the airing of grievances

[jencoleslaw]

All of fountain street smelled like throw-up today! it was awful! how is it possible that the Entire block from Matthiewson to Union could smell that bad?!

[Cotuit]

There was a horrible trash smell last week near the Westin on Sabin. It looked like a truck had spilled some 'liquid' making the turn in front of the convention center.

[Mij]

The monday following waterfire, walking from the train station -- I was hit right in the face with a smell that buckled me. Vendors had piled thier trash on the side of the road-- and by moday it was raw and so overpowering.

[Statesman]

Grievances:

The state of the roads downcity. In front of the Biltmore and Dorrance street going toward Weybosset, in particular. You'd think the city would find the funds to pave over it's most traffiked area.

Minor grievance: I hope that with the Westin II, the City, PPM, and Westin try to rebuild the old SKybridge between the hotel and mall. It was before my time (Lol), but I've heard that the yellow metal skybridge is a quick rpelacement becuase the original one crashed down onto the hgihway offramp during construction. The current one is fugly. Replace it.

I wish that, with the new I-Way land, they'd make some more student-friendly areas. I was thinking that having a designated Skatepark, complete with rmaps and maybe a bowl, for the skater crowd. with a Del's stand nearby during the summer, would be wicked. Located within wlaking distance of downcity/Kennedy Plaza. Then again, maybe that's my inner teenager coming out =)

EDIT: Oh, and I'm still ticked off about the RIPTA Trolley stop pole, and it's currently inactive Times display. I'ma try to complain to an official about it tomorrow.

[Recchia]

I'll add my usual grievance, RUN RIPTA TIL 2:30am! (atleast my 99).

[Frankie811]

I'll add my usual grievance, RUN RIPTA TIL 2:30am! (atleast my 99).

quit ya drinking

[gregw]

I think the process whereby property owners get cited is messed up.

I have a friend who recently got cited because the house could use a paint job, because the bushes are too close to the house, and because the back of the garage has a missing window pane.

The inspector then nailed the citation to the front door of the house. (Is the mail slot two feet away out of his reach?)

The house does need paint (but not to the point that I would think it would deserve to be cited.) The other issues are just plain ridiculous.

Give some bureaucrats an ounce of power and it totally goes to their heads. If the inspector is going to use such Martha Stewart-like standards he might as well go ahead and cite 3/4 of the houses in Providence.)

[Baines]

I think the process whereby property owners get cited is messed up.

I have a friend who recently got cited because the house could use a paint job, because the bushes are too close to the house, and because the back of the garage has a missing window pane.

The inspector then nailed the citation to the front door of the house. (Is the mail slot two feet away out of his reach?)

The house does need paint (but not to the point that I would think it would deserve to be cited.) The other issues are just plain ridiculous.

Give some bureaucrats an ounce of power and it totally goes to their heads. If the inspector is going to use such Martha Stewart-like standards he might as well go ahead and cite 3/4 of the houses in Providence.)

I can address two concerns -

1) Legally, mail boxes are not to be used for other than U.S. postal purposes; hence the posting - a common practice.

2) Citing many of the homes in the city would be a good thing - if everyone knows the standards.

[MikeR]

Grievances:

Minor grievance: I hope that with the Westin II, the City, PPM, and Westin try to rebuild the old SKybridge between the hotel and mall. It was before my time (Lol), but I've heard that the yellow metal skybridge is a quick rpelacement becuase the original one crashed down onto the hgihway offramp during construction. The current one is fugly. Replace it.

There was never a 1st skybridge that crashed down during construction. The original concept for the skybridge was a cable suspension bridge, but it was scrapped because the new realignment of the offramps from the I-95/Rt. 10 interchange could not allow for footings in the center of the intersection there. The yellow one was conceived instead, with no footings below it. It was painted yellow on the architect's recommendation.

[jencoleslaw]

if the city cited every household that had their trash out in advance of garbage day we would be able to fund the schools and the libraries.

