Letters from Readers - March 6, 2013
"As a former employee of the City of Racine with 18 years of experience, I feel I have to address the way the snowplowing operation is being done — grade C at best.
"I worked under Buzz Meteyard, then Joe Golden. If you didn’t get the street clear curb to curb, you went back out and did it again. If you plowed too fast and pushed snow over the panel onto the sidewalk, you went out and shoveled. I live in West Racine on Illinois Street and the snow is 3 feet away from the curb. They plow so fast, they put snow over the panel, over the sidewalk and onto my front yard. You have to start from the first snow — curb to curb.
"I have plowed in every type of snow that can happen here. I also know the city has a younger crew now that a lot of the older guys are retiring, but that’s no excuse. Curb to curb means just that.
"When I left in 1979, the pay wage was $17.03 an hour. So I know these guys are making more than $22 an hour. Just think — time and a half — how much these guys are making.
"They should take pride in the job they’re doing for the public. If Bill Folstrom, general foreman, can’t get his supervisors to get their men to do the job right, maybe he should step down. I’m speaking from experience — you’re not getting the job done."
Read more: http://journaltimes.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-from-readers-regarding-haws-c-for-snowplowing-great-neighbors/article_09d128da-85ef-11e2-a9a6-0019bb2963f4.html
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8 comments:
I thought they were doing a crappy job, but dismissed it as being hypercritical. Now I'll agree: they're doing a poor job.
They had a guy in a front end loader type of vehicle doing my street during the first of the 2 large snowfalls. From the way it was being done, it looked like it was his first day on the job. He kept having to back up and go forward, and was raising and lowering the 2 sections of the plow like he didn't know how to make it work. The corners on the intersection were (and still are) a total mess. I felt bad for my neighbor on the corner, as the snow was pushed all the way past the sidewalk, up to his lawn area.
When I approached the closest major street to my house in the morning, there was a wall of snow across the intersection. It looked like someone got out and manually dug a space wide enough for one car to pass onto the major road. Thank goodness for the kindness of that person. I never would have made it through.
I was out late this afternoon. Side streets were still a mess and arterial streets were constricted to one lane by parked vehicles.
If you figure 2,080 hours in a work year, and then look at the wages for Drivers/Operators for The City of Racine the 2012 base is $64,000 - $71,000.
That's about $30 - $34 per hour, on the check. 2011 overtime is around $6,000.
Benefit packages are worth $30K+.
SO - the City is likely trying to keep overtime to a minimum.
I expect that if The City of Racine is successful with that Adopt a Streetlight Program, the Adopt a Street program won't be far behind.
Values entered: City of Racine
Drivers/Operators.
What we Pay
They were out again this morning widening the streets. I wonder if this enlightening conversation and the baf press had any effect on that decision?
Baf = bad. AUTO correct!
"Son of a Peter Murphy". Orb's that Is exactly my problem with Mauston. The City and County are both the same. Neither one knows how to plow. They throw the snow on MY sidewalk every year. I get so pissed off, you wouldn't believe It. STUPID people here, and ain't no mistaken It. They couldn't find the curb, unless beer was stacked on It.
The only place I've seen it cleared is on Wisconsin Ave. between the courthouse and Law Enforcement Center. I assume it's cleared by City Hall, but I don't go that way too often.
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