Friday, April 13, 2007

STORM INFO...

The town is working - trying to be proactive. We want to address the anticipated storm (the weather service is predicting a storm on Sunday). We are clearing drains, basins, obstructions, brooks. Obviously, we won't be able to prevent flooding. But, we're trying to minimize the problem.
If you have a problem the phone number of the highway garage is 693 8121. My home phone is 478-1219. My cell phone is 438-1343. Please feel free to call me at home (till midnight) if you have a storm related problem. I'll be in touch with Con Ed, Verizon, the various town departments during the storm.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cutos for posting your personal phone numbers.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm..isn't it kudos? And I totally agree.

It's great to see that the town is being proactive, I hope it makes a difference.

Is there any way to find out the specific drains, etc. that are done (a checklist) so that we can have peace of mind in the relevant neighborhoods that the drains were cleared?

Anonymous said...

Can you find any other town with such service! WOW

Anonymous said...

Actually every town offers services like maintaining the sewer system. What makes Greenburgh different is that the Supervisor finds it necessary to point out he's doing his job.

Anonymous said...

A town with service -- HaHaHA

We had one scheduled garbage pickup this weekup. I had my garbage out before 7on Tuesday -- was not picked up. Called on Wednesday -- they said they would pick it up. Never came. Called again today -- they never even called me back.

I think this is part of Feiners re-election strategy. Provide poor service. Make residents call him for basic service. have residents grateful to him.

Anonymous said...

"Can you find any other town with such service! WOW"

Hahaha ... All they're doing is routine maintenance (or what SHOULD be routine maintenance). This "special project" is only due to neglect of everyday services that all other municipalities regularly do.

Anonymous said...

If Greenburgh were run professionally, it would post a politician-free 24/7 hot line number for all residents to call if they need help in a weather emergency.

It is ghastly that Feiner would use a potentially devastating storm as yet another shameless opportunity to mine the public for more of their personal phone numbers and e-mail addresses that he can use to promote himself this election year.

Residents who call town hall for help should be directed immediately to the appropriate government agency or utility that can help.

In fact, calling Feiner is about the worst thing a resident who needs help can do because not only is Feiner only interested in promoting himself, but because of his incompetence and political grandstanding, very few people in the public or private sector even return his calls anymore.

Anonymous said...

For some residents Feiner cannot do good. My suggestion to you is move.Sheehanitis must be contagious. Watch out ,try to seek help.If things are not reported to Feiner, how would he know if the work is not being done by his department heads.You alert him as to what the problem is and he follows up.HE is giving you the numbers to call,try it you may be satisfied with his fast response to the call and to the work that has to be done.

Anonymous said...

If we dont like Feiner, we should move, heah this isnt the Soviet Union.

The answer is vote, vote vote and get your neigbors to vote. Unfortunately, with the way our primary system works, a very few people control who is town superivisor, and only a very slim majority voted for Feiner.

Anonymous said...

Preface: While I'm going to complain here, I have nothing against Feiner.

Saturday, 2:00 P.M.; Sprain Road, south of Ardsley Road; three town highway department trucks and at least four workers, sweeping off one sewer grate ...

To say the very least, that is very inefficient. I bet a lot of overtime is being dished out for this "special project" that should just be everyday maintainance like street sweeping and such.

Also, replying to another posting, this is certainly not proactive; it's reactive, in recognition that standard street services are not being done. The highway department certainly needs a professional operations manager. Perhaps this is Feiner's fault for not managing hiring/firing properly; I don't know. Blame aside, though, our roadway services are significantly inferior to those of neighboring towns and cities, and this expensive pre-storm cleanup clearly indicates such.

Anonymous said...

Town services are excellent. Employees are responsive. Compare greenburgh to any other community. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Anonymous said...

Greenburgh is run professionally. Snow removal was off the charts. Sanitation is always excellent. Recreation--awesome. Did you see the excellent job the parks dept did preparing for Little League games? I have never had any complaints with the town. Supervisor Feiner does a great job. During the past 2 years we haven't even had a tax hike.

Anonymous said...

how many other local governments have chief executives who welcome being bothered by anyone and everyone day and night? I can't think of any other place.
And, what's nicer is that the town takes our complaints seriously and solves them for us. We get top value for our dollar with Feiner.

Anonymous said...

Re government CEO's who are avilable, Mayor Michael Bloomberg for one. His number was listed until some citizens abused it.

Anonymous said...

Greenburgh is most certainly not run professionally -- at least not by Feiner.

Case in point -- the accumulating garbage along state roads, like Central Avenue, Dobbs Ferr Road, Saw Mill River Road, etc.

For years, Greenburgh residents have been complaining about this.

So what does Feiner do?

After 16 years in office watching the garbage pile up, he issues a press release tonight saying there's too much litter on these roads and demands that state officials clean it up.

Feiner might have checked with the town attorney before issuing that press release.

Highway Law 60 makes the removal of "filth and refuse" along state highways a town responsibility, chargeable to that portion of the town's unincorporated areas situated along such highways that would benefit from the cleanup.

There is a separate statute requiring villages to maintain highways that run through villages.

So why does the gargage pile up year after year? Because even though he's been in office for 16 years, he didn't know state law made it the town's responsibility to clean it up.

Anonymous said...

Yea, that has always baffled me. Each municipality cleans its own state roads just as a matter of routine maintenance - except in Greenburgh where no street cleaning is done.

