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… that street-sweeping has resumed full bore. Parkers should read and heed the signs. It may be better to exercise, even if it means walking most of a block to read the sign, than to get exercised about writing a check to pay a ticket. If street-sweeping has begun, can construction season be far behind?
… that, speaking of streets, a homeowner on Golf Road experienced a catastrophic repair to her sewer pipe – at a cost of $45,000. She has appealed to the City to share the cost.
… that the City will begin weekly food and yard waste collections for the 2021 season on April 1. These collections occur on residents’ regular refuse and recycling collection day.
… that the City is looking to hand over the downtown farmers market to Downtown Evanston, the organization that manages the special service area, which is composed of commercial/residential property- and business-owners.
… that a reader sent this gorgeous photo of a sunrise, taken from the Bridge Street bridge.
… that Canal Shores could again see some non-golf activity. The Post 42 concerts will be back this summer, and OUT OF SPACE concerts are planning a return in August.
… that the City has upgraded ParkEvanston, its parking app, to make the time paid for at one parking spot portable to another spot. The time “automatically transfers to any zone with the same hourly rate; no action is needed,” according to the City, which also refers readers to ParkEvanston FAQs.
… that City staff are reviewing a building permit for a chicken coop in the southish-centralish part of town.
… that there’s a meaty battle going on in the western plains. The Governor of Colorado declared March 20 “MeatOut Day,” so the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association in Colorado declared it a “MeatIn Day.” To counteract ill feelings, the Governor then declared March 22 “Colorado Livestock Proud Day.”
… that, speaking of critters, Brood X, one of the largest groups of the 17-year cicadas, may start showing up next month. There could be billions of these in the states east of the Mississippi, plying ears with the high whine, which EarthSky.org terms a “raspy, buzzing trill.”
From our readers: TG: Can those delivery robots [noted in the last column] be programmed to stay off the grass? What we really need is a sidewalk-repair and snow removal robot. – Dick Lanyon
From TG: What a great idea, Mr. Lanyon. TG is incorporating (well, appropriating) it – see below.
TG: This metal sculpture was installed recently at the corner of Dodge and Simpson in Twiggs Park. There is no plaque on it. What is the story?
— Chris Joyce
From TG: The sculpture, by Andrew Arvanetes, is titled “Strut.” It was one of a few selected by the City’s Arts Council to be leased by the City and parks.
The Traffic Guy thinks …
… that $45 million – the amount the City may receive in stimulus funds – is a lot of money, but TG has a few ideas how to spend it quickly and efficiently. Everyone has a plan, no doubt, but anyway, here are TG’s magic bullets (none original – they’ve come up before) to remove some of the prickles of everyday living here:
Streets: While TG hopes more and more folks will see the ecological reasons to have leaves remain in their yards, it seems reasonable to let folks rake (note that TG did not say “blow”) the excess leaves into the streets. City trucks could pick them up and sell them to landscaping companies for mulch, compost, etc. Even better, the landscaping companies could bid on the right to pick up those leaves, taking into account the boon they will be getting. Doing this could increase the richness of local yards, decrease the use of leaf-blowers and net the City some goodwill.
Sidewalks: Have City crews clear all (yes, that was “all”) sidewalks of snow and ice after a three-inch snowfall. Plow the alleys and make sure that jetsam from the blows does not block any garage or spill into streets or bike paths. TG like’s Dick Lanyon’s idea of procuring small robots for this task. Possibilities abound.
Parking: Make the wheel tax something like a debit card and let folks pay a selected amount above the required wheel tax to offset parking fees and fines. For example – a licensed driver could pay the wheel tax and then $100 extra, which would be debited when the driver parked at a meter or incurred a fine for street-cleaning violations, overstaying at a meter, etc.
Lead pipes: Forget the loans: As a public health measure, the City should replace all lead pipes that run from its mains into homes, businesses, condominiums, apartment complexes. No exceptions.