What I did today:
1/Cooked 2 lbs bacon
2/Made hubby lunch
3/Ran to get latte
4/Called Utility company
5/Called Dept. of Environmental Quality
6/Called Sheriff's Dept
7/Called Highway Patrol Dept
8/Called friend for reference to doctor
9/Re-scheduled hubby’s chiro appt
10/Called to confirm dentist appt
11/Watered all plants outside
12/Picked up mail
13/Made a necklace
14/Packed boxes ready for shipping to the kidz
15/Made a LO for ADSR2
16/Made freebies & uploaded
17/Did 5 loads of laundry (including ALL dog bedding)
18/Washed dishes & put them away
19/Got house ready for window cleaners who are coming this PM
20/Picked up pinecones
21/Worked on walkways outside
22/Spread weed killer on lawn within circle driveway
23/Cleaned out hubby's work truck (ugh-all that garbage!)
24/Vacuumed
25/Made dinner; chicken sandwiches
27/Drank an Alaskan Amber Ale 
I had a request for puppy pics!
Let me explain all the calls in re: #4-#7. I was being nice. At 7:00AM, I contacted Avista, who is the local Utility company that is installing natural gas along the highway in front of our home. This installation is being done by sub-contracted crews from out of state. Which is OK. BUT...they are creating massive amounts of dust.
Now. We are in a severe dry season here. We have not had rain for a long time. We are in a no-burn caution right now. The other day...about 20 acres burned down by town because someone threw out a cigarette! It's DRY!
So-these crews are digging...causing billows of dust to obliberate the highway & on-coming traffic. They worked on Saturday and it was HORRIBLE! Nobody to call on a Saturday to file a complaint.
When I contacted the Avista Manager for the project at 7AM, he said that he would talk to the crew. That's OK. I don't want to be a bitch (even tho my hubby thinks I want to be one sometimes!) But sometimes, being a bitch is the ONLY solution.
I waited until 11:30; Still nothing had been done. The crews were still working.
PLUS. I found out from the hubby that they have been welding, grinding & torching on the steel to connect it as they installed it. With no water trucks. It is a LAW that they are required to have a water truck on site. Not to mention...having a water truck to spray water would keep the dust down! Duh.
So I called the Sheriff's office who handed me off to the State Highway Patrol. And I talked with a WONDERFUL dispatcher named Mary...who actually got an emergnecy number at Avista and was told it would be handled ASAP; when I told Mary that I had already called Avista and talked to the manager there, nothing was done. Mary then called me back TWO TIMES! OMG! And let me know the status on what was happening.
I really AM going to write a commendation for her handling of this situation. My hubby later informed me that the State Patrol came rolling in; showed the workers a copy of the Law; ORDERED them to cease work until a on-site water truck is procured; and then the Department of Environmental Quality came by to inspect their site and shut them down. And warn them about a $10,000 fine if they continue. Finally. A response!
But, if the Avista Manager had handled all of this in the first place, it need not have happened. WHY do people persist in doing things illegally? In the wrong? Morally and legally?
When I explained this to some friends down at the latte shoppe, they all complained about it too. But they had never made any effort to call to complain about it. In other words, I was the only one that complained to a higher authority. I didn't want to do it. I was FORCED to do it. I dunno. I don't like being a bitch. Now they will blame me for their problems; when if they had done it correctly to begin with...they wouldn't have any problems. The squeaky wheel always gets the oil?
4 comments:
First, thank you for all your freebies; I can't wait to see what you come up with next.
As for being a b***ch - don't even think that!!!! You are, apparently, the only one in your town with an environmental sense of what's right and wrong. Not your fault that the company didn't comply with the laws and you did contact them first. Anyway, I hope they now comply and you don't have to put up with dust anymore.
And yes, a commendation for Mary would be super for her since she did go "above & beyond" her job duties in calling you back, not once but twice. Well done, Mary!!!
And you sure were busy. Can I have some of your energy????
First of all, GREAT puppy Pics, she looks beautiful, guess my Tommie has fallen in love right away when he say her pics LOL.
Don't think your a B*tch (or Witch as you meantion in the header), but more like you care and expressed your concern, its not your fault that the company didn't respond they way they should be.
Huraaah for Mary...She sounds like somebody who does her job well..
And now get some rest, hopefully you don't have to cope with the dust anymore. A simple watertruck Gosh....:)
OMG, do you have more then 24 hours in one day?? Guess I need 27 days for all you did in one...
Love from the Netherlands,
Paula (and Tommie ofcourse)
just wanted to thank you for ALL that you do and that includes ALL THOSE CALLS too!!! SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT! i feel the same way, in my little neck of the woods, since everyone lets everything go, it seems, it's always up to me to be the one to straiten things out! MOST times i do, but even i get tired of having to be the one lol Thank goodness for YA!!
and a big CONGRATS goes to Mary for sure, for CARING!!!! Too many people don't care about doing their jobs right!
i say KUDOS to you & Mary!!!
Wow what a hassle! I can relate I feel that way too about complaining about some things, but if other people would do their job or other people would even bother to complain, more things would get done the right way! Great for you to go on with it even without much support! Thanks for all you share too! :)
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