The City of Albany street repair program always seems to be a little short of money, but the good news is that things appear to be moving along. In December our AC reporter saw a deep hole in the street at the junction of Taft and Hillside on Albany Hill. He noticed it again the other day and since it has been there now (and untouched) for over a month and a half, he decided to make a few calls to find out the status.
(At this point readers need to understand that Albany Central adheres to the highest journalistic standards, and follows the lead of the New York Times in its reporting practices. As a result, we base virtually all our news stories on information from "reliable, unidentified sources" (RUS) which seldom fail us in their accurate portrayal of the facts as they really and truly are. The following telephone interview reflects the validity of this approach.)
AC: We climb up to the Albany Hill Park quite often, and have noticed a hole in the street up by Taft. It's been there for over a month and a half. Are there any plans to fix it?
RUS: We are aware of that situation and it is in our repair schedule.
AC: Great! When can we expect to see that hole filled?
RUS: Whoa!! Hold your horses. We don't want to work up any false expectations here!
AC: How's that? What do you mean?
RUS: Before we can fill in that hole, we first have to repair and refurbish that disgraceful barricade guarding it! You will notice the bent leg on the right. To start with, that has to be straightened. Once this is done, a new wooden cross-member can be fitted to replace the old, broken one, and freshly painted with new City of Albany lettering. Finally, the graffiti has to be removed--and there's some on the other side of this barricade that the photo doesn't even show you. Once this work is completed we will have a first class (I might even say "world class", but that's a bit over the top, I think) barriicade that the City and all of us can be truly proud of.
AC: And then the hole can be filled?
RUS: Hopefully. Based on current available funding, there maybe somewhat of a delay. But our City Council assures us that the State of California will be sending us millions as part of this new and exciting "green money" program. When when we get it, surely a little of it can be diverted to do this repair. So right now, the ball's in Arnie's court. On the bright side, you'll notice that some of the public-spirited residents in the neighborhood have been chucking stuff in the hole to try and fill it up.
AC: Hey, it's a start, right? And thanks for the info.