The Hayseeds blog, No. 169 for the week starting August 6, 2006.
July 23, 2006
Hayseeds No. 168
August 6, 2006
Hayseeds No. 169
August 13, 2006
Hayseeds No. 169
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The Associated Press was purty interested in what roads had defective culverts, and FOIL'd the DOT to find out the condition of culverts under major roads.
The results were a bit shocking. While the culvert that failed was not in serious need of repair many others under superhighways certainly are:
The Associated Press requested inspection records after floods on June 28 overwhelmed a culvert, slashing open a section of Interstate 88 north of Binghamton and killing two truckers who drove their rigs into the chasm. The culvert was rated a 5, or good, on the state's scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the best.
The seven culverts rated poor earned scores less than 3. They include structures in Oswego, Oneida, St. Lawrence, Cattaraugus, Cortland and Steuben counties.
A rating of 3 "means it really needs to be replaced," said Levon Minnetyan, a civil engineering professor at Clarkson University. "They really start replacing them when they are at 4."
So we now know the Pataki legacy. Run down roads that simply have not been repaired as the state has chosen other spending priorities. At the same time, federal funds for highways are constantly being cut to pay for killing people over in Iraq rather then save lives at home.
It looks like everything that uses a lot of oil, that sticky barely refined crude oil stuff that makes asphalt stay together has made it very expensive for local governments to blacktop, even for those places that use those massive blacktop recycling machines—80% of asphalt is recycled making it the most recycled stuff out there.
It looks like Pirro is sticking with Governor Spitzer rather then endorse Faso who might only drag down her bid for AG. Pirro is falling fast, and it looks like Cuomo will be our next AG for good or worst.
It looks like a rookie Assemblyman from Buffalo is trying to make Shelly step down and find a replacement that would more reflect a Spitzer governorship.
There is a house rule that prohibits Congressmen from sending out mail to consituents less then 90 days before an election, and it looks like John Sweeney ignored that rule with the Independence Party Primary. Bad boy.
As you might guess people who have big stakes to loose with the AG's investigations are often trying to hire Spitzer's friends for big bucks to influence Spitzer. Does it work? People disagree on that point.
Certainly bribing a Spitzer is like bribing a Rockefeller. But can his friends get him to do thnings that he opposes? That isn't as clear, particularly in light of the fact that your peers can be very influentatial.
It looks like our mayor has been working on his convention and finally selected a site in the many vacant lots that now largely host the bus terminal and marginal downtown parking.
It's going to be another 1,000 parking spots downtown with the center's garage, an even bigger convention to replace the one in the plaza, and another massive hotel as if there wasn't already enough hotels in the Capitol Region. At least it's not in a cow pasture or in the Pine Bush.
I get the impression that the mayor is doing this largely to get something big to remember himself for doing, and not for the interest of marginal farmer in Cooksburg that will be paying for it in his taxes.
On the other hand, I'm sure plenty could claim the same is true when it comes to the Nelson Rockefeller Empire Plaza. It's such an awsome, massive government plaza that's inspiring and makes us want to do great things, but on the other hand is built on political corruption.
The non-park part of Thatcher Park has gotten bigger with another purchase of the escartment, with purchase of the section near the Altamont Police Gun Range by the OSI.
The existing state forest part that the state got in partnership with OSI is pretty nice with all those open fields, along with some impressive views of Altamont. This new parcel should be a nice complement.
Also as a side note, notice the pandering to business that the Albany Business Journal linked above does. Update: See Friday's TU coverage of this story for more comphrensive coverage of the new parcel, including maps.
