Greetings one and all !
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There is a Municipal Stormwater Management Department in Greeley. Ironically, stormwater management isn't one of the City of Greeley's strong points.
When it rains or snows in any significant volume, there are mini-floods here, there and everywhere through the city.
I don't know much about the sum of these unmanaged stormwater sites. I do know a lot about one in which loose stormwater wreaks havoc in the neighborhood adjoining 18th St. between the railroad tracks and U.S. Highway 85 Bypass.
Since 1988, my family and I have lived and worked along this stretch of road, which is also known as U.S. Highway 34 Business.
There is a pond of stagnant water behind the business next to ours. Sometimes, there's a pond of stagnant water on our property.
This water -- you can come and watch if you don't believe -- comes roaring east down 18th St., through industrial business establishments including a farm chemical plant. Its gravitational rush is practically unrestrained.
Some water is directed east to the 85 bypass, and goes through a diagonal culvert to the northeast side of the intersection and eventually to a river.
This small portion of the runoff is directed by an asphalt ''berm'' built by the city some years ago. This berm is intended to make up for a true stormwater sewer system which has never been established here.
But most of the stormwater follows the low route -- across our yard and driveway, across our neighbor's driveway and parking lot, around our business building and down into a mobile court to the south.
Why didn't we check this out before we bought the property? Fact is, we should have. But it isn't really a question one would usually ask, either: "Is there a stormwater drainage system here?" It's something we apparently took for granted, a system that should have been built 50 years ago, but wasn't.
Most of the shoulders along our part of the street are gravel, grown up in weeds. There is no such thing as a sidewalk, curb or gutter anywhere from the tracks to the highway. There are no safety features -- none -- to protect pedestrians here.
Eighteenth Street has major truck traffic. When heavy trucks go by our home or business, the dishes rattle on their shelves and the floors shake like an earthquake.
Why? Poor drainage over many years has basically destroyed the street surface. It's riddled with potholes, cracks and crevices and roughened by a multitude of patches.
A pond forms on 18th St. at Third Avenue -- a deep pond. In warm weather, vehicles splash huge waves up onto our front yard. In winter, the runoff freezes, forming a treacherous sheet of ice.
Have we, the ''concerned citizens'' of this neighborhood, tried to activate the city, to inspire some sort of official response to this deplorable condition?
We have a paper trail attesting to our futile attempts that goes back to 1990. We have a letter from the city engineer that says stormwater infrastructure on our little road would be "too difficult to engineer." (He really wrote that in a signed letter, and we kept it.)
We have a letter from City Councilman Ed Phillipsen instructing us not to write him any more letters. We have a letter from him suggesting our campaign is simply selfish. "Think about someone else besides yourselves,'' says Phillipsen.
At the suggestion of Mr. Phillipsen, I testified at two "neighborhood meetings" of the City Council. One time, my turn came right after the guy who blew up his own house and went flying across the neighborhood into a tree. My testimony was pale, somehow, that time.
Another time, I cut my own presentation short. I saw the councilmen's eyes wandering, up, left, down, but never to the right, never would they look to the east. "East" doesn't have much clout in Greeley, even for the councilman who is supposed to represent us.
We have photographs and documents. We have had no response at all from the Weld County Health Department. Absolute silence has followed our plea.
The State Highway Department sort of yawned at the whole thing. One city official was openly disdainful of the mosquito abatement effort, claiming it is "just a public relations thing." He is the man in charge of mosquito abatement, but he doesn't believe in it.
Complicating this flood-and-pond issue, our elected officials are bound by laws and ordinances requiring them not to talk to our appointed officials. Councilmen can't legally talk to city department heads or city employees.
In many cases, our elected officials are bound by ''gag orders'' euphemistically called quasi-judicial laws, and they can't legally talk to the people who elected them about certain city issues. If you do find someone who will discuss an issue, you'll note he's always looking over his shoulder. It's uncomfortable.
The bureaucrats can't talk to each other and they either won't or can't talk to us.
Where do we go from here? Suggestions would be truly appreciated, and can be lodged at the "comment" section.
We would love to hear from you.
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Those rascals known as the American Indian Movement (AIM) have surfaced again. I heard some old familiar names, Dennis Means among them. Takes me back to the old days in Blackfoot and Riverton.
It's as if the well-seasoned AIM protest guys actually buy into the idea that former CU professor Ward Churchill is a legitimate Indian. Or I should say a "real" Indian. So they were there to support his cockamamie campaign.
It simply escapes comprehension. Churchill is phony on every other count, why would there be any credibility in his claim to be "native American?"
Anyway, if he was a real injun, his name would be "Wade Two Feathers." He could be a member of my tribe. My Indian name is ''Lives Among Witches'' of the infamous Lightweight Tribe.
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Once a long, long time ago in a town far, far away, I was a newspaper writer and photographer.
I was dispatched late one night to the scene of a burglary, a shoe store in downtown Laramie.
Inside, I found several police investigators including the portly gentleman who was Chief of Police at that time. He was sitting in one of the fitting chairs, trying on shoes.
I took his picture.
Why I didn't die, I have no idea. I suppose it was a grace.
The chief stood up and came at me. I thought he was going to hurt me, but he only yelled at me. I'll never forget what he said.
"Your feet don't match, and you don't love Jesus."
Well Chief, my feet still don't match. But I have learned to love Jesus.
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Come to think of it, have you ever seen a restaurant around here advertising "English Food?" That's because English food is, well, err, unexceptional.
Have you seen an establishment featuring "Canadian Food?" What would Canadian food be, anyway? What do they eat? It has to be something bland and boring.
But what do you see all over the country, even in Florida and Massachusetts?
MEXICAN FOOD ! ! Why? Because it tastes so damn good. Even the most hardened "English Only" bigot can be heard ordering "A burrito (Spanish) with a corn tortilla (Spanish) and pinto frijoles (Spanish).
Get it? Get it? How can we hate people and love their food? It just don't add up.
I saw a place in Denver with a big marquee advertising "Ethiopian Food." Now that would be the place to go if you need to lose weight. Those Ethiopians are a skinny bunch -- I saw their picture in National Geographic.
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Word of the week: Puerile. Guess what. It comes from Latin, "Puer," boy. Hence, Webster says, "Childish, silly, immature, trivial." Don't cry about it, you big puer you.
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Next week's word: Obsequious.
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Complaints? Bitches? Compliments? Comments? Please post below!
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Much love everyone. See you next week! ! !
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