Lightpost painting in downtown Batavia

If its a State route,why don't they paint the Light Posts..

Sidewalks probably belong to the city and the light posts are not designed to specifically light the road.

What kind of paint did they have in the first place that they need refinishing already? Can't be more than 5 or 6 years old, or have lost track of time.

In the Navy, my division was in charge of painting the O-6 level. For those of you wondering where that is, its right above the pilot house. The pilot house (or bridge) is where the windows are on the picture below.
<img src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r261/Nebula_Octon/sullivans.jpg&quot; width="460">

We would bust up the rust with a needle gun, clean, prime, and 2 coat the bulkheads. We were lucky if we got 6 weeks out of it. The salty air and water just hammered the steel underneath. 5 years for these poles is a good run.

Other Light poles that aren't painted seem to last a long time with out paint..The paint on these poles seem to be more for looks..seems like a little rustloium spray paint would do the job.....

I agree with mark. For the price of the workers salary I say we all kick in for three bucks and buy the rustoleum sand and paint.

I'm pretty sure the DPW knows what kind of paint to use.

They are doing a fine job. Keep up the good work!

What happened to my more recent comment? And E D's?

Not too long ago, some people were crying how the DPW workers never did anything but drive around. Now they are seen working, and people complain.

Mark is right, it is for looks. Downtown needs all the help it can get, plus the Downtown business owners pay extra in taxes for this type of upkeep.

At least it will look nice as everyone drives through to shop someplace else.

Are they going to paint the Benches and garbage cans next...the paint on those is wearing off..What are those white streaks all over City Hall.It looks like crap...

I wonder if they could have been powder coated to begin with-I think that would have lasted longer.Whoever owns the City Center(on Main) should REALLY consider cleaning the white streaks off it-multi-million dollar building and it looks like crap......I just noticed Mark's comments above reflect mine.....hey Howard-can you check on those white streaks and who'd be responsible????

There have been many attempts to clean the streaks on city hall, no luck as yet.

Mark, if the trash cans need painting, the DPW will take care of it. They do a great job around town. Maybe thanking them for their hard work is what you should do. They plow you out of your driveway after every snow storm and do all the work it takes to keep the city running.

I know it might get costly-anybody ever check to see if painting the bricks to get rid of white streaks is possible?The city tries to keep things looking nice along Main St.-then you get to that nice looking building w/ the horrible white runs....higher ups need to think of city image....

Charlie I think the DPW workers do a great job..They do what ever their bosses tell them..What ever projects they want them to do they do...Seems like just another maintance item for the DPW to have to take care of when they are allready short of help..So when they are spending all this time painting light poles,hanging flower baskets,taking care of all the plants on Main St. it take away from them being able to fix our streets and sidewalks.. As for the white streaks all over city hall where is the builder who built the city hall, seems like he's the one who used some substandard material..Lets not make the taxpayers have to pay for that ...Why didn't the city put up light poles that you didnt have to paint every five years..Looks like the City engineer should be more on top of these things..

There isn't enough hours in a day to listen to your list of complaints and overall negetive thoughts. You would be suprised to know that there are really smart people just like you, working at city hall. When you come up with stuff off the top of your head, do you really think everyone else is just so dumb they didn't think those same things? Keep it Mark, people like you make city employees wonder why they work for the city at all.

replyPosted by Mark Potwora on June 17, 2009 - 11:11pm
....As for the white streaks all over city hall where is the builder who built the city hall, seems like he's the one who used some substandard material..Lets not make the taxpayers have to pay for that ...

City Hall, the former George Brisbane residence built in 1853. I think finding the builder would be a challenge.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Bea,
City Hall moved to the mall. The old Brisbane house is now the Police station.

Charlie,
When you have a hole in your street, under the backtop, and getting bigger, that has to have a cone on it to keep you from making it bigger or hurting your car, that has not been repaired yet, you might wonder. Why paint the lights before fixing the street? Or, when your street has not been repaved in over 50 years(yep, 50!), you ask questions like Mark. That's not being negative. Fifty years is a bit long.

