| Author |
Message |
    
blackcat
Citizen
Username: Blackcat
Post Number: 595
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 7:46 am: | 
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Is the township of Maplewood exempt from their own regulations of when they can use leaf blowers and other loud equipment? We live across from Dehart Park and the public works guys were out in force blowing leaves?, in the Dehart parking lot at 5:45 this morning!! We were lucky to have our windows closed, but it was still very loud, AND we're half a block away.
I don't get why they need to do this so early??!! Can't they schedule less noisy tasks before 8am. They've done this on Sunday mornings in the summer.
Arrrrggghhh! |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 3421
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 9:50 am: |
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Yes, I believe I've seen it posted on this board that they are exempt from those rules. Pretty ridiculous as far as I'm concerned. |
eb1154
Citizen
Username: Eb1154
Post Number: 501
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 9:41 pm: |
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Yes the Township is exempt from these rules. A couple of years ago they did it on Sunday mornings and you complained about it being on Sunday mornings and I understood your complaint so we switched to a weekday morning.
The lots need to be cleaned when there are no cars parked there and unfortunately the only time that is the case is between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. We pick litter up several times a week but the lots need to be completely cleaned from time to time. I believe we only do early morning four times a year.
We apologize for the disruption, but at this time this is the only solution.
As always, if you would like to speak with me you can call me at 973-762-1175.
Eric |
Bajou
Citizen
Username: Bajou
Post Number: 286
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 9:49 pm: |
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Wow that was nice...an online explanation and apology...!
So what do I do about the train announcements at 5:30 AM on a Sunday morning 5 times in a row your hear....bing, Bing, BING.."ATTENTION STATION PASSENGER..THE ...5.29..... TRAIN TO ....HOBOKEN... IS RUNNING ...15..MINUTES BEHIND SCHEDULE." This is repeated, for good measure, FIVE times AND THERE IS NOBODY ANYWHERE NEAR THE STATION AT THAT HOUR... |
Monster©
Supporter
Username: Monster
Post Number: 3157
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 9:53 pm: |
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move |
Bajou
Citizen
Username: Bajou
Post Number: 288
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 9:57 pm: |
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Darn monster that was harsh...to the point but harsh. I am starting to feel like Art Carney in the Honeymooners (he got thrown out all the time too)...first I am told to move back to Europe and now just "move".
Oh well "no". Maybe I'll climb the roof of the station and disable that darn crackling speaker..oh but wait there are cameras!! |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 3426
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 5:02 am: |
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Thanks Eric ... that does make sense and seems like the best choice in light of the situation. As long as the exemption isn't exploited for purposes where there is a reasonable alternative, then I guess it isn't so ridiculous. |
Calliope
Citizen
Username: Calliope
Post Number: 194
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 10:40 pm: |
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And how were the lots cleaned before the invention of the infernal leaf blowers? Brooms and dustpans are not only effective, but environmentally and acoustically friendly. |
Eponymous
Citizen
Username: Eponymous
Post Number: 185
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 12:23 am: |
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Calliope,
Well said. How we ever survived is a mystery.
I appreciate Eric's posting, but the logic is flawed. |
Scully
Citizen
Username: Scully
Post Number: 440
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 12:51 am: |
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Maybe the problem is that to use brooms and dustpans it would take
more people to do the same ampont of work. And that costs. |
Calliope
Citizen
Username: Calliope
Post Number: 195
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 6:51 am: |
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Maybe that's true ,Scully, but with the price of gas these days, brooms require no fuel but elbow grease,and no maintenance,so would seem to make sense economically,too. Leaf blowers only blow debris around. With brooms, the lots might actually be "cleaned".
IMHO,
Calli |
eb1154
Citizen
Username: Eb1154
Post Number: 502
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 8:31 am: |
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They were cleaned with brooms and shovels years ago. It took a lot more man power (which costs a lot more now)and there wasn't as much litter then compared to now. I also beg to differ in the comparison of the effectivness of the leaf blower. I can clean a lot more and a lot better with a leaf blower then ten guys with brooms.
As stated above, we apologize for the inconvience,but it must be done. People want the lots cleaned but not in the morning, not with leaf blowers, and without spending a lot of tax dollars. I am open to suggestions on how we can clean the lots and please everyone at the same time.
Eric |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 11481
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 9:02 am: |
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Maybe Calliope could form a volunteer group to show up at 5:30am to push brooms to help out Eric's guys and gals. 
