Voting Apparatus for W.U.C. Rate Hike

Local blog coverage of City Council's handling of the Windsor Utility Commission's possibly fraudulent rate hike has been excellent. Better and more in-depth than the Windsor Star offerings which were shallow and not well researched (this includes Gord Hendersons column). If you want to gain a good perspective on what the fiasco is all about and perhaps join a forum to sound off yourself please read these excellent blog posts by Chris Schnurr, Ed Arditti and Paul Synnott:

http://chrisschnurr.wordpress.com/

http://windsormunicipal.blogspot.com/

http://windsorcityon.blogspot.com/2007/07/council-wussed-out.html

http://chrisschnurr.wordpress.com/2007/07/31/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-water-main-problem-known-in-1994-and-again-in-2002/

These writers burned the midnight oil last evening to make sure we could get the coverage a.s.a.p. They not only beat the Windsor Star to the draw; they did it with respect for their readers intelligence. So now that you have read the articles from the above links maybe you would like to give em hell as well.

Ah yes...Back to the voting apparatus. In a perfect world it would work like this: You can either vote to accept the water rate hike or you can vote to flush it away. This voting machine is actually quite accurate at measuring voter satisfaction. It actually measures it in gallons. No recounts, no hanging chads (errr).

If you are OK with councils decision to put the infrastructure charges on your back don't flush. If you are mad as heck and want council to address it another way then press the handle to flush three times. Less water in the system means that we are OK with paying (or apathetic as usual) and more water in the system means we are steaming mad and want to send a loud and crystal clear message to our political servants. Oh yeah... We all have to vote simultaneously. For example on a weekend day like this Sunday at 12 noon. Imagine 1.5 million gallons of water from 100,000 households pulsing through Windsors rotting, neglected 100 year old infrastructure.

In a perfect world every blogger would put the word out to their readership and every citizen would e-mail the word out to all of his/her contacts and ask them to do the same. In that perfect world we could all flush for what is right and then lie with our ears to the ground and listen to the gushing sound of democracy.

Thanks to the local blogosphere for putting some serious wheels on this thing. Please stay informed with more thorough and extensive coverage from these same contributors. All of their postings are covered to the left under Nooozbitz. Watch for them on their own blogs and on WeSpeak. Their research into the matter provides needed background and reasoning for ordering up a third party audit into the operations of the W.U.C. We need an answer to the question: What has the W.U.C. been doing with our tax money for the last 40 years? We don't need anymore whiteboard doodles. We need the truth.

NEW TODAY

AUGUST 3rd, 2007:

Internal WUC "Agenda Submission" item dated May 7, 2007 submitted by Victoria Zuber to the Chair and Comissioners of Windsor Utilities.

So funds were diverted!

Read the rest here:

http://chrisschnurr.wordpress.com/2007/08/03/breaking-news-the-wuc-agenda-submission-and-is-city-facing-danger/

THE FLUSH IS ON!

Throw your vote in the toilet next Tuesday between 12 Noon and 1PM.

Let's flush out this infrastructure mess.

Press:

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=179a6f74-e257-4664-b2cf-b9e5abb8ceea&k=20733

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/strategy/article.jsp?content=20071001_198718_198718

http://www.atv.ca/windsor/news_46363.aspx

GEM DEVELOPMENT AREA NEEDS VISIONARIES

If ever there was a real estate venture with tons of profit opportunities Drouillard Road is it. To prove that point, all one has to do is drive up the street and pay attention. Pay attention to detail. Architectural details, infrastructure, the lay of the land, parking availability and location. This tired commercial corridor has been looking for the right lift for a long time. With the Ford Foundry ramping into oblivion there is yet another dynamic to affect change.

In recent years the city of Windsor has provided a fresh new street with beautiful lamp standards, sitting areas, trash receptacles, nice trees and colourful planters. There is lots of parking and even a nice park. The shop fronts are a bit tired and dated in appearance but a little planning and TLC could make them sparkle in no time. Many of the historical buildings which dot the street can be brought back into play. And let’s not forget Drouillard’s historical murals. All of the trappings for a hot commercial area are already in place.

Murals, statuary, trees, flowers and sitting areas

A variety of buildings and shops

A variety of buildings with lots of parking

The building on the left is currently for sale for $180,000.00

The location is textbook as well. The street reaches from Riverside Drive clean through to Tecumseh Road with feeders like Wyandotte, Seminole, Tecumseh Road and a few in between. Proper development of Drouillard could easily service Old Walkerville, Wards three and four as well as any other takers from in and around Windsor.

What’s that noise? Ahhh yes…The naysayers. “What Drouillard Road? Are you nuts? The place is a slum! It’ll never happen. Don’t waste your time and money. You’ll never get it back”. In 1984 we heard the same sounds about Monmouth Road. Everyone who bought into the street at that time got a steady ear banging from friends and relatives who could only see the street as a bad, bad place. The vision and potential was clear to those nervy enough to venture in at the time. Since then the home values on the street have risen to eight times the original value and there is no shortage of people who want to buy in today. Drouillard Road is the same story waiting to happen but only on a much grander scale. Real estate values on the street are just right for visionaries who can invest a little cash and sweat equity.

