Red Phone Jumps Through Hoops
Hoop Dreams
A reader wants to know why a portable basketball hoop is parked in the street on Versailles Street. Worse yet, this hoop is allegedly in a red zone near a fire hydrant.
Listen up, dear readers, because we’ve been over this one before, so when we get this kind of complaint, we take it seriously. Basketball hoops in the street are against the law. In a red zone? The Red Phone is the only red zone where basketball hoops are allowed.
So we called our favorite city code enforcement officer, Mike Chambless, and put him on the case. We expect that by the time you read this, a citation tag will be hanging from the offending hoop.
Hoops belong in driveways, not on the street. Don’t have a driveway, or prefer to park your car(s) there? Too bad.
See hoops in the street in your neighborhood? The Red Phone wants to hear from you. We’ll put a stop to this once and for all.
Not Seeing the Light?
This one took a few phone calls to chase down, but we think we’ve got it covered.
With the return of standard time and the sun setting earlier, a caller concerned about safety asked about a burned out flood light in the Park and Ride lot at Veterans Memorial Park.
Not sure of who was responsible, we first tried the city, then the county, then the Council of Governments, where transportation planner Veronica Lezama helped us figure out it was the county’s deal. But she also took the initiative and spoke with the county public works department to arrange for the light to be fixed, and was assured that someone would be there by the end of the month to do so.
Why the delay? The main reason, apparently, is because they need to schedule one of those high lifts to get up to light, and that’s a contracting issue.
But Ms. Lezama assures us it will be done, and we have every reason to believe her and give credit for taking care of it.
And if it’s not, we know we’ll hear from our readers.
Three years in
the Making
The neighbors of the Southeast Neighborhood Park have waited patiently for three years for the park that was promised them, and finally it is about to become a reality.
As written about in this feature over the last few months, the park has been plagued by a number of issues, most importantly of late getting the new lawn to take.
But the city is so confident that those problems have passed that it is prepared to announce an opening date: Monday, Nov. 19. A specific ribbon-cutting time will be announced later.
City officials say they will even have the “squirt and splash” feature for the kids turned on for the day, although it will then be shut off for the remainder of the season.
The park still lacks an official name, but a brochure will be handed out that day will soliciting public input to help choose one.
