City of Columbia Street Department Workers repair the driveway.
By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher
City of Columbia workers were resurfacing a private driveway this morning on Church Street, but Mayor Reed Houston said everything was done legally.
Houston said city workers accidentally cracked the resident’s driveway several months ago while repairing a water leak on Church Street. According to Houston, a city worker had pulled a back hoe into the driveway while repairing the water leak, and the weight of the machine cracked the drive.
The worker was operating the back hoe from the driveway to keep from blocking the street while making the repairs to the water leak, the mayor noted.
The mayor said the city was obligated to fix the driveway after cracking it. Houston did not know a cost on the project but said it was minimal, adding that city workers did the repairs with the only cost being concrete.
Poor mayor! He has to justify everything. Ridiculous that folks have time to be so nosey.
You are right. When it’s tax payers dollars you have to be nosey.
not so daisyheadmaisie:
) experienced City workers using tax-payer funded equipment, payroll, and materials in the past, do you think he would have jumped out to let it be publicly known about this little situation OR feel as if he had better justify any actions?
POOR MAYOR having to justify everything?? Really?!?!? Why do YOU suppose he may have to justify his actions to the PEOPLE of the community for which he SERVES?
Last time I checked, correct me if I am wrong now, Columbia is NOT the personal Kingdom of Houston! He is nothing more than an ELECTED official! I try to reassure myself that those who made their “mark” by his name were only due to Elmer Fud’s not being a choice on the ballot!
If City Workers did accidentally crack a citizen’s drive, then it is absolutely the responsibility of the City to take care of the situation! However, why do YOU seem to not believe that poor ole Mayor Reed Houston has to justify himself to the citizens of Columbia in the 1st place? If he had NOT( unknowingly
I agree with the other comments saying that it is appropriate for citizens to question what is done with tax payer money. However, the mayor answered the question…it is legal…it is justified… so that should be suffice.
I wish they would just repair my sidewalks!
NorthMainResident:
There are side-walks on North Main? Oh, you must mean that tiny stretch from the red-light to the rail road tracks which needs a bridge over it due to shoddy work! The City needs to create side-walks for the entire North Main area. The number of people forced to walk in the street in order to travel by foot in this area is almost a hazard in itself both to the walker and driver.
I wonder if anyone on North Main is “owed” any favors…maybe then a safe passage could be provided for pedestrians? Anybody, anybody???
Well, maybe there should be justification for the heavy equipment being on the sidewalk in the first place. I would think the supervisor of that crew should have known that heavy equipment will crack any old driveway. OH, it’s just taxpayers money.
The article stated that theheavy equipment was pulled into the drive so that traffic would not be blocked. Had traffic been delayed because the equipment was in the street, the gripes and complaining would never end-people would want to know why the worker did’nt pull the machine out of the street.Seems like a no win situation.Either way, someone will complain.
@ JUST WONDERING
I would suppose that people might complain if they block the street for hours or “waste” tax payer money when they take the time to travel back and forth to a “suitable” turn around spot every five seconds. Common sense please!
Like I said, someone will complain-everyone doe not have commen sense.
the city did not fix my yard when one of the trucks turned around in it and left big ruts
Did you request repairs or file a complaint? If not and the damage is still evident they would probably put it on their schedule and repair it when it could be scheduled… It never hurts to ask and the workers won’t routinely report report (what they consider) minor damages.
I read these “articles” every now and then and I am baffled as to why the comments are anonymous. Is our city population just completely gutless? If you have something to say, say it and don’t hide behind a pseudonym.
Josh, I am wondering why you did not talk to the home owner to find out how much trouble it was, if any, to get the city to fix their mistake.
Of course if it took “an act of congress” to get it to happen, then the “anonymous anti-city government commentators” would have had a decision. “Do we complain because they fixed it or do we complain because they took so long to fix it?”
Fixing the broken driveway is the right thing to do. We all know this.
It is probably just me but reading through the articles in the “Informer” I get the feeling that important information is being left out because. I have no idea why but I hope it is not because leaving out important information makes the articles more sensational.
For example, had the homeowner in this case gotten a swift and courteous response from the city and we had been told this, the article would have been more accurate and significantly less sensational.
Or if the Mayor had been asked about preventing such expense in the future and said that he had met with the crew supervisor and they had come up with a plan of action to prevent this sort of thing in the future. Yep, even less sensational.
I just never feel like I have seen the whole story when I read an article here.
Throughout this site, anonymous people spout off opinions as if they were facts. This is usually counterproductive especially if the true facts could have been included in the article to begin with.
The “Informer” can be a great benefit to us all in Marion County but until the stories contain ALL of the available facts and not just the controversial ones it is not going to be the best that it can be.