The hole was just reported and I know it will be fixed soon.

Let me see if I can get a grasp on this overly simplistic viewpoint. You see one person from the DPW painting a light pole therefore, the DPW is NOT doing road and sidewalk repair this year. Do I have it? Silly…

I think it is very clear that the city has been putting a lot of effort into repairing our infrastructure over the last few years. Light poles are part of that so are roads, sidewalks, public buildings, garbage cans and benches.

I wonder what our DPW people are doing today in the rain to help keep the city moving. Good thing we have hardworking people like them willing to do the job, no matter how bad it gets outside.

Mark, you’re lucky I don’t work for the DPW, you would be shoveling your own street this winter.

Good Morning yall!! How about he huge pot holes to the left of the new nicy-nicy brick bench in front of the Pokadot. If you bend your neck enough while sitting there and look behind you, you will see them, and be careful not to trip over them when you cross the street...
There are so many other things that need to be fixed. I should have taken a pic down Chase last week, where it took 10 city workers to dig up a small piece of the street.{I think they were all there} Maybe they were having a meeting or something. How many city workers does it take to screw in a lightbulb. Lol
now mind you, I know most of the workers, and am friendly with them, one is my cousin, but, they know its rediculious, but why complain. They get payed regardless if they sit around all day and shoot the bull, and smoke, watching their watches for lunch.
I just think their time could be spent more constructivly. I wonder who their crew leader is, and if we can speak or taxpaying minds to him. Or better yet I can start taking video of them and document all the holes in the street, that I might add are RUINING THE SUSPENCION in my van, or even sue the city for car repair. I dont know about the rest of you but, when push comes to shove im ready to shove, cause its eating at my pocket!!

Oh and why dont we share the cost of the light poles, new sign in front of the mall, and other PORK Projects with the taxpayers. Im sure they will be less than thrilled with the cost!

Blah, Blah, Blah, whine, cry, piss, moan, all y'all must have some kind of mass mental illness, Blahtavians Disease? Maybe some stimulus money could be used to conduct a study of the mental illness clusters caused from contiunuing to live in WNY. The guy is just painting a freaking light post and people must have some form of locally induced mental illness to find fault with that.

It amazing to me that the same people who want a strong main street, don't want routine maintenance conducted on the light poles.

"Blahtavians Disease"...now that's funny! There is finally a name for the condition.

I drive from Batavia to Rochester to get to work, the pot holes in front of the Pok-a-Dot are the least of my worries for that drive.

You realize money is slated for each project, right? These workers don't (generally) sit around and say "lets not fill those pot holes today, lets paint light posts!"

Owning a car means you have to make car repairs, you know this when you buy/lease your car. Suspensions, brakes, tires, rust are all part of owning a car. You can blame it on the pot holes, short lights, and bad salting jobs all you want, but it's your fault (partially) for not keeping up with your vehicle.

And, I'm betting, even if they did work on pot holes, there would be complaints about how they closed lanes and slowed down traffic. These workers can't win, and complaining doesn't make the situation better for either party.

If you have a solution, run for office.

Charlie ..if you worked for the city you wouldn't plow in front of my house.Why because i question something..Being a taxpayer doesn't give me that right...I said the DPW guys do great work and work very hard for the city.Rain,snow ,whatever they are out there doing a good job...So what is your point..Its the management that tells the workers what jobs to do...And painting the light poles and weeding the bushes on main st.and planting flowers must be what they think needs to be done..The city workers having nothing to do with the white streaks all over city hall..Its the builder that needs to be called out for the poor job he did..Why doesn't city management go after them for this problem..Who decieded to buy light post that need painting every 5 years.Not the DPW workers..So don't make it like i think the workers don't do the jobs they are told to do..

