Speak Out Loud NA

Friday, September 23, 2005

The Real Story

I AM POSTING THE RESPONSE CM BILL SCHMIDT PREPARED FOR THE TRIBUNE, AS THE ORIGINAL REPORTER FOR THE COURIER OPTED TO NOT INCLUDE IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE STATEMENTS MADE BY MR. SCHMIDT IN THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE.
ADDITIONALLY, THE TRIBUNE HAS NOT PROMISED TO PRINT HIS RESPONSE IN ITS ENTIRETY, SO WE WILL DO IT HERE.
AFTER READING THIS, YOU WILL KNOW, AS MOST ALREADY DO, THAT MR. SCHMIDT DID NOTHING OUTSIDE OF PROPER PROTOCOL OR APPROVAL.
I AM VERY DISPLEASED, BUT NOT VERY SURPRISED, THAT CM DAN COFFEY, AFTER WORKING ON THIS PROJECT WITH CM SCHMIDT, WOULD MAKE THE STATEMENT THAT HE WAS NOT CONSULTED ON THE ISSUE.
I WILL BE REQUESTING THE MINUTES OF THE MEETINGS WHERE CM DAN COFFEY WAS INDEED PRESENT AND INCLUDED IN THE DISCUSSIONS.

West End Drainage Project
I am writing this article (to the Tribune) in order to clarify statements made in another local newspaper by their reporter. It is sad that their reporter chose not to report all of the pertinent facts that I gave to him on the West End Drainage Project.

LOCATION OF THE WORK BEING DONE:
Work to begin correcting this flood problem is on City Property, not on private property as was hinted in the paper. The work is on a vacated street called Boiling Springs Road. This can be verified on page 7720 in the Plat map room. The entire ditch and repairs are on Boiling Springs Road city property.

The West End residents in the West Ninth Street and Cedar Street area have suffered flood damage and loss of property for several years.

Flooding from Silver Hills down toward Cedar Street has multiplied over the last few years. Three ditches from Silver Hills flow rampantly down to a small shallow ditch at the end of Cedar Street. In addition, gushing water flows down Cherry Street Hill and crosses over Cherry Street to this shallow ditch.

The reconstruction of Scribner School and additional blacktop caused the flow of additional water across Cherry Street to this shallow ditch overflowing down Cedar Street into homes on West Ninth Street.

HISTORY OF THIS DRAINAGE PROBLEM:
In 2003, residents in the area suffered excessive flood damage. A senior invalid lady was trapped in her living room in her chair with 5 or 6 inches of water in her home. Her caretaker son managed to call out to neighbors for help, and they called the fire department to pump out the water and to rescue her.

Neighbors had flooded homes and garages. They lost personal and collector items in the flood. This was a flood emergency:

STREETS FLOODED CARS STALLED
WET CARPETS DRIVEWAYS WASHED AWAY
GARAGES FLOODED SEWER BACKUPS

This has been a long and discouraging time as we have tried to get help for the residents suffering from the flood damages.


HISTORY OF REQUESTS FOR HELP TO IMPROVE DRAINAGE:

To New Albany Redevelopment Commission…….February 2003 – No funds allotted
To New Albany Board of Works…………………........June 2003 - No work done
To New Albany Sewer Board………………………......June 2003 - No work done
To New Albany Flood Control Board……………......June 2003 - No work done
New Albany Board of Works discussion…………...February 2004 – No work done

CITY COUNCIL DRAINAGE COMMITTEE:
In 2004, the City Council formed a Drainage Committee to allow each Council member to begin to correct drainage problems in their districts. Silver Hills is in Bill Schmidt’s District 2, and the 9th and Cedar area is in Dan Coffey’s District 1. Coffey and Schmidt discussed this and agreed to work together to solve this drainage problem. It seemed suitable as the flood waters from Silver Hills in District 2 were pouring down on District 1.

CITY COUNCIL DRAINAGE COMMITTEE APPROVAL:
The request for drainage repairs was discussed with the full nine member City Council Drainage Committee. They all agreed to allow Brian Dixon, P.E., to review the project, make recommendations and solicit bids. When Councilman Schmidt received those bids from Brian Dixon, he presented copies to each Council member. After council discussion, all agreed to proceed with the contractor who was the lowest bidder.

LOCATION OF THE CONCRETE WALL IN THE DITCH:
The concrete wall was placed at the location where the two major streams of rushing waters flood down from Silver Hills into the shallow ditch. The shallow ditch was dug out to about 5 feet deep to retain the flood water as it flowed toward the tile pipe along Cedar Street.

