Village Sidewalk Ordinance

"Most of the village sidewalks are in such a state of disrepair".  This past week, a lady trips, falls and breaks her leg on the walkway while leaving a downtown shop.  The mayor says that he can make them [business owners, residents] fix their sidewalks.  Well??  Listen to the audio from last weeks VB meeting and enjoy the slide show of some of our sidewalks.  Including some Village owned sidewalks.  Lead by example.....

Follow on Facebook

RM said 

 Jim,

Just two questions,

1) If the property owners are responsible for the sidewalk in front of their property, are they liable for injuries if someone is injured due to lack of maintenance on said sidewalk?

2) If the answer to the above statement is yes, why is there an issue with putting signboards on THEIR sidewalk? if someone trips over the sign, would not the property owner be responsible for any injuries incurred? Why is the Village even having a discussion about signs on PRIVATELY owned property?

Short Version Meter Hearing

I understand that most of you do not have the patience or the interest in listening to a 16 minute public hearing.  So I have condensed it into less than a minute....56 seconds!  This clip is my slant/opinion from last nights hearing.  To me something is fishy.....Mr Martin came to a VB meeting 1 1/2 years ago with a complaint about those meters.  The board did nothing about it then and Mr Martin never followed up on it.  At the July 13th 2010 VB meeting, parking meters C16 and C17 appeared as new business and the public hearing was scheduled for last night.  Trustee Roy read the amendment which clearly was prepared by Village Attorney Gebo.  It became clear to those of us present at the hearing that this was going to be a done deal after the hearing closed.  Some of the VB wanted to pass this amendment come hell or high water.  It was tabled pending further research...

Follow on Facebook

Update Parking Meter

The VB tabled the removal of the Parking meters on Church St.....pending further investigation.  Audio from that hearing is now available...






Follow on Facebook

2 LESS Places to Park on Church St

Because the resident at 60 Church St finds it difficult to back out his driveway:
 2 parking meters might be removed and made NO PARKING on Church St.  Specifically the 2 meters between the residence of 60 Church St and the Reformed Church.  Parking will be greatly affected not only for the Reformed Church, but the United Methodist Church, The Dancing Dog, River Living.......  It will definitely have a trickle down effect for anyone that needs to park on Church St.  Those parking spots are used for Sunday church services, funerals, weddings, and for patrons of business's  ...  The public hearing will be tomorrow night July 27th at 5:15 pm at the Village Offices Community Room.

** Note**  My in-laws used to own that house.  We used to back the vehicles into the driveway on busy weekends......





Comment on this topic using Facebook  


JB said......I would think that backing into that driveway all the time would make sense with the hill and would eliminate the problem without eliminating parking spaces.

Hello! Welcome to Alex Bay

No Welcome message?  Just the rules!

Scenario #1
A boat approaches our village dock.  The boater and it's occupants may be welcomed to our new docks, but more likely they will go unnoticed as the boat slides into a slip.  Everyone gets out and they all disappear onto James St.

Scenario #2
A boat approaches our village dock.  A dock attendant runs down the dock and eagerly stands between 2 cleats with arms stretched out waiting to catch a thrown line.  The attendant lashes the line to the cleat, then reaches into a pocket and hands the captain a small manila envelope.  The first four hours are free, but if you stay longer  you can use that envelope.  Poof!  The attendant is gone.....

I could offer more scenario's but you get might point.  What ever happened to the meet and greet?  Hello!!!! welcome to Alex Bay.  Is this your first visit to our new dock?  [this might prompt a "what happened to the old one" from the boater]  Of course it depends  if the boater is a regular or new to the area . The attendant could give a very brief story of the old dock.  If it is a regular.....the chatter could go on.....Not sure if you have noticed, but we have taken the old benches out and replaced them with new ones!  Will you be visiting our village for the day?  There are no dock fees for the first four hours of your visit.  Depending on the boaters plans, the dock fee schedule can be explained and an envelope can be given to the captain.   Have a nice day and enjoy your stay!  This is  Not to difficult to do....just a little P.R.

Training?  The dock attendants get very little.  If a big boat comes in and it is windy, the attendants become invisible.  That boat represents a lot of money.....nobody has taught the attendants the "how to or what to do"  with the lines on a beast of a boat.  They are not given an example of the meet and greet, like the one I outlined above.  They get the these are your hours and here is your shirt, and remember the label goes in the back.....

Login to Facebook to follow the discussion or to post a comment

A comment that can be found on Facebook: JP said......I probably contribute more now that it is voluntary than before when they charged fees. Dock attendant training is non-existent. I have had to ASK for an envelope. Worse, they allow huge gaps between vessels that prevent efficient dock utilization. Why do I need to shout, "Hey, could you move that boat back a couple cleats," in order to find a space? Why are jet skis in the center of a 40 foot section of dock? Who is in charge?

