The Squamidian Report – Nov. 4 / 06
Issue #231
Also in this issue:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Those fancy rain gardens don’t work. You know, the ones we spent half the summer building at Wal-Mart, Home Depot and all through the new section of the Industrial Park. They are actually just big underground French drains, and everyone involved in putting them in knew from the beginning that they wouldn’t work, couldn’t work and were a waist of time and materials. The consulting engineer for Squamish had convinced the engineering department that they are the latest greatest thing for controlling run-off. And perhaps they would be in some areas, but here, with the Industrial Park just 3 meters above sea level and the ground water level being about 2 feet below the surface, there is nowhere for the water to go, except to RUN OFF on the surface. The existing ground water flows back into the filters long before any rainwater run-off has a chance to fill them. We used over 600 loads of drain-rock plus miles of filter cloth to create these useless things, all for nothing.
Last Wednesday it rained hard, and by noon all the catch basins were overflowing, the Wal-Mart parking lot was flooded and there was nowhere left for the run-off to go. Even the ditch outlets into the main drainage ditch down the highway had been purposely built backward, with the slope grade running into the site to keep run-off from running away. Incredibly short sited. We get feet of rain here, not millimeters. So by noon last Wednesday everyone involved in the ‘rain garden’ fiasco was chuckling about the dismal failure and how it looks good on the arrogant engineer, who incidentally made numerous visits to the site during construction to make sure his plans were being accurately adhered to. So now he can explain to the town and the business owners why everything is under water. But it won’t be the engineer’s fault, these kinds of things never are.
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Traffic control is a rather important component when doing construction on a busy road. You would think the driving public would understand that, and that they would understand that the people directing traffic are trying to keep the construction workers, the general public, and themselves safe. But a high percentage of the driving public seems to be made up of impatient, rude, selfish morons. We have been working at widening the roadways into and around the Industrial Park. This work requires digging up the existing roadways so new services can be installed and the road widths extended.
The traffic control people need to stop or re-route the public as they direct the equipment and trucks. But the public doesn’t seem to want to be controlled. They ignore and abuse the flaggers to the point of being very dangerous. There was one woman who didn’t feel she should have to wait while a dump truck backed up and gave the flagger the finger as she spun her tires and screeched away, all of a couple of hundred feet over to the Tim Horton drive-through line. After spending 10 minutes in that line to get her coffee, she yelled and screamed at the flagger for making her late for work. Then there was the jerk that didn’t want to stop when the flagger held up the stop sign. The person inched forward and the flagger had to again signal him to stop. As soon as the flagger turned her back, the jerk wheeled out around her and spend away. He didn’t get far as I was sitting in the middle of the road with the excavator and he couldn’t get past me until I finished crossing, which was why the flagger was stopping traffic in the first place. There are probably 4 vehicles an hour who simply won’t stop and drive out around the flaggers. Many, many drives give them the finger or yell at them. Plus, we get many people speeding through the construction zone, way over the posted speed limit. Very dangerous. It’s all unbelievable.
These people have a very important and dangerous job to do, yet they are unappreciated and threatened by the public. Next time you drive through a construction zone, adhere to the posted speed and obey the flaggers. It could save your life or their life. And if you get the chance, roll down your window and thank them. They sure deserve it.
doug
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Hello
everyone!
It’s
November and things are cooling down for sure, weather wise that is. The local
civic politics are in full swing and heating up in contrast to the weather. The
incumbents are all smiles thinking they’re automatically going to get their
little nest eggs back once more. Here in Kitchener they’ve been spending their
little buns off with MY money and think nothing of it. A few months ago the
Mayor and enough councilors to “get it done” decided they’d be generous and
give away one of the most valuable pieces of property available in the
Kitchener downtown area. They knew the University of Waterloo along with
McMaster and a couple of other partners were looking for a location on which to
build their new Medical School and thought it would look good as this council’s
legacy to get involved. They not only flatly gave the land to this group; they
committed the citizens of this city to an additional 30 million dollar donation
towards the same project. This was all done without even consulting the people
that provide the tax money that runs this city. This is just one of the big
blunders or ego boosting moves this council has made and I attribute their
decisions to them being too comfortable and self absorbed for OUR good. They’ve
been in “power” here in Kitchener for two and three terms and just figure they
don’t have to ask first or even justify their actions to the people they
represent. I didn’t want to spend this week’s Ontarion in a political funk but
just had to get it off my chest. I hope the citizens of Kitchener vote
accordingly next week. I feel it’s time to replace this council, Mayor and all
this time round.
The Mayor
was in the news accepting an award in HIS name for the generosity he showed by
giving the land and a 30 million dollar commitment to this educational project.
I think that takes a helluva lot of nerve on his part. That award to should
read “To the Citizens and Tax Payers of the City Of Kitchener” not to Mayor
Carl Zehr and his council!
They can
justify this move up and down till the cows come home, I still say they would
have been looked upon by the citizens of Kitchener and the Medical School
people in a much more positive light had they at least sold the property to the
university for a “bargain” price rather than giving it away. The 30 million
dollar commitment should have been brought to a vote by the taxpayers as well.
How the council even has the authority to make such commitments without taking
it to a vote is beyond me. I’m not up on the political ins and outs as well as
maybe I should be to understand the workings but maybe it’s time we all kept a
closer eye on the workings of our city council. Might be a good idea to attend
a few council meetings and observe their methods and decisions or how they
arrive at big decisions like this one. I hope the voters think about these
escapades when they mark their ballots this election day.
Guess I
did it anyway, spent the whole column on political stuff. Oh well there’s always
next week!
That’s
all for this week and I thank you all for tuning in once more. I look forward
to talking to you all again next time in The Ontarion Report.
Bye for now… Greg.
PS:
Something To Think About>
To steal
ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.
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The Family and the Squamidian sites:
http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b/ and http://www.thedougsite.ca
Have a good one..
the
doug
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