This is only the beginning of work needed to be done to correct the problem. Cleaning of the drain pipe is the next step. In the future, that pipe may need to be replaced with a larger pipe.

I wish that the Mayor, or someone from the City Administration had called me to discuss the West End Drainage project before they made accusations in that local paper. It is in the best interest of the citizens when all officials work together.

Bill Schmidt

7 Comments:

  • ...except he didn't get the proper engineering study...so he DIDN'T follow procedure correctly.

    I thought the CCD loved Dan Coffey? You know, the honorable white hat councilman? Can you FINALLY, after all these years, see him for what he is?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:44 AM, September 24, 2005  

  • east ender

    Glad someone finally put the real truth out there!

    Many citizens of New Albany know what an honorable man Councilman Schmidt truly is.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:27 AM, September 24, 2005  

  • Laura, my family just keeps saying thanks for putting the facts out there. There seems to be a couple more that may need to be added.

    Mr. Schmidt talks about EMC (Brian Dixon) putting out the bids and Council selecting the lowest.
    To Anonymous, Brian Dixon of EMC took Sam Lahanis's job down at the sewer plant. When a drainage project was done in Mr. Gahan's district, the Mayor and the CJ did not go down and inspect Mr. Lahanis' (Gahan's) work. When drainage work was done in Mr. Kochert's area, the Mayor and the CJ did not go down and inspect Mr. Lahanis' work (Kochert's).
    Brian Dixon has taken Sam's place -- he is the "PE" at the sewer plant, not Mr. Schmidt. If Mr. Dixon and EMC drew up the RFP reflecting needs, solicited the bids, and I assume oversaw the work -- why do you insist that it was Mr. Schmidt's responsibility to get an engineering study? If the procedure has legally changed on how drainage projects are to be handled -- don't you think someone should inform the entire Council, who voted on this project in its entirety, and who directed Mr. Schmidt to work with Mr. Dixon?

    Thanks Bill and Anna -- keep the faith. (You, too, Laura!)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:37 AM, September 24, 2005  

  • The Courier Journal hasn't been reporting the "real truth" since Garner took office

    Hershberg has been screwing Garner just like you feel he screwed Schmidt in the drainage story

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:08 PM, September 24, 2005  

  • One thing everyone in New Albany can agree on is that DAN COFFEY needs to go! There's got to be someone better to run in the west end!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:04 PM, September 24, 2005  

  • Great article Laura! Keep writing the facts. And preaching to the choir! How many times have you felt thrown under the Bus! Cause I JUST REALIZED WHAT YOU MEANT BY THAT COMMENT....

    Because Mr. Schmidt was prepared to lay out his plan to help save 26 jobs. And the Sanitation Dept. That is when Mr. Mayor decides to imply wrong doing by Mr. Schmidt! And boy that is calling the kettle black! Truth does win out over lies. And believe me this Adminstration is loaded with more lies than Carter has liver pills..

    To have Mrs. Garry up there and flat lie to the taxpayers. And say she had spent over 3 Hours straightening Denny Stroud out.. And the State Board of Accounts. That was truly the "HALLMARK MOMMENT" FOR 2005...Who in the hell does she think she is trying to convience? Herself cause I am not buying none of her crap! Let alone any logical person. She works for Mr. Mayor. But her and others are forgetting who signs her and others paychecks! We the taxpayers.. When they need monies it is amazing they can come up with it! But other things the answer is "I don't know" "We don't have no money?" Then when Mr. Schmidt finds a solution. He is into taking the taxpayers money and he is accused of "WRONG DOING."

    To Dan Coffey: Your a blooming Idiot to have made that comment. Against Councilman Schmidt. "You didn't know anything about it" When your right I will defend you. But when your wrong I will damn well tell you about it. And Dan you blew this one "Big Time" You had better correct your comment because the minutes and info is going to come back and bite you in this ass over these comments.

    Jimmy is playing the same game Overton did. And if you do think this is all over with concerning the Sanitation we are all wrong!

    Concern Taxpayer

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:57 PM, September 24, 2005  

  • YEAH, It is 20 feet from her house and next to no one elses---I looked---there was not contract therefore the city is not responsible for the cost----schmidt used all of the funds available for his district and spent them in another---I hope no one in his district has drainage problems

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:49 AM, September 26, 2005  

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