would be helpful to have lesson on the history of politics in firefighting so we can better understand why these spats continue to pop up. Can any of you fill in some of the gaps, even piecemeal?

If the Country Club neighborhood gets its "Historic" designation, commuters' dreams of a wider South 27th Street may be dashed for good. Not that the odds are looking all that great anyway. The political will needed to annoy the residents of the neighborhood isn't present in City Hall, and there's no sign that it ever will be. I very, very rarely drive on the two-lane stretch of South 27th Street, except for the small length between Sheridan and South Streets. What's your assessment of the need to widen that stretch of road?

I used to follow the weather religiously. Today I was surprised to read that there may be six inches of snow on the ground by tomorrow. That sort of news never used to sneak up on me. I'm excited for Robbie to see his first "big" snow. He saw snow last year, of course, and even played in it a bit. But he'll "get it" much more this year. Hopefully Lincoln's drivers "get it" a little better than they did with last week's dusting. Then again, I find six inches of snow easier to drive on than a thin glaze of ice. At least you can see what you're up against.

In some rare positive budget news, Lincoln now has $1.4 million in "free" money. Well, sort of. Mayor Beutler wants to sell the idea that the money spontaneously appeared from under the couch cushions. His idea is that we the taxpayers had already assumed the money was gone, so we may as well continue to treat it that way. We could put it toward preventing budget gaps if other tax revenues disappoint. Unfortunately for Beutler, it's not that simple. The folks who gave that $1.4 million -- you and me -- may very well want it back. After all, it was earmarked for a specific use, a use for which it is no longer needed. Parents, if you gave your kid fifty bucks to buy clothes for school and instead he came home with a video game, would you be pleased? I do understand Mayor Beutler's point. There are a whole bunch of things Lincoln could spend that $1.4 million on. Important, worthwhile things. Heck, I wouldn't mind putting an extra $1.4 million toward the City's critical infrastructure needs. Boring things like fixing streets and maintaining sewer lines. Or maybe even burying utility lines. I would happily (and selfishly) volunteer my neighborhood for that! But that's not what we gave the money for. I have more thoughts, but I need some more information first. Monday's City Council meeting should provide that. In the mean time, are you inclined to support Mayor Beutler's "let's keep it just in case" proposal?

While perusing Lincoln's snow plan, I noticed this paragraph:

The public right of way, including those areas between the sidewalk on both sides of most roadways, is owned by the City. Private property owners are allowed to place objects such as mailboxes, sprinkler systems, landscaping and driveways in the public right of way. Property owners are responsible for maintenance, replacement or any damages to the objects on City property caused by, but not limited to, snow removal, street sweeping or other City activities.

If a City vehicle runs down my mailbox, I'm responsible? Well that stinks. Some 20 years ago City snowplows had a habit of mutilating my parents' mailbox. In at least one case I know they replaced the mailbox at the City's expense. I may have been naive in assuming that was the official policy. Maybe the policy has changed, or maybe my parents just put up a big enough fuss due to the repeated occurrences. Now I'm curious just how far the City can and does take its exemption from responsibility. Does the City ever pay for damage done to turf or property in the right of way? What if the damage-doer is performing "City activities" on a contract basis? How about refuse companies which, although private, are in many ways doing important "City activities"? Perhaps some of you with experience in these things can chip in some thoughts.

Tomorrow's Star City Holiday Parade may be a little chilly, but overall the weather forecast doesn't look half bad. The fifty entries step off at 11:00am. If you go, don't forget that the parade route has been reversed this year. Here's more information. I still haven't decided if I'll be taking Robbie to the parade. I have a ton of work to get done this weekend, but I know Robbie would have a blast. There's also the question of whether or not we should take the bus Downtown. It adds some transportation time and inflexibility, but tomorrow is as good a time as any to take Robbie on the bus for the first time. Are any of you participating in the parade this year? How many of you plan to go watch the parade?

I'm sure many of you were annoyed by the slick roads yesterday. Wasn't that weekly application of brine solution supposed to prevent such a thing? Well, it turns out they skipped last week:

The city normally lays down the mixture, which acts as an anti-ice agent, on arterial streets and bridges each Wednesday and Thursday. However, the city didn’t apply the solution last Thursday because of Thanksgiving, Tiedeman said. And although the city did lay down the mixture over bridges on Tuesday, rain and snow flurries over the weekend had washed the solution off of the the arterial streets.

