Battery Park resident, weblogger, gives Wilder team a D+ on recovery efforts
“Bookstore Piet,” a resident of North Richmond’s Battery Park neighborhood and a local weblogger, has posted a detailed overview of the slow recovery efforts following the 2006 flooding of large sections of Battery Park. He’s not kind in his assessment of the city’s overall response — both immediately after the flooding and more recently: Then, on […]
“Bookstore Piet,” a resident of North Richmond’s Battery Park neighborhood and a local weblogger, has posted a detailed overview of the slow recovery efforts following the 2006 flooding of large sections of Battery Park. He’s not kind in his assessment of the city’s overall response — both immediately after the flooding and more recently:
Then, on what must have been a slow news day for out mayor, the Battery Park project was declared complete last December. Really? The pumps were still there. Sink holes in the tennis courts. Bulldozers and cranes were everywhere. Fences and no trespassing signs would lead one to believe the park not open. The floods, the clean-up crews in haz-mat suits… it all continued. Methink the mayor a bit hasty.
Spring arrived and the gashes in the ground were covered and they seemed to be moving on to cosmetics. The ground leveled, new playground equipment installed. Would we be able to use the park this summer? No. As far as I can tell we only get city work crews 2-4 days a month, and rarely two days in a row. At the rate they’re going I would expect the park to re-open about the time Finn finishes college.
…How did the city and our rock-star mayor do? I guess I would give them a ‘D+’.
Had they listened to the residents earlier about water back-ups they could have averted the whole problem by inspecting the storm drains around the park.
The houses were all built nearly 100 years ago and didn’t have problems until the city changed the topography of the area for the golf course. Yet, somehow, the city made it sound like we had all built in a flood zone and that we should feel grateful for the buy-outs.
…Communication during the flooding basically sucked and the police were way too authoritative.
Months of detours really sucked and the city has yet to do anything about adding or upgrading access to the neighbourhood.
We got a really cool red back-pack from the Red Cross with emergency supplies if we are ever stranded in our home.
The plans for the park look to be very family friendly and are designed to reduce the drug activity.
The pace of the work make me fear it may not be done in my lifetime.
The new drainage looks to be working under it’s first heavy test.
The all-important golf course is open – without which the water would have just naturally drained into Shockoe Valley…
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