So what is the recipe for all of this? The first thing required is dialogue between business people of various kinds. Retailers, bakers, barbers, restaurateurs, banks, artists, designers, whoever has the guts and wherewithal to want in. An action plan should be established which ensures that the street will get repopulated and revitalized in a timely manner. This might even be a good game for all of the big boys and girls out there, business people who can afford to drop some legacy money into a very cool development. Once a solid core of businesses open more will follow. And when the shops, restaurants, night clubs, banks and retail stores et al are there the urbanites will surely come.
Looking for all takers. Do the drive by. Who wants to make some history?

HABITAT HOMES LIKE FEMA TRAILERS

New Habitat for Humanity Homes on St. Luke near Seminole

Fema Trailers awaiting assignment in New Orleans

Not to knock the global efforts of a truly great organization but the latest Habitat for Humanity build in Windsor looks very questionable. Unlike previous builds these homes are starkley minimalist and don't seem to even fit the agenda of Habitat. That is, "to eliminate poverty housing".

Habitat is famous for providing simple, decent and affordable housing but these ones seem to miss the mark on "decent". It is questionable if equity could ever rise in such a home. Who, in five, ten or twenty years would seek to purchase such a home? What kind of residents are likely going to be attracted to it? Even war time homes which were purposefully built after WWII are more dignified. As a long-term solution it is difficult to fathom that these homes will contribute to breaking the poverty cycle. In fact, they may do just the opposite. Imagine a whole sub-division of such buildings. The only images which come to mind are tent city and internment camp. If this is an experiment in eco-minimalism it seems dangerously out of context. Habitat's local Board and Advisory Council must keep in mind that Skinners Box was a dismal failure.

SEAGRAVE BUILDING TORCHED IN WEE HOURS

The Seagrave building, a familiar sight on Walker Road between Niagra and Richmond streets was deliberately set ablaze between 2:00 and 3:00 A.M. this morning. When firefighters arrived on the scene more than 50% of the first floor and parts of the second floor at the north end were fully engulfed. Several late model vehicles in various states of repair were completely destroyed. It is not known if this repair operation was legal or not. One bystander said that the operation was not insured. Residential neighbours from nearby Monmouth Road have filed continuous complaints with the city over various illegal activities in the building including vehicle repair, auto body operations, welding and band rehearsals. Illegal outside dumping and storage of vehicles and equipment has always been a problem.
Accelerant was used to start the fire at several locations. When fire crews arrived, many of the buildings exterior doors on both floors were found open. Someone mentioned that door number 70 on the second floor was recently locked up. It is not clear if this meant that a tennant was evicted or not. This morning Parker Construction was busy boarding up and securing the site.

Ashok Sood, CEO of Champion Paper Supplies and other operations on the East side of Walker Road recently bought the building. Fire officials told him that the building is still very structurally sound. Mr. Sood knows the historical and architectural relevance of this building. He said the city has suggested that low income housing would be a possible use. Mr. Sood is of the mind that this is probably not a good solution at all. In larger urban centers this sort of building would probably be snapped up for converting into fashionable condos, studios, boutiques or a combination thereof. He is very open to suggestions for potential use.

For history buffs, this building was erected in 1904 and it is where the modern fire truck was first concieved and built. The Company was called the W.E. Seagrave Fire Apparatus Company. Parts were shipped here from it's parent company in Ohio and assembled in this plant. The company was closed for competitive reasons in 1923. Windsor Fire Department still has a couple of newer Seagrave Pumpers which it purchased in the early 1990's. Fire investigators have been on the scene all day.

Rear garage entrance

Late model minivan

Door Number 70

Seagrave Building from Walker Road

Original pumper pic sent in from DI

Back in the day. Trees sure make a difference don't they? Pic sent in by JB.

Old Walkerville BIA on a Roll

This Business Improvement Association is taking care of business. Last week the tree grates were all cleaned out and adjusted to tree growth and this week the period light standards are getting spruced up. A new lamp standard was even installed at the corner of Devonshire and Wyandotte (the original was sheared off in a car accident last year). These small improvements have already made a huge difference in the appeal of the district. Hopefully the Parks Department will come through with some trees to replace the dead ash trees and others which were broken off due to being small caliber. Hats off to our BIA! Keep on workin it.

This is the stump of what was a lamp standard at Devonshire and Wyandotte. Our painter above is painting it's replacement.

This old girl finally got some breathing space. Pheeeuw!