I don't come off with stuff off the top of my head like you do..Alot of the people of Batavia wonder the same thing..To tell a taxpayer you wouldn't plow their snow because they asked a question shows why you don't belong as city council president...

What kind of government do we have in Batavia ,that you can't ask why..

Peter, you’re speaking to the fringe element. These are the people who could care less if the city progresses. They are inherently negative and most of the things they say are outright delusional.

Mark, I’m sure people would love to vote for someone like you. You could sit back and vote NO for everything and look great on TV. You’re just what the city needs, good luck!

They might even let you follow the DPW guys around and tell them which type of paint to use! You got my vote.

Howard ..I agree you should maintain Main street..This is not about painting a pole..Its that the DPW is all ready on
a tight budget..This all adds to something else for them to take care of..They don't have a big enough crew to take care of what they got..And the city keeps adding more projects for them to take care of...

In an age where there aren't enough people working, you going to complain because there is more work to do? As long as the projects aren't frivolous no one should be upset. Maintenance isn't frivolous. Letting the light poles deteriorate to scrap metal makes the initial spending on them frivolous.

The downtown business people (BID) pay EXTRA taxes to have this type of work done. I think it's fair.

Mark,

So you think that this "tight budget" eliminates what they need to take care of? No, they learn to do more with less.

Have you ever worked for a government? I worked in a county park and it was amazing what they wanted us to do with little money.

I know personally city crew workers that are hard working and care about the condition of the streets and parks. They just work to an order sheet handed down by their superiors,please don't put the blame on them.
Two years ago a water line broke on the street side of my property, (city property). The water dept crew dug up the street and removed the curbing to make the repair.A few weeks later a city truck stopped by and threw a few shovels of top soil and a handful of grass seed in the void. This was over two years ago,when it rains the top soil washes into the street where the curbing is still not repaired.The sidewalk plow made a mess of what I had left of a front yard. The street was just repaved for the most part, except for the large dip left by the water line repair?
Do I pay my taxes on time every year, you bet I do! have I been more than understanding with the city, I think so.

I'm not putting the blame on the workers..I'm pointing out how they need more help to do what they need to get done..Adding more projects doesn't help..They earn every penny they get..They do a great job..If anyone should get raises it would be them..Its the city engineers that keep adding to their work load,that i don't understand.........Ron you make a good point..

So the guy who complains about taxes and BIG government wants to hire more people now? I think the guys in the DPW work hard and do a great job. They don't need friends like the ones I see here either.

Who said to hire more...I said quit adding more projects to their work load...One minute you say you should tell them what a good job they do and next minute you criticize me for telling them what a good job they do..I'm sure they don't need friends like you ...I see why you are so hard to get along with......Wasn't it your idea to see if we should look into getting rid of some of the fire dept..They need friends like you.......

Might I add our Batavia guys get payed a Pretty Penny for their work, and they will tell you so. They will tell you their jobs are cake-walks most of the time too. We have known these guys all our lives, and in no way did I insult them. It wouldnt be Batavia without all our good ole boys. Maybe their job list should be revised towards the more important projects. Thats all, very simple.

No, it's not simple. It's actually incredibly complicated.

State mandates, county mandates, city codes, plus union rules and labor contracts. These are just SOME of the reasons that their "job lists" can't just be changed on a whim.

Who judges what is important? I think tourism and bringing money to main street is important, so painting light poles is higher on the list than your pot hole problem.

You have a problem with a few trees in a very large forest.

Mark, you are sounding a lot like an Albany politician. You’re taking both sides of multiple issues. So you don’t want to hire more people, you want the ones we have now to do less work… Should they take more or less abuse from people like you picking on them for doing their job?

That’s an interesting platform you are developing; you should run for office with that as your slogan. I also never claimed to have friends who work for the city, you did. What you and some others don’t understand is those people who work for the city need respect, not more friends. During my term in office, I have done everything I can to eliminate waste; I have no friends to protect. Now it’s your turn, strap it on and put some of your big ideas to the test. Potwora 2009!! You only have a few more weeks to get your petitions filled out. Good Luck!!

