Yeah I saw this too. I didn’t know whether to laugh at the obsurdity of the idea of the city spending money to collect nonexsistant leaves or be angry at the wasteful spending.
I’m not sure about every block, but our curbs and gutter pans are still full of sand and dirt. This is now promoting weed growth in the curb borders. While late, this cleaning service is still needed to keep the streets looking clean.
I thought leaf cleaning and street cleaning were two separate things? If not, then you are right street cleaning is needed. But I don’t see the need for leaf collection any more.
Our street had leaf removal just before the House tour, but there is a magnolia tree on the corner that pollutes the whole neighborhood. Every Thursday a man comes with a leaf blower and blowes all the leaves from the owner of this tree into the street. Last week the city cleaned out the drain on the corner ( a block away and down hill ) because it was totally clogged with magnolia leaves.
The owner of this tree sould be charged with cleaning up the leaves that pollute the street all year long.
BE CAREFUL! If you park your car near one of these signs take a picture with your car and the sign in it. I’ve had my car towed on the wrong day and had to contest it in traffic court. I got my money back but after missing a day of work it wasn’t really worth it other than getting it off my record. They wouldn’t have believed me if I didn’t have a picture as proof. Seibert’s Towing in Southside is where they take cars towed for street cleaning.
Richmond City has no money to spend, and I have no leaves in need of picking up.
Why are we doing this, especially in the context of unfunded schools, an overworked and understaffed police department, potholed streets in need of cleaning, a nearly frozen city bureaucracy, overgrown parks, and the myriad needs of RRHA?
@11 Dubois2 because we have paid for it with utilities. But agree, the leaf collection is no longer needed as street cleaning will pick up what residue remains now.
Grace D…I did indeed take a picture and when the vehicle got towed a day before the date on the sign I called the police and reported a stolen vehicle. The tow company brought the vehicle right back. Dubois2, the city schools aren’t unfunded as far as operational costs are concerned. RPS has the second highest per pupil expenditure in the state. What the hell they do with that money is another question. And the situation with the police department has gotten to the point where it should worry everybody…the department’s losing cops far faster than they can put new recruits on the street.
It does seem that there are a number of real needs in our actual city this spring/summer. Ann, you see the issues at RPD as important. I agree, and would be happy for the leaf money to go directly to hiring or retention. I certainly don’t know what a realistic and honest school budget for RPS should look like; but I do know what decent schools feel like, and I don’t see a whole lot of that here, sad to say. I wouldn’t be upset to see these dollars go towards change in our schools. OR straight into fixing potholes. Just saying, I guess, that it’s too late to pick up leaves after the leaves are gone. I simply wish that our city would please stop pretending to pick up leaves that aren’t there – it’s unnerving at best – and pick ANY real (not pretend) thing to do with that money.
#15 – I don’t know where you got your data for the claim, “RPS has the second highest per pupil expenditure in the state.” The VDOE Superintendent’s Report for the 2014-2015 school year shows Richmond ranked 40th in the state for per pupil expenditures at $11,388. This year, RPS website shows they are at $11,125. By comparison, Falls Church was at $18,655 and Arlington at $18,594 for FY2015. See table 15 at this link: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/statistics_reports/supts_annual_report/2014_15/index.shtml
Yeah I saw this too. I didn’t know whether to laugh at the obsurdity of the idea of the city spending money to collect nonexsistant leaves or be angry at the wasteful spending.
Either way, the leaves are long gone.
Your City spending your money for you.
I’m not sure about every block, but our curbs and gutter pans are still full of sand and dirt. This is now promoting weed growth in the curb borders. While late, this cleaning service is still needed to keep the streets looking clean.
Ryan:
I thought leaf cleaning and street cleaning were two separate things? If not, then you are right street cleaning is needed. But I don’t see the need for leaf collection any more.
Spot on Ryan. There are many blocks throughout the area that will benefit from this…bring it.
Our street had leaf removal just before the House tour, but there is a magnolia tree on the corner that pollutes the whole neighborhood. Every Thursday a man comes with a leaf blower and blowes all the leaves from the owner of this tree into the street. Last week the city cleaned out the drain on the corner ( a block away and down hill ) because it was totally clogged with magnolia leaves.
The owner of this tree sould be charged with cleaning up the leaves that pollute the street all year long.
BE CAREFUL! If you park your car near one of these signs take a picture with your car and the sign in it. I’ve had my car towed on the wrong day and had to contest it in traffic court. I got my money back but after missing a day of work it wasn’t really worth it other than getting it off my record. They wouldn’t have believed me if I didn’t have a picture as proof. Seibert’s Towing in Southside is where they take cars towed for street cleaning.
Richmond City has no money to spend, and I have no leaves in need of picking up.
Why are we doing this, especially in the context of unfunded schools, an overworked and understaffed police department, potholed streets in need of cleaning, a nearly frozen city bureaucracy, overgrown parks, and the myriad needs of RRHA?
@11 Dubois2 because we have paid for it with utilities. But agree, the leaf collection is no longer needed as street cleaning will pick up what residue remains now.
Grace D…I did indeed take a picture and when the vehicle got towed a day before the date on the sign I called the police and reported a stolen vehicle. The tow company brought the vehicle right back. Dubois2, the city schools aren’t unfunded as far as operational costs are concerned. RPS has the second highest per pupil expenditure in the state. What the hell they do with that money is another question. And the situation with the police department has gotten to the point where it should worry everybody…the department’s losing cops far faster than they can put new recruits on the street.
It does seem that there are a number of real needs in our actual city this spring/summer. Ann, you see the issues at RPD as important. I agree, and would be happy for the leaf money to go directly to hiring or retention. I certainly don’t know what a realistic and honest school budget for RPS should look like; but I do know what decent schools feel like, and I don’t see a whole lot of that here, sad to say. I wouldn’t be upset to see these dollars go towards change in our schools. OR straight into fixing potholes. Just saying, I guess, that it’s too late to pick up leaves after the leaves are gone. I simply wish that our city would please stop pretending to pick up leaves that aren’t there – it’s unnerving at best – and pick ANY real (not pretend) thing to do with that money.
#15 – I don’t know where you got your data for the claim, “RPS has the second highest per pupil expenditure in the state.” The VDOE Superintendent’s Report for the 2014-2015 school year shows Richmond ranked 40th in the state for per pupil expenditures at $11,388. This year, RPS website shows they are at $11,125. By comparison, Falls Church was at $18,655 and Arlington at $18,594 for FY2015. See table 15 at this link: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/statistics_reports/supts_annual_report/2014_15/index.shtml
Well it would be nice for the 400 block of 27th. We had no leaf pickup at all.
FYI, the signs were a misnomer. One side of our block was street cleaned today. 🙂