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palimpsest

Duplication of effort(s)

palimpsest
10 years ago

I am putting a very basic 3/4 bath in my basement in the current laundry area. It involves new supply lines for the new W location, the new utility sink location, the toilet and the shower. It involves new drain lines cut in for the shower and the toilet and new utility sink/W location.

I was expecting this to take a couple of days and the plumber said at the end of today that he is "almost finished".

He's "almost finished" because he forgot to cut in the drain line for the shower, and did not put any new supply lines in, just ran the old ones to the new utility sink location.

It's all very neatly done (much better than the existing work) and a good half of it is going to have to be cut out and redone because he left so much out.

I am not angry, just really puzzled.

Similarly my neighbor's sidewalk was jackhammered up today. I asked a worker if they were from the city or doing it for the owner. The city is removing all the corners and old "ramps" and replacing the sidewalks with gradually sloped corners with a non-skid composite insert near the curb. This is for ADA accessibility. (This house is on a corner).

The worker said he was doing it for the owner, and I mentioned that I thought maybe he was "city" because of the above mentioned project, which is taking place now in my neighborhood.

He said "Yeah the city will probably be removing this corner again really soon and replacing it according to the ADA but that ain't my problem, it's the owners or the city's".

What a waste of resources and duplication of effort in both cases.

Comments (7)

  • awm03
    10 years ago

    Like, your city has money to burn, too. Unbelievable.

  • Miz_M
    10 years ago

    It's frustrating, seeing such waste.

    Our town recently redid miles of median near my house ...... they tore up the existing grass, bulldozed big, established trees .... only to lay new sod, and plant new, young trees. In Texas. In August. During a historic drought. It's over 100 degrees every day, and the rest of us are under strict water restrictions. Yet, every time I drive down that area of highway, water is spewing everywhere.

    Tax dollars at work, sigh.

  • trailrunner
    10 years ago

    Yep we have watched in horror and puzzlement at a lovely mature tree /street scape being torn out over the past several months. It was planted years ago and provided shade and a cool place to walk along the historic area of railroad tracks and old buildings. Now for some reason they tore out every single mature tree and scraped up all the old cobbled street and have done nothing that looks like progress at all. Will see what they do next..if it is plant trees I may have to scream ! c

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    10 years ago

    DH and I always tease that the town repaves a road so they can get really nice markings on it for where to dig it up for sewer or gas lines.

  • neetsiepie
    10 years ago

    I see these goofy types of projects come across my desk all the time. Many times the timing is due to funding and staff who aren't completely aware of the whole picture of the project.

    I understand completely the idiocracy of duplication of efforts. It's often stupid planning-and trying to save a buck, but it always ends up costing more. I can tell you horror stories I see on the job of this type of thing. They submit plans that are approved, but don't follow their timelines or plans and it all gets messed up. Makes my job pretty frustrating at times-and as a tax payer, makes me want to blow my top!

  • teacats
    10 years ago

    Just down the street -- we had a sinkhole "blossom" this spring -- after many phone calls -- it was temporarily covered up.

    Waited. Phoned.

    Waited. Phoned.

    Waited for more permanent repairs.

    Finally the city added asphalt BUT told us -- plain and simple -- that this stage of the "fix" was temporary -- and added to allow that road to be used by drivers.

    Waiting for the next stage ....

    Yes Miz M -- I grind my teeth watching the city here add plantings in the damn hot SUMMER! And watch them frizzle and die. So bloody annoying!

  • palimpsest
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    In this case though, it is a private owner paying to replace the sidewalk but it is likely that it will be replaced by the city soon anyway.

    I am sure they had to get a permit, and the contractor himself knows it could be removed soon so someone should have notified the owner if they didn't know.

    I *think* they may be getting ready to sell, I don't know, it is used as a rental property. But there would have been half a dozen significant items on my own to do list in order to sell that house, and a new sidewalk (particularly when the city is doing all this work) would not have been one of them.

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