What a View

The Globe ran a nice article on a nicer man, our City Clerk Richard Jones, and his passion for art.

I love the scene presented in his current work, a photo of which is running with the article. Upper Green Street remains one of my favorite parts of town.

Shame on Me

As the old saying goes, rifle through  my unlocked car once, shame on you. Do it twice, shame on me.

Yep, it happened again. This time the thieves showed enough courtesy not to empty out our glove box or center console. They just opened them and, quite brazenly I suppose, left them open. They obviously didn't care if we knew they'd been there.

Following the last episode, we've somewhat faithfully locked our car doors at night, but we didn't last night for a number of inadequate reasons.

But we were the lucky ones. A few neighbors up the street from us got hit as well. Unfortunately, they'd left valuables in their cars. Again, it's probably not their habit to leave the cars unlocked, but these things do happen. (Let's put the bulk of the blame on the thieves.)

So once again folks, be sure to lock your cars at night.

Fine with Fine

From Ward 3 Councillor Bob Cronin's email:

Finally, fines on un-retrieved dog waste were increased to $50.00 first offense (second offense $75.00 and third and subsequent $100.00). The section that made it a violation to place waste in City containers was removed after lively discussion. I just couldn’t see a parent at Cashman Park could not being able to discard a bag and having to carry it around until they walked home or someone walking on State Street unable to get a coffee. I also thought it was a self defeating provision that encouraged not picking up after your pooch.

I've got no problem with this decision although I'm not sure it will help the situation. I agree with Cronin's concerns over the proposal to ban dog waste from city trash containers. I believe the city's health director suggested the waste attracted insects and rodents to trash buckets, but a few slices of old pizza is just as likely to draw pests.

Regarding the multiple offenses, how exactly will the issuing officer know that a person has been cited previously? Will there be a database that's accessible from cruiser or animal control officer laptops? Will the ticket writer check the books upon return to the office and send out an additional fine if this is a second or third offense? Will police dispatchers be asked to keep a list of ticket recipients? Are we relying on the honor system?

Pizza, Pizza

Nick's Pizza made an interesting proclamation on its Facebook Page.

Nick's Pizza of Newburyport Thanks to everyone making Yankee Coming Week our best week ever in the history of Nick's Pizza. We sold the most pizzas ever in a one week span. We also noticed many new customers to Nick's Pizza. Thank you ..... Also, Wheat Pizza is coming shortly to the menu.

I'm made no secret of my love for Nick's, so I was happy to hear they had a good week. But apparently, Nick's success goes beyond seven days.

 Nick's Pizza of Newburyport Thank you for the nice comments. Due to the high demand for pizza during the busy times, we may have to increase our capacity from 2 to 4 ovens. The layout of the store would have to change since we don't have much space. This is in the research stage at this time. I need a lot of time to see if this is the right thing to do.

In this city, every new arrival -- Upper Crust Pizzeria -- is often seen as a threat to something tried and true like Nick's. But that's clearly not the case here. Glad to hear Nick's is doing so well and open to trying new things like delivery and wheat pizza crust to accommodate its growing customer base.

I just hope they'll remain at their location and keep their current decor. I do feel as if I've stepped back a few decades when I find my way inside.

Suggestions?

BTW, if we really want to resolve any dog poop issues, I suggest the following steps.

• Can we set aside a small section of each city park for dogs? Just fence in a small five-foot by 10-foot strip where dogs can be encourage to do their business. I suspect this would go a long way to eliminating any stray waste.
• Dog owners need to step up a bit. When you take your dogs out for a walk take along a few extra bags and pick up any stray waste you happen to discover. No, the mess isn't your responsibility, but we should all have an interest in keeping our parks clean.

Any others?

If you have some the Council's Neighborhoods and City Services Committee is meeting Wed. night at 7 pm at the Library.

My Scoop on the Poop

Let this be said up front. I live with a dog, and we have from time-to-time, taken walks together in the city's streets and parks.

There. You know my bias.

And here's my point:  I really don't think this is as big a problem as people want to believe.

Now, let me say, I have been to Atwood Park, the apparent epicenter of the conflict that might lead to a hike in fines charged to negligent dog owner who don't pick up after the dogs. Therefore, I'll accept that poop is a problem at that particular park.

But to suggest that we have a city-wide problem with dog poop is misleading. I walk our streets frequently, and there's not nearly the problem that statements in news reports would have us believe. A faraway reader of these articles would be left to conclude that our city streets are strewn with dog pies, and that's not true. It simply isn't.

However, dog poop rankles people. The very sighting of a pile of poop fires up the same part of the brain that is annoyed by people squawking on cell phone. It's an undeniable signal that one person has no consideration for others. An unclaimed poop is a tiny, smelly monument to selfishness and disregard for other beings on this planet.

So, in most cases, the prevalence and actual footprint of dog poop is exaggerated to reflect that moral outrage. But I'm certain 90% of the dog owners in this town are careful and responsible.

In fact, I thought Councillor-At-Large Ari Herzog posted an interesting fact in his July 13 post on poop:

84 dog offenses were investigated in city parks, on the rail trail, and on Plum Island beach by animal control officers between May 1 and June 26. The crux of the offenses involved dogs without leashes, a separate $25 fine. No fines were given during this period involving the subject of this ordinance.

 If the majority of the calls involved dogs off leashes, this changes the composite sketch of a negligent dog owner. We're not talking about a dog owner who watches his or her dog complete their business and walks away. Instead, we're talking about absentee dog owners who might not know what their dog is up to. So if the "crux of the offenses" is involving leash law violations, why isn't that fine being hiked?

Anyway, back to the matter being discussed. I'm all for the fine hike, but only if we identify dog poop for what it is - litter.

Let's jack up the fee for all littering, which is a far larger problem for this city. Smack the fellow who tosses aside his Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee Cup with the same $100 fine that I'd be hit with if I left my dog's mess behind. Same goes for the downtown merchant standing who insists on tossing her cigarette butts onto Pleasant Street before heading back into her store.

I'm sure this won't be considered because it's politically easier to target a small percentage of the population, but if we really want a cleaner city let's take some bolder steps.

A big thank you

to all the Yankee Homecoming volunteers.


Great job.