Puppeteer Becomes The Puppet?

The audio clips in the movie below  span from the June 22nd VB meeting to the July 13th meeting.  During that time a letter to the editor was written by Sally Crews, followed by a rebuttal letter written by Alex Mosher.  It is not what Alex said in the audio [even though I thought what he was requesting was reasonable]  And it was not what Ron Thomson said.....his statements are not really the issue here either.  What is the issue, are the two opinions at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Some will agree with Alex, while others will agree with Ron.  What I find most interesting is the man in the middle....riding the fence.....creating this mess.  As always......you decide.....

***there are gaps [of no sound] in the audio, at the beginning and in the middle.....it is intended to be that way

33rd Annual Vintage Boat Show

 Make sure your speakers are ON!

We are FLOCKED!

 These showed up on our lawn this morning.  It is for a great cause!





 

WDT article about this worthy Fund Raiser for St. Judes Hospital

Pro Shop @ Town Ice Arena

In an effort to create more interest in the Town Of Alexandria Ice Arena,  the Town Board has approved the purchase of 10 Bumper Cars.  The construction of a storage area is also out for bid to store and maintain the bumper cars which can be used on and off the ice.  All that needs to be done is remove the studded tires and replace them with non-studded tires.  Total cost for the bumper cars, tires and shed will be about $85,000 or so.  The arena will be the first in the region to have the bumper car attraction.  I think it will take off......it all depends on the marketing!

That being said.....it becomes very clear that the arena has lots of spare ice time that is not being used by figure skating clubs, hockey, and recreational skaters.  That is the whole reason for the bumper cars.   So what is the sense in even considering a pro shop at this time?  Maybe a pro shop might be a good idea several years down the road when the bumper cars have rekindled the interest in our arena.  Maybe it is also not a good idea to convert a first aid room into a pro shop.  I would think that first aid would be a priority over anything else......Bids have to be submitted for anyone interested in opening a pro shop.  If there is only one bidder, then that should also be a clear message to the board.......there is no need for a pro shop at this time.  Thus far, the only person expressing an interest in bidding on the pro shop is Town Councilman Hunneyman [who also suggested the arena needed a pro shop in the first place] :~)

Seat Belt Laws And Parking Tickets

A reader of The Circus sent me a link to the following story published in the May 12th issue of the Buffalo News.

The conflict started when the parking enforcement officers ticketed the private vehicles of police officers who park in restricted zones in the vicinity of Police Headquarters at Franklin and Church streets downtown, and those illegally parked vehicles remain fair game for parking enforcement officers.......

Click Here for the rest of the story.

Kind of humorous, don't ya think?  

Presidential Pardon From Parking Tickets ?

Guess Not!

Parking Tickets

This video is the first in a series about our village parking meters and the supposed hidden hit list on local business owners.....Enjoy, and stay tuned for more info...

Comments?

I know from conversations that I have had with many of you who read my blog, that 99% of you just do not feel comfortable making comments.  Regardless of whether you agree, disagree or do not understand what my point is, most of you just think about it and leave it at that.  I used to think that a measure of my blog was the number of comments each topic received.  That is no longer the case.  There is the 1% who leave anonymous comments that really have nothing to do with the topic.

Two nights ago there was a comment waiting for my approval.  The comment below was made under one of the topics that had to do with the recent bar sting.

Do you think the local PD should be looking into drug sales and watching over our town, or sitting in the barracks watching television?

I read that comment and even though it had nothing to do with the bar sting, I approved it.  I am sure that there are drugs in our village.  Every community has some degree of drugs.  Do I think that our Police department should ignore this problem.  Nope!  The new police bikes were a great idea.  They are always on stealth mode and the officer is exposed to any funny smells as he patrols areas of the village that the cruisers can not travel.

This person continued by commenting:

Is that why you are always walking downtown instead of driving - or do you just want the exercise?

I posted my own comment:

I do not drink and drive....it is against the law and I also have a target on my back.

The Blog has created that target. 

My anonymous friend countered with another comment

Are you saying the police have some reason to look out for you, or do you have some sort of target on your back?

Sometimes I am a little slow.  It took me a few minutes to realize what this person was getting at.  I decided at this point that enough was enough.  There are one or two idiots that can not stand me and will do or say anything to stop me from blogging. Even if I choose not to approve a comment, I still have to read them first.  It gets boring reading and then rejecting the crap.   Not that it will matter to most of you, but the comments are disabled.  To the few idiots that hate me so much as to try and accuse me of doing something illegal....your barking up the wrong tree.


