Concerned about oversight of city projects
I really can’t understand the wisdom of those of the intellectual community in saying things on Facebook as to my reasoning for my concerns and questions about our city government. My concerns are for accountability in the way public funds are spent. I will attempt several examples of those concerns.
We have an unfinished fire station, with no updates since 3-19-19 when the HAVC and electrical contracts were let. I drive by daily and there is a truck or two there, but what progress is being made is a mystery. We’re in this construction nearly 6 years on a 10,000 square foot building.
Now the amphitheater stage is under water again, just after some electrical repairs were made from the 2019 flood and the construction of the $400,000 fence was started on high ground. I just witnessed the tearing out of the walk leading from the Riverwalk pedestrian bridge installed during phase 1. Why was this walk installed to begin with then removed for the fence? I guess when you are spending other people’s money it’s not a big deal.
Some question are being raised as to who approved the location to be built below the flood stage? Will FEMA and MEMA bail us out for the damage? The city engineer made a statement as to residential areas brought into the city limits that were below the flood plain and would not be approved based on today standards; then we build the amphitheater in a hole next to the river. My question is do the same rules apply to the city as apply to the citizens?
Now to the “public works” dept. If I had not witnessed it today I would not believe it. The city crew had the new hot mix machine out patching a street during the rain. One man had a blower, trying to remove water out of a pothole so it could be patched. You can’t make this up. I even turned around to make sure and saw a small pot hole was patched leaving the larger one full of water, to be patched on a dryer day.
Next thing, I saw two senior citizens trying to clean debris out of a ditch and two public works employees watching. But then I have unstopped culverts on my street many times that have not maintained by city employee in years. Maybe they were learning how… who knows?
Who is in charge of overseeing these project to begin with? J5? It seems we’ve got a lot of over seeing going on and not a lot of competence in the projects management.
If we all work for the common good of Columbus, it would make a big difference.
God Bless Columbus and America.
Lee Roy Lollar
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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