This is a report from a concerned neighbor:
A water pipe at the dog park has been broken for nearly 2 weeks, wasting water (with really good pressure) and presenting a safety hazard when the water freezes, which it does almost all the time now. The gate into the ‘big’ dog section is impassable, with or without boots, because of the ice and mud.
Numerous people have reached out to the city: to DPW, DPU, and others, including the 7th district council rep. By all reports, no one from the city has responded and no one has fixed the problem, which is, as above, both wasteful and dangerous. A conversation with a representative at the mayor’s office this morning resulted in a promise from that office that the situation would be taken care of. When asked, as a follow up to this complaint, how residents and taxpayers get response and/or action from city staffers at least, the Mayor’s rep stated that the situation is a known problem and that he has no answer for it except to document attempts, etc…and when all else fails, call the mayor’s office.
I didn’t tell the representative that even reaching out to the mayor doesn’t seem to work, that since Mayor Stoney’s been in place I’ve emailed him 8 times and never gotten even an acknowledgement…a situation I understand is pretty typical.
Here’s some video from today. It’s pretty wet, folks. Let’s get this pipe fixed!
Our Chimborazo Dog Park is a little wet…
Posted by Church Hill People's News on Tuesday, January 16, 2018
18 comments
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Email the tip lines to the 3 TV stations and tell them how unresponsive the city has been. Maybe you could get a story about city incompetence that would spur some folks to action.
Mayor Stoney would be embarrassed by this. So should Councilperson Cynthia Newbille though she generally doesn’t seem to care.
Really going out on a limb by trying to get a response from Newbille. Expecting a response from her is as naive as expecting your Amazon package to actually still be on your front porch when you get home.
I agree with Ray. Nothing lights a fire with city officials like news coverage. Local TV stations often pick up stories by reading neighborhood blogs and websites.
This is probably where someone calls one of the local problem solver news station tip lines…
NBC12 Curt Autry NBC12 take note and read the comments too on the CHPN page, as multiple attempts have been made to address this. This is a waste of resources and the city needs to respond.
How about the crater in the middle of the road right down the street from the dog park too. It’s Huge! On government rd. But hey, it’s Richmond government for you!
I’m going to back up Ray on this; whining to the city isn’t going to get squat done. I already emailed WTVR about this.
I just took a ride down to Bark Park (with my trusty flashlight and my water cut-off tool in hand). The City (or someone) has cut the water off. When it will be repaired is anyone’s guess.
Cynthia.newbille@richmondgov.com
So, it looks like it froze because the hose was still attached. What’s to stop it from refreezing again if the hose is just left on?
What’s the appetite for privately operating this park? It seems as is so often this case this was established with no eye to ongoing maintenance and support. DPW is clearly struggling under considerable demands on its resources.