"Public safety kiosks" are a waste of money
I was laughing as I read the Herald story on the "public safety kiosks" as they call them. They claim that they are there just in time for the Arts Festival next weekend -- available to give advice to the many lost tourists.
Guess the "lost tourists" are too damn stupid to ask the 150,000 people milling around the streets enjoying the Arts Festival for advice and directions. The Herald thinks they need to go to some lacky in a $67,213 kiosk for advice.
Talk about a waste and pissing away of tax-payers' money. I am willing to do a test. Once the lacky is in place, I am going to play tourist and ask questions and see what I come up with. I am betting anything that they don't have a clue and the first thing they do is pull out a map and try to decipher it.
When are taxpayers going to have a say in what goes and what doesn't go in our neighborhoods?
I am tempted to ask for a list, by readers, of wasteful things that have been happening around here lately, but I don't think I have enough room to post them all.
Guess the "lost tourists" are too damn stupid to ask the 150,000 people milling around the streets enjoying the Arts Festival for advice and directions. The Herald thinks they need to go to some lacky in a $67,213 kiosk for advice.
Talk about a waste and pissing away of tax-payers' money. I am willing to do a test. Once the lacky is in place, I am going to play tourist and ask questions and see what I come up with. I am betting anything that they don't have a clue and the first thing they do is pull out a map and try to decipher it.
When are taxpayers going to have a say in what goes and what doesn't go in our neighborhoods?
I am tempted to ask for a list, by readers, of wasteful things that have been happening around here lately, but I don't think I have enough room to post them all.
posted by Tom Falco at 8:41 AM
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15 Comments:
it's not even so much the cost of the booth as much of the cost to put the monkeys in there to man them. 3 people, say a minimum of three eight house shifts a week, that 24 hours x 3 people = 72 manhours x +/- $10/hour = $720 x 52 weekends = $37,440/year. that's an extremely conservative guesstimate, probably at least half if they are each working two shifts per day. you could use that money to pick up those pesky beer bottles and handouts every sunday morning.
I can't wait to sit on one in order to get a better view of the Mango Strut next year.
Another total waste... Let's start the list:
1.) traffic circle on Virginia
2.) black kiosks
I am going to have to agree with you on this one Grapvine.... Who the hell came up with this concept?
If they want a safer grove, why not just get the officers walking around. Like a static position is going to help.
And, I totally agree on the traffic circle - we can not get traffic calming measuring on my street, but Virgina gets one. OK...
But regardless, how can our cities be worried about the implications of future cuts in property taxes when measures like this (small boxes with windows and A/C) seem to top our elected officials "to do" lists.
I am a bit worried.
-Bill Anderson
there were really 2 articles in the Herald on Sunday - one the Grove Guy's lambasting the kiosks. The other talking about what a great idea it was and mentioning our very own Marc Sarnoff as the one who proposed the idea.......
I think it is a great idea, cheapskates. Stepping over dollars to pick up dimes?
At the very least, if the original plan as information/safety booths fail, they could easily be converted into useful pay-per-use public restrooms, as done in other cities worldwide.
I love the idea of posing as a tourist and seeing what happens. Make sure you film it! At least it will make a great you tube expose, at best, this is Channel 7 stuff!
How long before they remove them because either the homeless are sleeping in them or drug users are smoking crack in them?
They should have spent the money on additional police presence. More police = less panhandlers & less crime.
Surely it would be more cost-effective, as well as more universally recognized to have, as we do now, the police car sitting in the middle of the street, the policeman able to answer questions, and most importantly being mobile as the situation demands.
If the police were sitting in the middle of the street, you would compain that he wasn't driving around. If you couldn't gripe, what would you do? Give it a chance, it may not work but at least Sarnoff is trying new things. This is a lot chepaer than an officer and a car. What have you done lately? Been to a crimewatch meeting? Have you joined Citizens on Patrol?
I tuck "Mr. Crimewatch" in my waistband every time I go out walking around the Grove.
SWLIP, are you one of those jerks who walks around with a gun!!!!???? Hope you (1) never feel you need to use it and (2) don't have a younger guy just take it from you. I did that to an old guy who was walking around the park with a 38 on his belt, just went over to him, grabbed the gun and walked away.
It is highly unsafe to walk around with a gun. Highly unsafe.
That's probably the only thing that's ever entered your waistband.
Anonymous said...
At the very least, if the original plan as information/safety booths fail, they could easily be converted into useful pay-per-use public restrooms, as done in other cities worldwide.....
Yeah right all we need is more places for bums to hang out. Not only is it a waste of money but even if they do call police to come to the grove for a potential problem the city doesn't have enough police officers to respond.
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