If anyone wants to share their opinion with me.....you can always email me at pguston@gmail.com

Garbage IN.....Garbage OUT

This started several weeks ago.  Some of you may have had personal experience finding one of your garbage bags left behind with the orange rejection sticker placed on the bag.  This is how it started.....garbage placed on the curb attracts varmints that rip into the loose bags  looking for something to eat.  This leaves a mess that attracts more varmints.  The village has a skunk and raccoon problem and garbage not placed in sealed cans is one of the main reasons for the increased population of these scavengers.  Village ordinance says that garbage has to be placed in cans with lids and then set at curb side no earlier than 7pm the night before garbage day.  Several weeks ago I got caught in this garbage sting and  received an orange sticker.  I took my rejected bag to the last board meeting.  I stated that I have always complied with the garbage ordinance....I also convinced the board that there is such a thing as clean garbage.  What is clean garbage?  It is garbage that does not contain anything that will attract scavengers.  I had some fun with my garbage bag.  Just be careful that you are not a chronic offender of the garbage can law.....you will find yourself on the garbage offender LIST and not given any latitude.

There are other lists that you may or may not know about.  More on that later

Everybody's Pissed At Me

These are a few of the things that make me laugh......Let me tell you a story........












A friend of mine offered this advice.....all anonymous are scum.....ya know what!  That friend is right!

Mayor Graham's View: Great Deals That Are Anything But

Mayor Graham's View: Great Deals That Are Anything But

Evidently I am not the only one that feels this way........

After The Fireworks

Clips of my journey home through a sea of people and cars

Making A Buck! What is the Cost?

I hate tuna noodle casserole!  Period!  I had a bad experience with it when I was a kid.  I do not remember the details, but whenever it is mentioned, I want to throw up.  By themselves I like all the ingredients that go into making this casserole: tuna fish, noodles, cheese, peas etc.  But when they are put together....yuck...gag...chunks!  However, I love cold tuna fish sandwiches,  I also love tuna melts.  So what is wrong with me and my dislike for tuna casserole?  Probably the timing, delivery, presentation, texture....who knows.....

Back in the early 90's I  had a similar experience  as with tuna noodle casserole,  with a product called N.S.A. Water Filters.  I remember all the specifics of that including the fact that it cost us a lot of money.  It was a good product but the marketing model was a Pyramid scheme [scam].  Recently, A few of you have started marketing a service using a Multi-Level-Marketing scheme {MLM}.  MLM's are legal and pyramid schemes are not.  Click this link to the Federal Trade Commission to lean the difference. 

So what is my beef?  A while back a friend called me, I thought it was just a friendly call.....but no..... it was a cold call, a sales pitch aka telemarketing [is the process of approaching prospective customers or clients, typically via telephone, who were not expecting such an interaction.]  It went something like this.....JC, I have an opportunity that was shared with me and I want to share it with you.....{the name of the service was mentioned along with all the savings to me and my family}...The caller [friend] went on to say.....I don't want you to make a decision right now about this opportunity....take a few days....do some research......and I [caller/friend] will call you back.  I said ok will do.

BANG!  then it hit me.....In my mind I could smell tuna noodle casserole baking in the oven.....well not really.  But it was a similar sick feeling.  So I did the research that my friend suggested I do.  I googled the company name.  The hits from that search had almost all the ingredients to a pyramid scheme [tuna noodle casserole].  It smelled like a pyramid scheme, but it is more like an MLM.  The friend called me back and asked me what I thought.  I told him I was not interested.  This is where things went bad.....for both of us.  I am very opinionated.....I know.....most of you do not think so.....but, I am.  My friend wanted to know why I was not interested [probably part of the marketing feed back that MLM's want from consumers].  I told him that it smelled like tuna noodle casserole [ pyramid].  Instead of keeping it business, my now former friend , made it personal.  He was mad at me at the end of the call and continues to be mad to this day. My former friend even threatened me with a law suit if I mentioned  in my blog the service his marketing team is selling and my thoughts about it.   I strongly suspect that he has told his side of his story to his local marketing team.  I know of a local politician that is part of  this marketing team and has gone out of their way to put the screws to our political party [sitting on petitions] all because they were delivered by me.  That is another story, probably one I will not tell.

I am sure the service that you guys are selling is just as good as all the alternatives.  Yes, there are alternatives.  It is now a deregulated market. My choice is to make my own call  to one of the many  alternative suppliers.   So what is your cost for making your buck?  Your lack of respect for peoples opinions and the fact that you let your  business become personal.   I like and respect you as individual ingredients. But together along with your tactics........to me..... you are like tuna noodle casserole

Happy Independence Day

Tonight @ The Dancin Dog

Father, daughter, grand daughter,  aunt, and niece......either way,  there were 3 generations singing tonight.....