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mjh
Supporter
Username: Mjh
Post Number: 518
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 - 10:06 am: |
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Where is the township rule against the dang birds that think the day begins at 4:30 a.m.? Huh? A lot of these birds are in a curbside tree planted by.......you guessed it........the TOWN. Who picked these trees out? Did they purposely pick the type that draws a crowd of loud-beaks? My bedroom window is about 30 feet from this TOWN tree, and I can't sleep for the noise!! Jeez. Only in Maplewood. |
Eponymous
Citizen
Username: Eponymous
Post Number: 186
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 12:14 am: |
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My implied point was that we now require higher standards of cleanliness than we did before, thanks to our ability to blow away every last scrap of matter from the street. It's analogous to the effect home appliances had on housewives. Instead of bringing them more free time, the appliances just raised the bar, so now all the clothes had to be machine-washed clean all the time, and that actually increased the amount of work that needed to be done.
In this case, how fast do you think the lots return to a condition that's broom-swept clean? Is that worth it?
Or consider the areas to which the dirt now goes. I assume the blower-wielding workers don't pick up anything, they just blow it around. Why is it acceptable to just move the dirt elsewhere?
Don't get me started on using blowers on lawns... |
toad
Citizen
Username: Toad
Post Number: 141
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 5:40 am: |
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Eponymous-Your assumption that all the debris just gets blown around and not picked up is wrong. In conjunction with the blowers, there is also a street sweeping machine that picks up the debris that is blown out of the corners of the lots. Dump trucks transport the debris to Public Works for disposal. If there is a considerable amount of debris we will utilize a loading machine to make the process go a little faster. |
Calliope
Citizen
Username: Calliope
Post Number: 199
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 1:17 pm: |
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ummmm...I see.
And sledgehammers make effective flyswatters? |
themp
Supporter
Username: Themp
Post Number: 2887
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 2:32 pm: |
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Leaf blowers are from hell. They pollute the air, raise noxious dust (lead, etc), and they blow seeds everywhere. Life would not be unliveable without them. |
Case
Citizen
Username: Case
Post Number: 1565
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 2:36 pm: |
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I like the suggestion raised earlier - have the housewives do it.
But really, I WOULD be curious to learn how we can clean the lots quietly without spending extra money. Maybe the township could swing over and pick up some day laborers once in awhile? |
Calliope
Citizen
Username: Calliope
Post Number: 206
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 6:56 pm: |
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I like the suggestion raised earlier - have the housewives do it.
Pardon me, I believe the suggestion was that *I*should form a volunteer group to sweep at the crack of dawn-- the suggestion was gender neutral. I am not a housewife (not that there is anything wrong with that), and that would happen in the same Universe that would allow me,and a group of volunteers, to perform a service which I assume is a union job. Good Luck! (and then, could we all pro rate the labor, and deduct it from our property taxes?)
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Case
Citizen
Username: Case
Post Number: 1568
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 8:26 pm: |
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My guess would be that the cleaner lots would indicate an increase in your quality of life, which (along with new kitchen countertops) automatically increases your property tax, not decreases it.
I'm still struggling with the relationship between granite countertop and public education, incidentally. |
blackcat
Citizen
Username: Blackcat
Post Number: 605
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 8:08 am: |
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Thanks Eric for your reply.
"A couple of years ago they did it on Sunday mornings and you complained about it being on Sunday mornings and I understood your complaint so we switched to a weekday morning."
The move from Sunday to weekday mornings is appreciated, but the problem is the time it's done and not the day.
"The lots need to be cleaned when there are no cars parked there and unfortunately the only time that is the case is between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m." "We apologize for the disruption, but at this time this is the only solution."
I don't believe this is the only solution. Is there any reason why the lot can't be blocked off until at least 8am? There is more than enough parking outside of that lot for the few people that use it from 6-8am. Put a few orange cones at the entrance for a few hours. I know the actual task of cleanup only takes a half hour.
My point is that this is a quality of life issue for the people that live in the surrounding blocks of the park. What makes it worse is that this happens during the warmer months, and the same time windows are open.
Bill
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sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 3448
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 9:00 am: |
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Blackcat has a good point. Parking areas are periodically "coned off" in order to repaint stripes, repave, etc., so why not for a 4-times-per-year cleanup? We aren't talking a weekly or even monthly inconvenience here and it doesn't sound like it would inconvenience all that many people if done relatively early in the day as Blackcat suggests.
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Glock 17
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 929
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 9:39 am: |
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