Sprint Becomes Poster Child for Bad Service

In the news today, wireless provider Sprint has decided to call a spade a spade. Ranked as Americas worst for support and service they have decided that the best fix for them is to eliminate all customers who complain. Here is a the letter which they sent to all such customers:
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE


Many people have had issues with many providers but it seems that Sprint is notorious for leaving their customers on the dangle. http://community.livejournal.com/bad_service/1284877.html

We are not immune to this on our side of the border either. Recently Rogers has taken over Sprint Canada and many familiar with Rogers can report a variety of horror stories. One local blog reader recanted a story about purchasing a service package from Rogers via Radio Shack for her retired mother. Her mom decided that she was not going to get involved with the wireless revolution so the daughter returned the phone within 24 hours but Radio Shack said they would not give a refund even though the box was clearly never opened. "Take it up with Rogers" was the answer. Rogers wouldn't let her out of the contract either. They suggested that the daughter put the service in her name but to do so would require the conscent of her mother who never ever used a cellphone in her life. Also, since she wasn't the original purchaser of the package she did not qualify for the same promotion and therefore had to pay a higher monthly fee. This was enough. The daughter marched back to the Radio shack where she purchased the package and demanded that something be done. She did so at the top of her lungs and in front of a store full of customers; some even pawing over the same bundle she was talking about. The nervous clerk brought in the store manager who in turn made a couple of calls and before long the whole problem was fixed. Here are other such stories:

http://www.rogersandme.ca/consumer_exp.html

http://www.complaints.com/directory/2005/march/8/26.htm

It's very interesting that Rogers now owns Telus and Sprint. One might think that the CRTC would regulate against such mergers to avert a potential monopoly. Oh well...The lesson to be learned in all of this is that we need to be vigilant at making the right choices. Research our purchases and buy smart. Avoid companies with bad customer support ratings such as Sprint at all costs. They obviously do not want to change their ways.



The following poll has to do with false roaming charges which some of us get because of our proximity to the U.S. border. Maybe you have noticed, maybe you haven't. Please check the appropriate box so that we can get a snapshot of whats going on out there:

There you have it. This brief poll suggests that there is a significant segment which is experiencing roaming charges (54%). The question then becomes: Are you adjusting your phone bills to have the roaming charges removed? It is doable and providers do recognize the problem which we experience as a border town. To eliminate the roaming hastle there is a fix which you can do within the menus of your cell phone. As follows:

Click on "Menu", Select "Settings", open up "setup" or "roaming", choose "set mode" and finally select "home only".

This will eleiminate your phones tendancy to search out the most powerful towers which around here are in Detroit. Call your provider to have your charge history corrected and adjust your cell phone. Money in the bank.

Hosted by the Walkerville BIA

“Friday, July 20th, 2007 from 5:00pm to 10:00pm throughout the Walkerville area which is along Wyandotte St E from Gladstone to Argyle and down Devonshire from Wyandotte to Riverside Dr. There are 36 shops and businesses participating this year - the most we’ve ever had. There will be artists of various mediums set up in each shop/business displaying, performing and/or selling their wares.


It’s a great evening and we usually have between 1000 to 2000 people. If you do not receive an invitation, there are some available in participating locations. On the back of each invitation, there are squares with the names of each participating business. Collect a stamp from each store or business and when the card is full it becomes your ballot to enter to win a weekend getaway to the Stratford Festival which includes a stay at a bed & breakfast and 2 tickets to the festival.”

Venue:

Walkerville Distillery District, Walkerville, Windsor.

http://www.mnsi.net/~acwr/artwalk2007.html
walkervillebia@cogeco.ca

Phone 519-919-8733 for more information.

Tell em MOM sent you.

City Responds to Tired BIA

Crew Chief Cuts away Iron Grate to Prevent Girdling

Summer students Prepare the Beds and add Fabric for Weed Prevention

The Finished Product complete with pea stone.

A Public Works crew will be busy for the next couple of weeks as they tend to the needs of street trees along Wyandotte street in Old Walkerville (See post - Wakerville BIA District Looking Tired - 2007/06/04). http://themayorofmonmouth.blogspot.com/2007/06/walkerville-bia-district-looking-tired.html They have already started to adjust the grates to prevent further girdling of the trees and they are cleaning them out and adding pea gravel. They actually look pretty good. One might ask why the Public Works Department is taking care of this as opposed to the Parks Department. Probably because they have the tools and skills to cut the iron grates away from the trees. It would be nice to see the Parks Department follow up by replacing the missing and broken trees (hopefully of substantial trunk caliber). This is much needed maintenace for the area. Maybe the hanging flower baskets will re-appear soon as well.

Arugula!...Arugula!

Right now, on a vacant lot on Wyandotte Street you can find a patch of Arugula. The exact location won't be given out here but it is in the heart of the Old Walkerville BIA (Business Improvement Area).

So if your in the mood for some tasty salad fixins you might want to grab a basket and venture off on your own culinary scavenger hunt. One hint. "Out of the ashes comes the new".

Good Luck and Bon appetit!