Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Through different eyes
BY CHARLYN FINN
Different folks see different things.
When I go driving on TX 35 or TX 238, I notice sad things like starving, abandoned cats and dogs.
I notice people walking or on bicycles riding on the wrong side of the street. By the way, you are supposed to walk on the side facing traffic. When on a bicycle, just like any other vehicle, you pedal with traffic coming from behind you and not coming towards you, unless, of course, you live in England, Scotland or Ireland.
I notice junk in people’s yards.
I notice high gasoline prices on roadside signs. I guess we have all noticed that for a while. The unleaded price per gallon is now below $2. What a shock.
I have not noticed the great amounts of garbage on TX 35 or TX 238. I didn’t notice it until a reader pointed it out to me.
Pursuing the problem I learned some other things. For instance, the City of Port Lavaca does pick up the slack for more then one entity.
The Texas Department of Public Transportation mows all of the state and federal highways four times a year. In between, quite often the city cleans up the state and federal roadways inside city limits.
Wesley Abraham of TxDOT said TxDOT workers weed-eat around signs. They do not edge.
He said TxDOT is working with the City of Port Lavaca to get curbs and gutters cleaned up from the VFW to the Bauer Community Center.
“We will borrow a pickup broom from another county that will sweep the debris to the middle of the highway and then pick up the mess and load it on the truck,” he said. “It is much like a street sweeper. We have done this earlier this year. We usually do this twice a year. We try to keep the roads in the best shape possible. Potholes, though, take priority over grass and debris.”
Abraham said the debris on the highway is not just from mowing. Some of the debris is grass and branches that fall from trucks. Drainage from rain leaves dirt on the streets.
One of the key words phrases is “working with the City of Port Lavaca.”
City Manager Gary Broz told me, primarily after Hurricane Claudette, the city has come behind TxDOT and has done mowing on the highways when things have gotten out of hand.
Also, Broz told me the city also steps in to clean drainage ditches when there is a problem. Those are supposed to be under the jurisdiction of drainage districts that are other government entities with memberships elected by the people.
Broz explains that with TxDOT the city has a maintenance contract where the city does the work for free. The city also pays the electric bill for all of the traffic lights in the city limits. These are just some more of the state’s unfunded mandates… sort of.
The city can either do the maintenance, pay the bill or have a big mess.
It seems unfair to local entities.
The county must pay something for the use of the city’s fire department and animal control facilities. You can almost forgive the drainage districts because their budgets are small and will remain so… unless the property tax rate is increased.
The state, though, should pay the city for the use of its employees and equipment. After all, employees’ salaries and benefits, the maintenance of equipment and cost of fuel are paid by the city taxpayers. So far, I have not heard the city council complaining about this.
Citizens could help alleviate some of the cost by not dumping their trash on the road.
If something falls off the back of your truck, stop and pick it up. You might prevent an accident and save some taxpayers dollars and even a life.
Carry litterbags in your vehicles. When you get home, throw it in your trashcan.
So get out there and mow your share of the drainage ditch and please don’t mess on Calhoun County, TX. Please don’t abandon your pets on the highways.
When I go driving on TX 35 or TX 238, I notice sad things like starving, abandoned cats and dogs.
I notice people walking or on bicycles riding on the wrong side of the street. By the way, you are supposed to walk on the side facing traffic. When on a bicycle, just like any other vehicle, you pedal with traffic coming from behind you and not coming towards you, unless, of course, you live in England, Scotland or Ireland.
I notice junk in people’s yards.
I notice high gasoline prices on roadside signs. I guess we have all noticed that for a while. The unleaded price per gallon is now below $2. What a shock.
I have not noticed the great amounts of garbage on TX 35 or TX 238. I didn’t notice it until a reader pointed it out to me.
Pursuing the problem I learned some other things. For instance, the City of Port Lavaca does pick up the slack for more then one entity.
The Texas Department of Public Transportation mows all of the state and federal highways four times a year. In between, quite often the city cleans up the state and federal roadways inside city limits.
Wesley Abraham of TxDOT said TxDOT workers weed-eat around signs. They do not edge.
He said TxDOT is working with the City of Port Lavaca to get curbs and gutters cleaned up from the VFW to the Bauer Community Center.
“We will borrow a pickup broom from another county that will sweep the debris to the middle of the highway and then pick up the mess and load it on the truck,” he said. “It is much like a street sweeper. We have done this earlier this year. We usually do this twice a year. We try to keep the roads in the best shape possible. Potholes, though, take priority over grass and debris.”
Abraham said the debris on the highway is not just from mowing. Some of the debris is grass and branches that fall from trucks. Drainage from rain leaves dirt on the streets.
One of the key words phrases is “working with the City of Port Lavaca.”
City Manager Gary Broz told me, primarily after Hurricane Claudette, the city has come behind TxDOT and has done mowing on the highways when things have gotten out of hand.
Also, Broz told me the city also steps in to clean drainage ditches when there is a problem. Those are supposed to be under the jurisdiction of drainage districts that are other government entities with memberships elected by the people.
Broz explains that with TxDOT the city has a maintenance contract where the city does the work for free. The city also pays the electric bill for all of the traffic lights in the city limits. These are just some more of the state’s unfunded mandates… sort of.
The city can either do the maintenance, pay the bill or have a big mess.
It seems unfair to local entities.
The county must pay something for the use of the city’s fire department and animal control facilities. You can almost forgive the drainage districts because their budgets are small and will remain so… unless the property tax rate is increased.
The state, though, should pay the city for the use of its employees and equipment. After all, employees’ salaries and benefits, the maintenance of equipment and cost of fuel are paid by the city taxpayers. So far, I have not heard the city council complaining about this.
Citizens could help alleviate some of the cost by not dumping their trash on the road.
If something falls off the back of your truck, stop and pick it up. You might prevent an accident and save some taxpayers dollars and even a life.
Carry litterbags in your vehicles. When you get home, throw it in your trashcan.
So get out there and mow your share of the drainage ditch and please don’t mess on Calhoun County, TX. Please don’t abandon your pets on the highways.
 |
 |
|
| Inspiration in life | Things that matter |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of portlavacawave.com.
