APATHETIC?
Take away the "A" and it's PATHETIC!
12 days ago, on 2-23-09 we posted a positive article about the Buffalo, Oklahoma Town Manager getting Doby cleaned up, well sort of. Only the hazardous waste was removed, but it's a start! Plans are, according to the manager's report at last Town Board meeting, to clean the entire dump area in the future.
Inside Buffalo received an email the other day from another concerned citizen who had visited the Buffalo Blog and read the comment from an Anonymous person about Buffalo's Town Manager getting things accomplished in a timely manner and brought to our attention that the comment, unlike most of them on there, had not received any “spin”. Nor had the comment received any negative or positive response. Nada. Nothing. This citizen wondered about that. So did we here at Inside Buffalo Magazine. It is apparent that there was nothing to say. If the comment was, indeed, factual, then what can be said? It’s very hard to refute the facts. 2 + 2 , is 4. That is a fact (or so I’m told)
The comment on the blog referenced in the email missive to Inside Buffalo Magazine is below in color, Inside’s comments are italicized:
...Then why can't Joe get the light bulbs at the library replaced when he's been asked on many occasions and in public meetings to do so?
Inside Buffalo doesn't know the answer to this but we received an anonymous tip about the problem, actually we know who told us, but the person wishes to remain anonymous. We were informed that a city employee already took care of the light bulb problem at the Library.
Problem solved – or so we thought.
Later we got an email note telling us that around 16 bulbs are out at the Library. Now we’re wondering what’s going on?
Evidently someone went to the Library and counted the dead light bulbs! Word is that people don’t care!? I’d say that someone cared enough about the Library to make a special trip there just to count the light bulbs! Either this person has plenty of time on his or her hands or he or she cares – most likely both. We still don’t know the answer because when we called the library we received an: “I can’t comment, thank you” – so we left it at that. However! - At the Town Board meeting on March 4, 2009, a Library Board member, listed on the meeting agenda, rose and spoke about the problem. In almost any other Town or City, immediately the Town Manager would have been instructed to "Get the problem resolved immediately". But this is Buffalo, Oklahoma. If we're still alive when the problem is resolved we'll write about it here at Inside Buffalo
...Joe was asked in a public town board meeting to repair some of the pot holes in the streets in July 2007.
They were finally fixed in January 2009. So that's what you call taking care of a problem as quickly as possible?
We, again, don’t really have anything to say about this specific topic: pot holes in general.
We weren’t advised in the email where the specific pot holes can be found and we didn’t want to traverse the Town looking for them.
However, we drive certain streets regularly and there are pot holes. That’s part of life in Buffalo and small towns in general. We’ve learned to avoid them.
There is an attempt, on occasion, by Town employees to repair pot holes and cuts in the road where sewer pipes are being laid or have been replaced. Take your 4-wheel drive truck (you’ll need it) down NE 2nd Street between McMinn and Williams and attempt to get up and over the speed bump - er, bumps - I mean, the road repair there. I know it’s not that terribly bad but it’s a great example of how projects are completed in Town.
Update: Some of the prison inmates Joe has been using lately (supervised of course) have been filling a selection of pot holes around Town. Yippeeee!
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...Joe was advised about a bunch of limbs in the street on the West side of town in August. They are still there. I guess as quickly as possible is next year and is also the definition of doing his best to rectify the problem.
Inside Buffalo could check this out for themselves as the email we received specified where they could be found.
Yup – There they were! It looks like they’ve been there for a while – a long while. So if the Anonymous commenter was referring to these limb piles then the comment was factual.
I can’t see how the Town or their employees could possibly have missed this mess. Oh well, we’re human and we all make mistakes.
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We are taking this moment to notify the Town of another large pile of tree limbs and debris on SE 5th Street. Inside Buffalo was informed that the pile has been there for going on 4 weeks. We’ll see how long the pile remains there.
...Joe told a town board attendee in early 2004 that some manhole cover extensions were ordered and in stock ready to be installed where the pavement had been placed down and the manholes were too low in comparison to the height of the road. In November of 2008, Joe told him he didn't know where they were. I understand that's the best he could do to rectify the problem and it shows his dedication and shows that he genuinely cares.
Inside Buffalo was in attendance at that Town Board meeting and is keenly aware of what transpired. The comment is factual and can’t be refuted.