Readers, lets try to help. When you read an article and would really like to know something else, post the questions here so Josh can start thinking about asking such questions for future articles. That way, we can help him see what information we need. Don’t be ugly just say something like,
“Josh, thanks for bringing this to our attention. I would like to have known if the homeowner had any problems getting the city to fix the driveway and if the city has taken any steps to prevent such accidents in the future. Keep up the good work”
But put your name. This hiding behind cute names is really silly.
Marvin Adams:
First of all, if you are offended by article presentation in the Informer, you do realize it is NOT your only source for the news in Columbia!
Obviously, you may also require assistance you with reading comprehension since you appear to only be able grasp to the idea that we, “anonymous anti-city government commentators,” are only posting vicious “anti-city government” attacks! I am sure a few of us can give facts if needed but, for the most part, it is strictly our views/opinions!
Do not pretend to be sanctimonious by indicating that by not using a pseudonym makes you a brave little boy! It makes you appear as if you are hoping to gain a few “brownie points” with the group we, in your opinion, so viciously oppose! Are we to believe that you are this audacious wonder meant to amaze and mystify simply because you post with your name?
Personally, I could care less what your opinion is when it comes to my use of a pseudonym on the Informer, due to the FACT that life is filled with essential AND non-essential people. In my little world, want to guess where your opinions concerning my choice to use a pseudonym falls?
I AGREE THAT SOME THINGS ARE LEFT OUT CAUSE PLACING EVERYTHING OUT ON THE TABLE SOMETIMES DOESN’T GET PEOPLE TO READ IT.
PUT YOUR NAME AND LOSE YOUR JOB IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE A CITY OR COUNTY EMPLOYEE. THAT IS PROBABLY WHY NAMES AREN’T SIGNED. APPARENTLY MR. ADAMS JUST DOES NOT UNDERSTAND.
I wonder if an GED would have kept the heavy machinery from cracking the driveway…..
I’m Just Sayin…..
Well while they are out doing this Columbia needs to look into repaving roads that are dangerous …..( Tanglewood Dr.) we have requested the supervisor to come look at it all they say is we will!!!! This has been over 6 months!!!
IF YOU DON’T Live ON SUNSET DRIVE OR RIDGEWOOD YOU CAN FORGET SEE HOW QUICK THE AREA AROUND THE MAYOR’S HOUSE GOT PAVED HMMM WONDER HOW THAT HAPPEN . I bet if you ask city hall they would tell you it was Rusty’s fault and I know several people that works for the city without a G.E.D. I guess Mr.Louge wasn’t one of the good ole boyzs or in there click
Maybe because rusty and anyone else that works for the city must comply with the bosses wishes-that being the mayor and aldermen.
Who is Rusty? Is he the person to see for an “accidental” side-walk installation/repair for North Main?
Rusty’s fault? Not hardly! I see that boy all over Columbia trying his hardest to make our streets safe, clean, and up to par. A friend got mad because Rusty would not do him a “favor” with city equipment. He seems to be doing his best to do his job- unlike a lot of the others.
As for the GED- not everyone working for the city has to have a GED, just certain positions. And all positions, if you read the newspaper you will see, have to be hired by the board of aldermen and mayor.
Was there any proof it was city equipment that cracked the drive way? ( Pictures)What if the crack was already there and the owner just saw an opportunity to get his driveway fixed at the taxpayers expense. The area repaired looks a little far off the street to be done by a backhoe fixing a leak in the street.
This type of thing can become an epidemic. If the city fixes everything that they get blamed for doing without any proof Then the city will be constantly fixing private property.Taxes will go up and everyone will suffer.
Maybe thats why it takes the city so long to do a repair. Their afraid of all the accusations that follow.
The attitude will soon be “If we need something fixed on our personal property let’s just wait until the city is working near by and blame them and we will get it fixed for free!!!!!”
Actually, I am not really the Marvin Adams from the above posts I am just making a point. I could very well have said something inflamatory on this message board, and no one would have know if I was the “real” Marvin Adams. Though I appreciate Mr. Adams sentiments, the position he is supporting is a very slippery slope. The right and importance of anonymous speech has been upheld in the courts on numerous occassions. This one, I think, sums it up nicely:
1995 Supreme Court ruling in McIntyre v. Ohio Elections
“Protections for anonymous speech are vital to democratic discourse. Allowing dissenters to shield their identities frees them to express critical, minority views . . . Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority. . . . It thus exemplifies the purpose behind the Bill of Rights, and of the First Amendment in particular: to protect unpopular individuals from retaliation . . . at the hand of an intolerant society.”