A mess in my yard!
Submitted by alittlefroggy on August 4, 2009 - 10:48pm
I have contacted the people I am suppose to but the response I was given was not one I wanted to hear. In my back yard there is a run off from the next street over, the rain water just sits there in this hole. This nasty rain water sits there and attracts mosquitoes,snakes and rodents etc...... My kids can't even play outside in the back yard because when they come in they look like they have chicken pox due to all the mosquitoe bites. My children can't play in the front yard due to the young kids racing up and down my street. I was told that it has been zoned for construction but have not seen anyone in months. The neighbor was told by the same people that it is not this companies responsibility to fix this that it is Union Pacific's responsibility, only because of this hole is about 20ft. from the railroad tracks. I have attempted contacting Union Pacific on this issue with no response. Can anyone tell me whom I am to contact on this maybe I am just not contacting the right people.
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Yes it was the city, public works is whom I contacted they came and took a look and fixed the neighbor accross the streets problem and told him that it was union pacific's problem, but they told me it was zoned to be fixed but like I said in the first blog I have seen no one. I will try the city council thing that never crossed my mind, thankyou for your input.
Remember you have to sign up in advance to address the city council, you'll be given (I think) 5 minutes to speak. Try writing your speech out in advance & timing it. It's also good to have it written down so you don't forget any points you want to make, or if you get nervous and freeze up ;-)
Be sure you have one good 8" x10" color photo of the problem (larger if you can afford it) to hold up & show the camera while you're talking. Also at the end of your speech tell the council you have photos (I'd say maximum 6 or 7 photos total) you'd like to show them, then walk up & hand them to whatever councilperson is sitting closest to you and ask them to pass them down. Plan to hang around after the meeting to try & talk to whatever city official will talk to you (and to get your photos back).
Making a complaint to public works is like making a complaint to your local brick wall. You'll likely get further with the council.
Complacency is the enemy. Be educated. Be aware. Be involved.
All good advice, but U only get three minutes 3, so speak slow and clear so they can understand U! !
when U stick around try and talk to Lucy, tell her MMinnoe told U to, she'll listen and help!
........."be sure to talk to LUCYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY !!!"......................lol.........and bring your football and nickel...............( nickel for the advice booth and the football to practice your "punting"),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
eldoggg
she emailed me this am to let me know she knew about this??????????
......I have no doubt that she did......I was just making a joke......I can't help myself......after the repeated reference to her by "Larry , Moe and Curly"...........(whoop....whoop.....whoop.......).............ROFL...........
eldoggg
"Lucy ?? Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do !"
"Ohhh, Ricky!"
......."those were the days of comedy"..........I saw a cartoon the other day of "Alice on the Moon"...........most kids today wouldn't get that.............today the FCC would have it banned for "domestic violence"...........( Ralph Cramden).........
eldoggg
...
eldoggg
If it's runoff from the next street over, then that is a city responsibility (even though I'm sure they'll deny it). It's apparently their lack of proper engineering and proper storm sewers that allow this to happen. Call your councilman, call public works, speak before the entire city council, then when none of that works, sue the city. It may take a year or two, but you'll eventually get something done.
Complacency is the enemy. Be educated. Be aware. Be involved.
Union Pacific ??
Good luck. We tried to talk with them about cleaning up some of their property... the area under and around one of their bridges here....it's always trashed with litter.
What I soon learned from City officials was that the railroads basically answer to nobody in this town. Yet, they don't even like YOU coming onto their property to clean it up, because they worry about lawsuits if you get hurt.
.....I don't know the exact nature of your "hole".......but when I needed to be rid of a "mosquito extravaganza" in my water garden...after I was gone four months and I came home in April?........the water was black enough to walk on..hundreds of THOUSANDS of "skeeter" larvae....and adults..........8' long by 6' wide ........3' deep on one end........I ended their party with about a gallon of bleach.............bingo...........you don't want dogs drinking out of the water but that shouldn't be a problem.....they're gonna smell the chlorine...........if you can't get satisfaction........there are mosquito rings you can buy to put in water too......made for small ponds.........I'm sure somebody will have a better sloution for you but this worked for me...............deet obviously works great but you probably have an aversion to putting it on your children..............understandably so.........wish I could be of more help.........I might add that I had four dogs at the time.....and two drank out of the water sometimes.....but they left it alone.....within days the chlorine will evaporate.....it may take another application......you need bats and frogs........they eat "skeeters"...........your other option would be to take a flamethrower out at dusk............a German guy was killing his sidewalk weeds with one and burnt his house down.....so if you go that way?...........be careful...........your solution is only a couple bucks away with bleach..........with no waiting......no phone calls......just results.............obviously you want to cure the cause NOT the symptom......but UNTIL that happens?.......I checked and there are a hundred sites saying to use "bleach solutions" .....9:1 or whatever.....in places with "standing water".........even better for larvae are the "donuts" I mentioned earlier......here is a little info from soem govt site about "West Nile"........concerning your issue.......explaining about how the "skeeter rings" work.......
If you can’t get rid of the water (for example, ornamental ponds, stock tanks, etc.):
· Use “mosquito dunks”. These are small round disks of Bacillus thurengensis that prevent mosquito larvae from hatching. They are available in many garden stores and supply catalogs.
· Use mosquito fish. These are fish known as Gambusia affinis, and are available from mosquito abatement districts.
Why should I use a mosquito repellent that contains DEET?
DEET is the most effective insect repellent available. The more DEET an insect repellent contains, the longer it will protect you. A higher percentage of DEET does not mean it will protect you better, just that it will last longer. For example, a product containing approximately 10% DEET will last about 2 hours, and 24% DEET will last about 5 hours. However, DEET concentrations higher than 50% do not increase the length of protection.
Is DEET safe?
Yes, products containing DEET are safe when used according to the directions. Always follow these steps:
· Use enough repellent to cover exposed skin or clothing. Don't apply repellent to skin that is under clothing. Heavy application is not necessary for protection.
· Do not apply repellent to cuts, wounds, or irritated skin.
· After returning indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water.
· Do not spray aerosol or pump products in enclosed areas.
· Do not apply aerosol or pump products directly to your face.
· Spray your hands and then rub them carefully over the face, avoiding eyes and mouth.
See http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/DEETgen.pdf for more scientific information.
.........AND I MIGHT ADD...........the aforementioned "snakes & rodents?".............aren't going to care for the bleach (chlorine) additive..........I would use bleach first a couple times......then use the "skeeter donuts"..........the adults will only live so long.......get out the "tiki torches" or use "smoke bombs"......they HATE smoke.............
eldoggg