[runawayjim]

if the city cited every household that had their trash out in advance of garbage day we would be able to fund the schools and the libraries.

or didn't put their barrels away...

seriously, i think owners need to be cited more often. it would give a wakeup call to the absentee landlords to, at the very least, keep their buildings to code.

[Garris]

If the inspector is going to use such Martha Stewart-like standards he might as well go ahead and cite 3/4 of the houses in Providence.)

Actually, I'd go further and cite about 80-85% fo the houses in Providence myself. Your tale just gave me hope that the city might pull itself up out of "run down" after all.

Ok, my grievances after having spent the weekend in and around Boston/Cambridge:

- #1, 2, and 3: Graffiti here is just terrible...

- Statesman is absolutely right that the city should have a Marshall plan to pave its main roads downtown, starting with Dorrance/Eddy (which only house the city hall, the main business district, and the city's largest employer in the form of its hospitals). After that, Weybosset and Westminster need to be done (badly). It makes downtown feel Fourth World...

- Lots of garbage still in Burnside park...

- It still makes me deeply sad that downtown's retail state is still pitifull at best. Taken as a whole (from Federal Hill stretching to the RISD store along Memorial), the retail foot traffic of downtown doesn't even touch the vibrancy of a Harvard Square or Davis Square alone, let alone combined. And, frankly, given population numbers of the city and region, there is little excuse for this. Even places like Union Square and Inman Square, which have few intrinsic attractive factors that alone should draw people, have a more bustling feel than downtown Providence. Even comparatively weathier and more successful retail areas like Wayland Square and Hope Village still don't have much of a street life and have lots of retail turnover. Only Thayer in Providence even slightly generates any sort of warm buzz, and that's dampened by the reality that retailers there say they are holding on by a thread due to high rents.

I rack my brain thinking of why this is and what to do about it on a daily basis, which is probably stupid since I'm powerless against it. What is the problem folks, and what can we do?

- The Brown Bookstore just outright sucks... I mean, deeply. I went to both Brown's Bookstore and the Harvard Coop in the same weekend (finding the book Brown didn't have at the Coop, BTW). It's like comparing The PP Mall to the RI Mall. Brown's Bookstore is so deeply inadequate in so many facets that it's hard to argue it should exist.

Congratulations, independent Brown Bookstore wacko advocates. You chased big, bad corporations that know how to run bookstores away. Now what are you going to do about the beached whale that remains?

That's enough for now...

- Garris

[jencoleslaw]

a buncha cops showed up at the Washington Mutual on Washington about an hour ago. I wonder if there was another bank robbery!

[Frankie811]

a buncha cops showed up at the Washington Mutual on Washington about an hour ago. I wonder if there was another bank robbery!

One of the preferred banks to rob in Downcity, besides the Citizens @ 63 Westminster and the Coastway @ 10 Greene St which I believe is now Banks & Co.

[jencoleslaw]

why is the city's budget not available online?!

[ruchele]

How long is it going to take to get rid of the last of the "old school" Providence city councilors, the ones who get their friends new sidewalks every few years, and completely ignore (or actively work against) anyone who's not in their buddy network?

[Statesman]

Election season is upon us, Ruchele. Cause some damage =)

[Jerry2]

or didn't put their barrels away...

seriously, i think owners need to be cited more often. it would give a wakeup call to the absentee landlords to, at the very least, keep their buildings to code.

NY has the sanitation police and look how much cleaner the city is today. It's remarkable. I've never understood why that type of system couldn't be implemented in a city like Providence that is a fraction of the size. The sanitation police cite businesses, residences, and show no shame. You see shopkeepers sweeping outside their stores ( unheard of here) ,rental buildings well-maintained ( also unheard of here), and homes kept up to code.

The political leaders of Providence ( mayor and city council) have kept the status quo on how the city conducts itself. While there have been many positive changes in and around the city, it is still downright dirty and ugly. They are too obsessed with satisfying the people that put them in office. There has yet to be one political leader that has truly stepped up to the challenges of this city. We need a Rudy Guiliani type to stand up to the council, the neighborhood opposition groups, and to implement change that will move this city to the next century. I find it absolutely hilarious that there continues to be petty battles all across the neighborhoods about "gentrifying" areas and displacement of low-income when the neighborhoods that these "full of pride" low-income people live in are dirty and unkempt. It's hypocrisy to say the least.

