By: Diane Benjamin
Since Amelia Buragas wants brick streets funding and newly elected alderman Jenn Carrillo posted this today:
I think a review of the cost needs to be made.
Brick Streets Master Plan: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=9107
There are 3.5 miles of brick streets out of 320 miles of streets in the city, which is 1.1% of all streets. PDF page 3. (Hasn’t Tari recently been claiming there are many more miles than 320?)
See PDF page 20:
Here is the cost from the City’s own documents:
Hey Amelia and Jenn:
I’d love to hear how you justify spending more than 4 times as much on brick streets when a lot of the other 320 miles of roads are barely drivable!
Do the people who live on brick streets pay 4 times more taxes to the City? Do they never drive on the non-brick streets?
Jenn: What are you going to cut to fix the brick streets?
Jenn: I thought you were peoples action, and pro-illegal immigrant. What the heck does that have to do with brick streets? Not even in yet and you’re already exposing yourself to spend foolish money just like ole’ taxin’ Tari wants you to do. As suspected you’re not on target.
I personally like the brick streets. However, they are a nice-to-have. Both city/town councils have already More than allocated our ‘nice to have’ monies and brick streets didn’t make the list. Time to cut someplace else if you like our bricks.
Brick streets are not the problem- People who have no experience in running a city and spending my money is the problem. Karen Schmidt brought up the issue and it was seconded by other council members, all of the calls and emails they are receiving have to do about pot holes. The new gas tax was supposed to be for asphalt and cement re -surfacing and is not pot holes unless that street is being resurfaced. The item was taken off of the agenda and will come back at next meeting with revised wording.
As taxpayers we have no idea where the monies go. Bad government is the cause at all levels. What we need is common sense among the elected and appointed officials. We shall fail if we do not practice bi-partisan politics for the betterment of our Nation and our homes. It is called “citizenship”.
Because of this site, more people are becoming aware of our problems. A big Thank You to Diane Benjamin.
Emig supported Buragas as well
Teri has new accolites. Sadly
I live on one of these brick streets. On White Place our services come down the alley and our street never needs to be touched due to water, gas or sewer repair. Because of this, our street is in fantastic shape and has barely needed anything in the past 100 years. On the other hand, about 25-30 years ago, the residents of White Place were charged extra to redo the University St entrance to White Place. Not sure how this worked but they were charged extra for this repair. The city did not use the correct bricks and the street was a mess shortly after being installed. To this day it has never been corrected. Wasted tax payer money.
So if the city wants to spend money on brick streets and do it correctly the streets should last 4 times (plus) what the asphalt or concrete streets would last. In order for that to be done, they need to do things in the correct order. Replace all water, sewer and gas lines under the street that will be paved and use the correct materials that will last 100+ years. If that doesn’t occur it’s not worth wasting tax payers money.
What, if anything, is done to maintain the brick street?
Nothing because the City is focused only on downtown
You said it better than I did and I agree with you completely.
We have a partial brick street South of us. If it was all brick it would be great. However, we have sporadic pavement which means it’s a washboard! It needs to be one or the other. It does make people drive slower, so that’s a plus.
I’m not sure what maintenance brick streets need, but they should maintain what they have.
What I would like to know is, WHY don’t these “experts” (cough) go over to Europe and learn how to PROPERLY lay and repair brick streets? I have seen these being done in The Netherlands/Holland, it is done by hand and from what I was told by a workman they last for decades, not 3-4 years like they do here. There are also sidewalks in London that have been there for decades without need of “repair” as well because they use the proper mix for the surface with a proper underlay and prep. Here they last 3-5 years tops with 1/40th the foot traffic – What they do HERE is number one overpay the “construction” companies, and use shoddy materials with substandard workmanship and this is pretty much across the board insuring perpetual work and a perpetual “need” for MORE tax money – it simply sickens me.