I never claimed to have friends who work for the city.....I never said i wanted them to do less..I never picked on them for doing their job..i said Quit Adding To The Things That The DPW Needs To Take Care Of..Ex.The traffic circle on walnut,who will have to maintain that..If they put landscaping around it,or keep the bricks from growing weeds in between them..Thats what i mean Charlie..More work for them....Less time to take care of streets and sidewalks..

I got a light post. Now I will never be able to paint it. Cause if I do I know I will go absolutely wacko remembering all this nonsense. Thanks

replyPosted by John Roach on June 18, 2009 - 7:01am
Bea,
City Hall moved to the mall. The old Brisbane house is now the Police station.

John,
Just trying to inject a bit of humor. Thanks for reminding me.
I can see Mark's point of view. I don't believe he is trying to say that the DPW isn't doing their job...he is questioning the priorities. Which is the right of any citizen.
Quite honestly, when I saw one of the men working on the light poles the other day, I made a comment about having poles that needed to be painstakingly worked upon rather than poles that don't require that amount of detail.
Charlie, I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill.

Charlie,
Four years ago you sounded a lot like Mark (and he voted for you). You were outraged that the City would do nothing about the junk yard across from your home, and you were right. You complained about more money being spent on flowers than on sidewalks, and you were right.

You had the money to run a campaign and win election. Not everyone has that much money to risk. You did, and it payed off and you got rid of Chris Fix. Two years later, you got rid of a few more of the people who made a mess.

Bea is right.

The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth

Thanks Bea and John and Karen...At least you guys get it...

Your right John, the city was a stinking mess four years ago but, a lot has changed.

Howard printed a simple picture of a DPW worker painting a street pole.

In response to this several posts questioned if staff knew what they were doing, had enough work, complained about the cost and then ridiculed them by bringing up other projects they did poorly or could be doing. This moved into bashing the supervisors and management at city hall as it always seems to do. I fail to see the innocence in these posts and I’m not going to stand by anymore while good people are torn down.

As for Mark, I have always gone out of my way to answer any questions he has had for me. I have spent hours of my time reading and listening to his concerns. I upheld my part of the deal for his vote.

Karen, there is nothing Meek about you or any of your friends on this site.

Charlie, Im not on here for friends first of all, and second of all my comment was more about selfish gluttens, verses{The Meek} those of us that arent so rich that they are thankful for what they have, and dont boast their wealth, and squander their money without any regard for the ones who work hard to pay their salaries.
That all

Seriously, where else in the world would anyone get so worked up over a guy painting a pole. Howard you now what would be cool a picture of a city worker washing Charlie's car....I kill me.

Wow what alot of comments.

I have a thought and maybe someone else might have mentioned it but there were so many posts and it is late

But here is a thought,

When I lived in Olean, there was a community work bee, I cannot remember if it was Make a Difference day, A United Way day .. but what it was all of the organizations sent volunteers and there was a town work bee. Our team got elected to paint Parking meters. We had a blast! I will say though, I did not want to see another parking meter for awhile.. another team planted the flowers etc...

I work at United Memorial and we participated in this years Day of Caring. It was so great to be able to make a difference. So if there is future projects like painting etc, why not consider it for a day like this? Just my two cents.

After the work was done at the end of the day all the volunteers got together and enjoyed a pizza party.

I started from the top-paints dry by now!!

Robin, that is a marvelous idea...but...
I think the unions would have something to say about taking jobs away from union workers.

Bea, what are you talking about?

A volunteer day would be great for Batavia, and the unions wouldn't have anything to say about it. Hundreds of towns, cities, and villages do stuff like that.

And the people who moan and complain about their tax dollars being spent painting poles, while they wouldn't be there, couldn't create such drama is volunteers did the work.

Who would pay for the paint?