On a side but interesting note...My mother is a teacher in the Prov. School Department. She has spent over 10 years teaching and she told me that the biggest problem facing the public school system today is not the ethnic mix but rather cell phones. Can you believe that? The students are allowed to bring their phones into class because the parents demand that they have full access to their kids. Is this ridiculous or what? ....Now somebody please tell me that there is not something wrong with this city! People criticize Mayor Laffey, but at least he has the balls to want to bring change to the "liberal-status-quo" politics of the past.

[Garris]

The students are allowed to bring their phones into class because the parents demand that they have full access to their kids. Is this ridiculous or what? ....at least he has the balls to want to bring change to the "liberal-status-quo" politics of the past.

I wouldn't politicize the cell phone issue. The same problem is true at my mother's suburban public school in an area that is 99% Republican. The principals are terrified to defy parents, since doing that usually equals a lawsuit, and the #1 job of any principal is to avoid lawsuits.

- Garris

[runawayjim]

I wouldn't politicize the cell phone issue. The same problem is true at my mother's suburban public school in an area that is 99% Republican. The principals are terrified to defy parents, since doing that usually equals a lawsuit, and the #1 job of any principal is to avoid lawsuits.

- Garris

so you make it a school district issue... kids don't need cell phones in schools. they can sue the city.

the cell phone issue is a major problem and it's not gonna get better... personally, i think cell phones were the worst invention of the last 50 years. but they make for really cheap long distance.

[Cotuit]

I would love to see step up enforcement of code violations. However, the reality is even this costs money. Does any one know how many people are in the code enforcement office? Is there a code enforcement office?

[runawayjim]

another grievance i have... use of cell phones while driving. it's more widespread here than anywhere else and the people who use them don't pay any attention... i can't stand getting behind a soccer mom in her SUV chatting on the phone... or worse... a teenage girl in the left lane. come to think of it... it's less of a problem with guys than with girls, at least as far as what i've seen.

why can't we ban them outright in cars like CT? why do they have to try to make everyone happy and propose a law banning them for only people under 18 when the problem is really the 18-25 year olds and then the business men in their expensive cars?

I would love to see step up enforcement of code violations. However, the reality is even this costs money. Does any one know how many people are in the code enforcement office? Is there a code enforcement office?

there must be if people are hanging violation notices on people's doors...

[Garris]

why can't we ban them outright in cars like CT?

We probably could. Unfortunately, studies seem to show that people using the hands free phone varieties are just as distracted...

- Garris

[Frankie811]

the cell phone issue is a major problem and it's not gonna get better... personally, i think cell phones were the worst invention of the last 50 years. but they make for really cheap long distance.

This was one of my few complaints about riding RIPTA, which was other riders using Nextels. They could go private, but instead choose to use the walkie-talkie functions so everybody would know that they were important. Ocasionally some of the drivers would have the guts to tell them to shut it off, or get off the bus.

[runawayjim]

This was one of my few complaints about riding RIPTA, which was other riders using Nextels. They could go private, but instead choose to use the walkie-talkie functions so everybody would know that they were important. Ocasionally some of the drivers would have the guts to tell them to shut it off, or get off the bus.

ok, on top of cell phones... nextel is the worse.... why couldn't they leave their business for businesses? it's great for work (i have one for my job, if something's down, i radio the admin), but other than that, i would hate talking on it. i can't stand that noise outside of the job.

We probably could. Unfortunately, studies seem to show that people using the hands free phone varieties are just as distracted...

- Garris

true... i've read that they make drivers the equivalent of being drunk with or without the hands free set.

however, i think it makes people less likely to use it at all in the car. a lot of people don't like hands free sets (i know i'd prefer not to use it, but then again, i prefer not to use the phone at all in the car, of course i drive a stick, so it's not easy).