Did you ever hear something or read something in the newspaper and have the feeling in your subconscious that there is something amuck about the subject you just consciously read? That's exactly what happened to me when I read Lucille Huston's account of this past week's Wellsville Council meeting. Now I know that Mrs. Huston was busy all week covering the Irwin trial over in Lisbon and maybe didn't have time to cross all the Ts & dot all the Is on her account of the meeting. Whatever the case the whole article nagged me subconsciously since reading it this past Wednesday. The more I thought about it the less I felt it was Mrs. Huston's reporting and the more I felt that the Wellsville administration is trying to pull the wool over our eyes. There are three items specifically that bothered me.
The first is the coal dust problem that just won't go away. It seems to be an annual occurrence. If memory serves me correctly the solution last year was to have the trucks hauling the coal hosed down before leaving the terminal? Could it be that when the problem raised it's ugly head this year it was winter with freezing temperatures and the hosing down just wasn't being done? Councilman Joe Soldano & the mayor were both quoted as saying the EPA has been contacted previously. Well, duh, have they been called recently? I don't know about the folks in our administration but to me this is a very serious problem. Coal dust not only makes our homes and property ugly in appearance it is also very unhealthy to breath. Just ask any coal miner that got Black Lung Disease. Yea you're right Mr. Surace. "Our residents don't deserve it". This should be a top priority issue. It needs to be dealt with now and not be put on a back burner hoping it will go away.
The second item that disturbed me is the sidewalk at McGraw's. New Village Administrator Jim Saracco said they will have the sidewalk replaced once the danger of frost has passed. Come on Jimbo. We're talking about pouring cement - not planting tomatoes. Ask Rick Williams. You can pour cement in cool weather. With the coming of spring the chance of a severe frost has greatly lessened. Are we going to have to wait until Memorial Day or later for that eyesore to be corrected? Every time it rains there is more dirt washing away and going into our sewer system.
Finally, the third thing that raised my dander was the brief mention of the condition of our Village Hall. Now we have bricks falling off the front of the building. The solution is to rope off the sidewalk. Brilliant! Is there a danger of the wall collapsing? What's the latest on the needed roof repairs? When the building was built was part of the old Standard Electric building used? Is there ground work being laid for hitting us with the need for a new building? Just what is going on? From figures thrown around previously the roof repair is going to be very costly. What's the current thinking of taking care of this problem? Is anyone concerned about the safety issue?
There's an old saying that says "If you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance baffle them with bull". Are we being baffled?
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4 comments:
At the time Wellsville residents were complaining about the coal dust, the mayor was also interviewed by WFMJ News Youngstown. On a side note , I'm certain the reason they were here was because someone requested they come to the village , but has anyone ever noticed News 9 Steubenville's slogan "News 9 is Everywhere" when in fact , they are seldom in Columbiana County. They are only 20 minutes away , but Wellsville gets more coverage from the Youngstown stations. I sometimes think if all of Wellsville was under siege by terrorists ; their top story would be delayed trash pick up in Martins Ferry.
Anyway , on the subject of the coal dust , an acquaintance of mine works at the terminal and I mentioned the story on WFMJ and he confirmed the problem was exactly what you surmised ; the temperatures were below freezing and it was not possible to hose down the trucks without creating a safety hazard . I think it's just an intermittent problem, which I realize is of little consequence to those effected , but I don't think it even comes close to some of the pollution problems we have tolerated in the Ohio Valley for years , for the sake of jobs.
John O…..Now let me understand what you are saying! Because it is just an intermittent problem, and it doesn’t even comes close to some of the pollution problems we had in the past then it is OK and be overlooked….is that what you are saying? In addition, if hosing down the trucks in the freezing weather would have created a safety hazard, is that a bigger hazard than the pollution they created? And, if the hosing created a safety hazard than why didn’t they just ground the trucks until the hosing could have been done?
It appears from reading your comment that, in your mind, the workers having time in their trucks are more importance than the health of the Ville’s residents.
Now let me say what I really think….I believe the Ville’s hierarchy again have left their residents out to dry. Ole nib is correct! Every year this same old crap raises it’s dirty head and as always nothing is done. The crew in charge at the Ville’s Hall is really useless. I am sorry there is no other way to say it. With summer coming on, the barrels will be in full swing again. Again, His Majesty will address the issue without any action. You can take it to the bank. Until a kid is hit by one of those trucks only then will something be done. Not if but when, this happens I look forward to the Ville and those associated for the neglect and are taken to task and force to pay.
Just my thoughts, for what they are worth!
Wiz , in retrospect I guess it does appear I am saying it's no big deal . Any amount of pollution is unacceptable ; but I recall driving through Midland PA and every house and car was covered with red dust from Crucible and nobody really complained because they provided good paying jobs. I worked for over 20 years at a pottery that spewed white dust from the glazing machine into the neighborhood and all over the cars in the parking lot , and I did complain to the Ohio EPA , with some fear of retribution , but they determined it was within acceptable levels , just as they have stated the dust from the terminal is within "acceptable" levels, from a health stand point. Would I be pissed if I had to clean coal dust from my house every day ; of course , but I don't see it . Maybe it depends on what part of town one resides.
We all breathe toxic chemicals from the stacks at Shell Oil ( formally Quaker State ) , the Sammis Power Plant , WTI and a host of other factories up and down the river , depending on the prevailing winds , but we can't see that pollution. In fact , I remember some years past, reading the incidence of respiratory disease was greater , per capita , in this part of the Ohio Valley , than anywhere else in the country. Ive been looking at the NIH and CDC web sites to see if I could find any epidemiological studies to support that claim , but haven't had any success. I guess my point is , as you said, it's a yearly thing , but it's not all year . Would it be better if we had no dust at all , of course , but does Wellsville resemble 19th century England ; I don't think so.
I remember a time when the main source of heat for most of the homes in Wellsviile was coal heat and that was a mess. Soot would collect inside your house ; heck , most people had a coal pile in their basement. I used to stoke the furnace for my Grandfather. He lived to be 92 , with no lung or respiratory diseases. Go figure.
On the other point ; I hate the barrels. It's drive by charity and many people feel like they are being held hostage waiting for a traffic light to turn , or to pass through the stop sign , and probably feel "shamed" into donating. When it's something like the United Way , or any civic organization , I am more than happy to donate whatever I can afford , but I think it has gone too far with people out there every weekend collecting for everything from A to Z.
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