Progress

I have been at this apartment complex governments more than a year. When I got here in October 2017 I did my fair amount of exploring the community. I found there was an irrigation box or some sort of a water box which nearly crowded the entire sidewalk just north of our building. In order to get to the bus stop on 4700 S. I have to negotiate this irrigation box. I found if I very carefully drove between the box and the side of the sidewalk I could negotiate this sidewalk malformation get past the box and on my way to the bus stop. I also found out during the snow it was almost impossible to pass over sidewalk obstacle. Many times I can just go onto the grass around the problem but when the snow comes that's not really possible. I, of course, immediately thought the sidewalk malformation was a monumental pain in the butt. I was not going to sit for this. I was going to organize all the seniors or all the folks at the apartment complex who use wheeled mobility devices to find a solution to this problem. Like so many other problems I have dealt with in the past a lot of people want a solution but no one really wants to get involved.

I was kind of surprised when I first brought up the problem I was having with the irrigation box. No sooner had I brought the issue of in the lobby that the other folks we use the scooters and power chairs chimed in that they all had problems. From what they told me they had tried to get the problem solved in the past but to no avail. I quickly learned part of the problem was no state, county or city entity we take responsibility for the problem. When I brought up the idea that a group of us should show up at the weekly city Council and demand rectification of our problem I was met with a blank stare. And it is problematic that the city Council meets quite a distance from the complex and trying to get a group together for a Council confrontation that pretty iffy at best. I really didn't know the transit system well enough to try to get to the Council meeting by myself after dark. I did call however the left messages with whoever I can think of about the problem. Other folks here at the complex, I found, have done the same. But as far as any of them or myself these requests and pleadings have fallen on deaf ears (I hate that cliché and I really should not use it).

This morning I decided to jump the bus, the morning being such a nice warm day, and get to the bank and unlock my one line bank account which I locked up this weekend when I couldn't get the right password to my account. I also had other bank business to attend to. I was meeting my friend Lori for coffee at the community college, which is where I bank. I went to the convenient bus stop just outside my apartment and as I was waiting I heard clanging and other loud sounds coming from behind me and I turned to see two gruffy looking fellows huddled over the irrigation box. I thought perhaps a couple of homeless guys so quarter at the bottom of the box a desperately trying to get it out. I rolled up and the guys that I want to get past and I said no I asked them what they were doing and they informed me that they were with the city and are planning to take the box out and level the sidewalk. I was totally blown away. Somebody had heard.

I plan to casually bring this information up at coffee social this coming Thursday. I might even lead my fellow coffee drinkers and users of mobility devices think that it was my input which brought about the solution of this multi-year problem. I mean all of these ladies come to their own conclusions. I guess what important is not who brought about the change but the change was brought about.