...Joe was advised by the DEQ to get the pump fixed at the sewer lagoons in February 2005. If I'm correct, it's now four years later and the pumps are just getting fixed only because the town got fined by the DEQ. Does that fit your definition of rectifying the problem as quickly as possible?
One more time, that comment too, is factual. You may choose to download a copy of the DEQ report and read it for yourselves HERE
...In May 2006 Joe was told by DEQ to keep vegetation and especially the trees out of the dikes in a DEQ report about the sewer ponds.
Yes, another factual statement. You can see the report for your very own HERE
...Joe was ordered in a consent order in January 2009 to remove the very large tree from the dike which had been ignored since 2006. Almost 3 years is getting it done quickly as possible?
The tree in the dike is now about the size of a California Redwood.
Not really.
But it is getting larger every week, month or year. Now is definitely the time to get it removed since the Town of Buffalo received a fine and CONSENT ORDER, not voluntary, from the DEQ.
In summary, the emailer will receive a copy of this article and we hope this resolves his or her concerns.
Additionally, it’s very important to point out that the Town of Buffalo Manager has his hands full right now. The Town is still short of the number of employees the Town has budgeted for and there is a substantial list of problems needing to be addressed. Inside Buffalo gets emails and phone calls regularly as if we were the investigative reporters for “Channel 5 On Your Side” or something along those lines telling us about their concerns.
We fully understand that there are problems in Buffalo and there are projects that the Town Manager simply must put off for a short while because of staff issues. The Town has attempted to remedy the problem of poor pay for Town laborers but their hands are tied. (We’ll be writing about this problem in upcoming articles)
Just the other week, we read in the Harper County Journal, the article on the front page about the drug bust in Buffalo wherein the article referenced human feces and a stench from the home. We are told by an informed person that he/she called the Town in June 2008 about the smell coming from the house and other problems. We’re told that it wasn’t until 8 months later, when Buffalo got their new Code Enforcement Officer and Police Chief, that something was done about thec problems, odor and sewage stench.
We’re told that the Department of Environmental Quality (D.E.Q.) was called by this person and the DEQ came to Buffalo (again!) on January 22nd, 2009 to investigate but didn’t wish to pursue the awful odor problem because the police were involved in their own investigation of the property and the people within the home and because DEQ couldn't get permission to enter the property.
KFOR CHANNEL 4 - Buffalo News Article HERE
We’re happy to assist residents in their investigations of alleged transgressions in and around Buffalo.
We recommend to each person contacting us to consider telephoning the Town Manager first before we get involved. We have yet to hear a response from these residents other than: “I have” or “I did”. We now tell them to put it in writing to the Town Clerk and/or Town Board
The Doby Springs dump articles came from a person who told us she had informed many persons, including Town employees and an ex-sheriff, newly hired Town Police Officer, (not anymore - he turned the job down) personally, long ago, that the Town should consider getting the mess at Doby cleaned up. It wasn’t until many months later that Inside Buffalo finally chose to inform the Blog and write an article about it. The Town had many months and, as it turns out, years, to get that area cleaned up.
Inside Buffalo found out about a class from the local school that had taken a field trip to the nature trails at Doby Springs some 6 or 7 years ago and some of the junk was there then! Say what?
Yes, Buffalo citizens and taxpayers - the Doby Dump isn't a current problem. Buffalo's Town Manager, Joe McVicker, in his WRITTEN report to Town Trustees admitted to dumping Golf Carts at Doby Springs himself! And he didn't apologize about it! It appears that it's just plain OKAY to dump there!
As of this moment, taxpayers may be rushing to the aid of Town Manager Joe, in an attempt to extract a human appendage from his mouth.
Why?
Because Joe stuck his foot in his mouth! - allegedly.
In the Town Manager's Report, from March 4, 2009, Good ole' Joe says he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the dumping going on at the Buffalo Municipal Recreation Area. Joe wrote: QUOTE: "I was amazed at the site, for it was put there without my knowledge."
BULLSH*%!
He continued: QUOTE: "...I would not have allowed that to happen."
BULLSH*%! You Did!
In the very next sentence he writes: "I have myself put 4 carts down there but it was years ago..."
It was a long time ago so it was OKAY? Give the whole entire Town some of those hallucinogens Joe! Then maybe we can agree with your rhetorically irresponsible B.S.
What was it we said? BULLBUTTER? A common English expletive. More and More every day!
It's a sad state of affairs.
Some may say it's
PATHETIC.