That's not going to help Public Works's image any. Besides, they make a great scapegoat. I wasn't on the roads -- my morning commute is a 20-second walk -- but I've been around long enough to know how easy it is to laugh off a puny snow like we had. All it takes is one "It's not so bad!", a small hill, and a quick brake light in front of your car, and BAM! It is much easier to lay the blame on a faceless government body than to admit to driving improperly in the conditions. That's not to let off Public Works free and clear. You can't lead the public to believe a certain amount of prevention is going on, skip a week, then cross your fingers and hope nobody notices without getting called on it. This tiny little event -- and it is tiny -- is nowhere near the level of boobery that surrounded the infamous New Year's fiasco of a couple years ago. But there is a striking similarity in that crews napped on a holiday and a weather event forced an unflattering spotlight upon them. I don't want to pay overtime if I don't have to, so I'm not suggesting that City crews work a regular shift, holidays be damned. But if the brine solution could have prevented many of yesterday's accidents, then it should have been applied before or after the Thanksgiving holiday. On the other hand, if the brine solution would not have been effective at preventing many of yesterday's fender-benders, making last Thursday's missed application a non-event, just what good is it?

Are there any Midwest Seafood (just south of 48th and Highway 2) customers out there? A few days ago I noticed for the first time that the sign now says Surf and Turf. I haven't had a chance to investigate. Does anyone know if it is the same owner with a new store name (and, presumably, new products)? Or has the business changed hands?

Looks like Councilman Doug Emery may propose banning Dumpster diving in Lincoln. That sound you hear is the collective groan of Lincoln's college students as they realize they may soon lose their primary source of affordable home furnishings. The U.S. Supreme Court has said that garbage left out for trash pick-up is, for all intents and purposes, public property as far as the Constitution is concerned. What you throw out is mine to snoop through. I hope you're adequately destroying all those bank records, incriminating receipts, and embarrassing prescription medication packages. The City, however, could come in and extend your privacy rights to include your garbage up to some arbitrary point (i.e. its collection by authorized personnel, its arrival at the dump, or whatever). Or it could tighten trespassing laws to prevent unauthorized access to garbage containers. There's nothing stopping the City from banning the act. The question is, should the act be banned? Dumpster diving, as the term is commonly understood, usually refers to an informal recycling and/or reuse program. To that extent it's hardly a bad thing. But, although I don't have much experience with folks digging through my trash, I can imagine a number of negatives come with the neutrals and positives: shady characters, littering, and so on. Now that this is on my mind I'm all paranoid about the stuff in my trash I might not want anybody to find. Excuse me while I go pulverize the contents of my garbage can into a fine powder.

Our mission is to put individuals, organizations and businesses together to make Lincoln, Nebraska the greenest city in the USA!

That's a mighty lofty goal the folks behind Lincoln Green Scene have set out for themselves. But what do I know? A little passion can go a long ways. Hat tip: beerorkid

A few weeks ago I mentioned that my garage door opener had gone kablooey. Here's a quick follow-up for those of you who may be in a similar situation one day: After a little research I ended up going with a Craftsman 1/2 horsepower chain-drive opener from Sears. The box included the opener; mounting hardware; primary console with light switch; wireless keypad; safety sensors; and two 3-button remotes for our vehicles. On sale the package cost me about $150. So far it has worked flawlessly. The unit is notably quieter than our previous opener. In fact, I'm glad I didn't shell out the extra bucks for a screw- or belt-driven opener, both of which are supposedly even quieter. I can't imagine the difference would be all that great. We also opted to have Sears install the unit. The decision was a gamble. At $120, the installation service nearly doubled the cost of the opener. But how long would it take me to remove the old opener and hardware and install the new equipment? And what if I screwed it up? In the end it was clearly the correct decision. The installer showed up on time, removed the old equipment, and installed the new opener and all the related accessories. I don't know exactly how long it took him, but I know it was longer than two hours. (He had to leave at one point to fetch something he had forgotten.) He gets bonus points from me for neatness. For me, the hassle-free installation was worth the extra money. It would have cost me much more -- in terms of time and stress -- to have attempted it on my own. So it's all smiles and lollipops in the Wilson garage for now. I will, of course, follow up again if the whole thing comes crashing down onto our cars. Next project: remodeling the bathroom.