Some municipalities like Yonkers and Mount Pleasant even choose to go beyond the basics to enhance economic development. Why doesn't Greenburgh, especially along Central Park Avenue? Even just driving a street sweeper every week or two would make a world of difference.

Anonymous said...

Now you know.

Feiner is so clueless when it comes to running the town that even after 16 years in office, it never occurred to him that something so fundamental like cleaning the state roads was the town's responsibiity -- just like it is in every other town.

It doesn't have to be this way of course.

If only we had a supervisor who, instead of governing by press release, actually participated in discussions on town issues with the town council, the town attorney and the town's department heads, the quality of life might actually start to improve around here.

He or she might also earn a measure of respect from federal, state and county officials who, with Feiner still in office, tend to turn the other way.

Anonymous said...

Feiner isn't clueless. He's paying attention to our problems. I haven't heard any of the other council members address this quality of life issue. I'm glad Paul is focusing attention on keeping Greenburgh cleaner.

Anonymous said...

If Feiner were paying attention, he would know whether or not the town or the state is responsible for cleaning up the garbage along state roads in the town.

The man's been in office for 16 years. How could he not have thought about this problem before?

Anonymous said...

Duh--a state road should be cleaned up by the state, not the town.
I'm glad that the town will look for ways to step up the clean up efforts.
don't look to find fault. look to find solutions. that's what our town supervisor is doing. that's what he always does.

Anonymous said...

Let's review the bidding here.

Feiner blasts state officials last night for not cleaning up the garbage on state roads running through town.

Then some anonymous blogger points out that state law makes towns -- not the state -- responsible for cleaning up the debris along state roads.

Feiner then blogs this morning that he's not sure what the law requires -- making clear that if it were the town's responsibility, he never knew it.

And now Feiner (or his supporters) are demanding that cleanup of the state roads running through town SHOULD be the state's responsibility.

So where does that leave us? Feiner evidently didn't know what the law was and now that he's learned that the responsibility is his -- not the state's -- he's telling his supporters that the law should be different so he can't be blamed.

The English translation: this is vintage Feiner. If you want the garbage picked up, don't blame him and forget about the town -- just pick it up yourself.

Anonymous said...

It's no big deal that the Supervisor lists his home number. Scarsdale's mayor does, Yonkers' mayor does, Mount Pleasant's supervisor does, White Plains' mayor does, Ardsley's mayor does ... I could go on and on. Just wanted to point out that no "kudos" are in order for this re-election move (which has clearly backfired).

Anonymous said...

I'm amazed that the Supervisor and his staff have not been aware of routine roadway responsibilities. Though at least that explains why it's so obvious that you're entering Greenburgh from any other neighboring municipality. Poor highway maintenance should not be the main indicator the Greenburgh town line. "Welcome to Greenburgh" signage, like every other municipality around has, would be a better alternative. (And why don't we have any "Welcome to Greenburgh" signage like everyone else? Are we embarrassed?)

Anonymous said...

Just saw this post on another of Feiner's blogs and thought it should be posted here too.

Feiner's ordering the town's Department of Public Works to clean debris off town roads --but not state roads -- is probably illegal and unconstitutional.

According to the state attorney general, if a town has a policy of cleaning up the trash along town roads, then principles of equality of taxation dictate that all taxpayers must be given an equal opportunity to take advantage of that service.

To arbitrarily exclude town taxpayers who own property along state roads from that service would be to unlawfully discriminate against such taxpayers by denying them the reasonably opportunity to take advantage of a municipal service which they help to finance.

So, if Feiner has, in typical knee-jerk ad hoc fashion, reacted to complaints about garbage strewn along roads in unincorporated Greenburgh by ordering town crews to clean up only town roads, and bypass state roads like Central Avenue, Tarrytown Road, Dobbs Ferry Road, Knollwood Road, Route 9A, etc., then he's almost certainly acting illegally and unconstitutionally.

Yet another reason why Greenburgh can no longer afford Feiner as town supervisor.

Paul Feiner said...

Dear Anonymous: This matter will be discussed by the entire Town Board. During the past week I have discussed the issue with Al Regula, commissioner of public works. Al sent me an e mail today (Sunday) advising me of his interpretation of the state law. I believe that the town must do whatever it takes to keep our roads and right of ways clean.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Please do not expect the Police Dept. to write tickets for littering. They don't write tickets for walking with shopping carts(stealing ?)from shopping centers or for talking on cell phones while driving, which is also against the Law.

Anonymous said...

Dear 4/15 at 2:32

What would be the penalty for Feiner if he did violate the constitution?

Anonymous said...

There is a major road in my neighborhood strewn with litter and on that road there are signs posted "$500 Fine For Littering". It has obviously not been a deterrent. Our neighborhood has had the street sweeper out on all streets, so they are in great shape, but the litter is in the grass, weeds, and bushes on both sides of the road where the sweeper does not go and where there are no homes, so that home owners do not pick up the litter. We need an army of employees (or volunteers) to go with a long stick with a needle on the end of it to go one to two feet off the road and gather litter. I have lived here over 30 years and this has been a problem many times. One time, many years ago, to mark Earth Day, a minister of a local Church recruited voluntters to clean up the off road debris. Frankly, whoever is Supervisor or is elected Supervisor, the problem seems too small to get attention. It does however, make our neighbor hood in parts, look like a third world country. Not a good thing for Greenburgh.

Anonymous said...

SHEEHAN ,LETS HAVE NEW LAWS TO KEEP GREENBURGH CLEANER NOT GREENER..CLEANER GREENBURGH WILL MAKE CLEANER STORM SEWERS.