They say everything’s bigger in Texas, but the Redphone might
wager that Hollister has them beat in the weed department. Take the
weeds surrounding the Scott Ranch subdivision over by Ladd Lane
school.
They say everything’s bigger in Texas, but the Redphone might wager that Hollister has them beat in the weed department. Take the weeds surrounding the Scott Ranch subdivision over by Ladd Lane school. Our first caller says they’ve grown out of control in a Little Shop of Horrors fashion, claiming they’re 6-8 feet tall. This will take more than a bottle of Round-Up. Keen to take care of this botanical blooper, Redphone called Marcelo Orta of the Public Works Department, a stand-up gentleman who was very helpful.
The department is aware of the problem, and itching to get to it, but recent budget cutbacks have slowed his crew down considerably. There simply isn’t enough manpower or money to get to everything at once, despite their hard work. The biker rally in particular brought the department’s work to a temporary standstill, with two whole days devoted to litter pick up – especially used fireworks left by careless citizens.
On the priority list right now are the Las Prisas park and the airport.
“Everything’s taking a bit longer,” said Orta. “But it will get done.” Orta estimates that the weeds will be tamed sometime next week.
Staying with Public Works, Redphone’s next complaint concerned Smith Alley, which runs parallel to San Benito Street. The alley has apparently turned into a thrift store from hell, overrun with abandoned mattresses and as much junk as you please. Will the madness ever end?
Maybe not, according to Julian Gaytan, spokesperson while his boss Ray Rojas is away on vacation. Though in the past, programs existed where the offending garbage was taken away and charged to the homeowner – either on their water bill or their garbage bill – the program no longer exists, thanks again to the budget cut-backs, or so he claimed. Because the filthy pigs who leave their garbage all over never fess up to it, the department is often helpless, unless it’s in the way of traffic or dangerous. Then the removal costs wind up on the city’s tab.
Gaytan says his office has approached the city council about reinstating an alley pick-up program, perhaps once a week. Another idea is to provide discounted fees for low-income families who need to use the dump, to discourage people from throwing their garbage everywhere.
While Smith Alley will be taken care of, eventually, the best advice Gaytan offered was for concerned citizens was to take their beef to the City Council. If the council understands that citizens consider this a priority, they’ll listen and act on it, at least in theory. Go to http://hollister.ca.gov to find the names, emails and contact numbers of the mayor and all city council members.
Art is nothing if not subjective, as was made clear to the Redphone this week. We had a very appreciative caller lauding the work of our photographer for his art in Thursday’s paper. So, thanks! We feel your love.
But another caller likened us to soft-core pornographers and accused us of objectifying women for our photo pieces on the biker rally, which did feature some scantily clad ladies. The caller was appalled that children had to see that.
We thank you for the feedback.
Need someone in your corner? The Red Phone is here to help. Call 635-9219, and we’ll do try to find an answer to your problem.
The Red Phone runs twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the Free Lance.
