Friday, September 5, 2014

Dialogue With Brian Potter, Public Works Manager, About City's Specific Schedule for Weeding/Picking up Litter In Esther Short Park

NOTE: Brian Potter, Public Works Manager for the City of Vancouver, still has NOT yet given me a firm date for when the City will weed/pick up litter out of Esther Short Park flowerbeds as of this posting (Sept 5, 2014). 

I've given the City of Vancouver til next Monday, Sept 8, to get me a FIRM DATE as to when they plan on weeding Esther Short flowerbeds. Stay tuned for O Vancouvria! on Sept 9. 

Read on below for my email exchange with Mr Potter over City crews' inability to take care of Vancouver's "living room": 

Questions about Esther Short Park Maintenance?

Inbox
x

Potter, Brian

Sep 3 (2 days ago)
to me
Mr. Anderson,
 
I understand that you have a couple of questions related to maintenance of Esther Short Park.
 
I’d be happy to help you with any questions.
 
You can either contact me via email or call me at number below.
 
Sincerely,
 
Brian
 
Brian Potter | Operations Superintendent
 
 
CITY OF VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON
Public Works/Grounds, Cemeteries, Surface Water and Sensitive Lands
4711 E. Fourth Plain Blvd/PO Box 1995 • Vancouver, WA, 98668-1995
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Shea Michael Anderson sheaside@gmail.com

Sep 3 (2 days ago)
to Peggy, Brian
Yes! What's your schedule for cleaning up/weeding Esther Short? Peggy Furno said mid-Oct!?! The beds are FULL of weeds. Grass half dead.

Thanks
Shea

Potter, Brian

2:05 PM (11 hours ago)
to me, Peggy
Shea,

We don’t have a specific schedule drafted for work at Ester Short Park, but now that the summer events are wrapping up, it will allow us more flexibility to schedule some work throughout the park.

We are currently focusing on the medians, as the mowing needs have slowed.

Let me know if you have any additional questions.

Brian

From: Shea Michael Anderson [mailto:sheaside@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2014 9:09 PM
To: Potter, Brian
Cc: Furno, Peggy
Subject: Re: Questions about Esther Short Park Maintenance?

Shea Michael Anderson sheaside@gmail.com

2:04 AM (0 minutes ago)
to eric.holmes, Stephanie, Brian, Peggy
Brian, I was under the impression from Peggy that the City Parks folks had a specific schedule for maintenance and cleaning of all Vancouver parks properties. In fact, I believe Peggy showed me something like that on the City Hall front desk computer. 

If that's not the case, please indicate to me WHEN (specific date) your crews plan on cleaning up weeds and trash out of Vancouver's "crown jewel" (per Eric Holmes) or our "living room" (as I like to call it). 

I'll follow up next Tuesday (the 9th) with photos of Esther Short in whatever current state it's in that morning - weedy or not, trashed or not. In the meantime, I'm pulling weeds when I have time there, as well as picking up garbage. I'm appalled you and City Parks crews have deferred weed-pulling and bed cleanup for as long as you have. I can get at least one bed there DONE (and I've been a landscaper for seven years) in 30 MINUTESfacebook.com/yoursacredgarden). 

I'm not sure why you're giving me the runaround on park maintenance scheduling - do I need to file a formal public disclosure request with you and Public Works both just to find out when y'all plan on gettin around to it? I'm also not sure why McGillivray Blvd medians are a HIGHER priority than Vancouver's Living Room. Are they a tourist destination I'm unaware of? I do know lots of folks look at and use Esther Short Park - you'd think perhaps y'all would want to be a little quicker on the ball with getting out the trowels and leafblowers. 

I expect a higher, better level of service from folks who keep Vancouver's living room up to snuff (at least in theory, y'all are paid by my tax dollars to do that). 

You have til Monday afternoon to get me any information you like before I go to press, ovancouvria.blogspot.com. I'll be at Monday night's Council meeting if you would like to talk in person. 

Thank you
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