21 MAY 09: Into the Tanks

They're moving out tanks in Columbus these days. I think I saw a few on the railroad tracks above the 11^th Street Tunnel the other day. But then, maybe they were Bradley Fighting Vehicles - and it's nice to know they're in the hometown of W.C. Bradley.

Another kind of tank could be on the way out - the storage tanks used by Columbus Water Works. WLTZ reported Wednesday night all the city tanks are being inspected ahead of schedule, after the big collapse at the North Treatment Center. If more tanks crumble and there's "water water everywhere," Columbus truly will NOT have a drop to drink.

The Executive Vice President of Columbus Water Works says water tanks normally receive safety checks every five years. Jim Patterson says the tank that tumbled near River Road had its last inspection four years ago. Hmmmm - have there been any recalls of Rust-Oleum since 2005?

Columbus Water Works crews take about a week to inspect a water. They drain all the water from it, before checking the inside and outside. So much for the lifeguards at city pools getting year-round jobs.

Jim Patterson says the oldest water tank in Columbus is in the Ogletree subdivision, near the north end of Armour Road. Patterson revealed after that tank is inspected, it might be taken out of service. Countless graffiti artists are waiting anxiously for this decision....

Jim Patterson noted Columbus Water Works stopped using a tank in the Benning Hills area several years ago. Why it wasn't turned into a water park, I'm not quite sure....

As the inspections are done, Columbus Water Works keeps waiting for an official report on why the North Treatment Center's steel tank collapsed in April. In fact, three separate reports are pending. Let's see - there's the inside and outside of the tank. And maybe someone secretly poured gallons of battery acid into the Chattahoochee River.

Speaking of water spills, the Wednesday evening news reported Teak Drive residents have hired an attorney for a possible lawsuit against the city of Columbus. The city's offer of a $10,000 payment apparently isn't good enough -- and the "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" team must be on vacation.

The attorney for Teak Drive residents has mailed a notice to Columbus city officials, warning a lawsuit could be filed unless there's a settlement in 30 days. That's nice and polite of him. In Phenix City, they seem to throw the papers on the mayor's chair before a city council meeting.

(I didn't realize the "30 days or I'll sue" warnings are called "anti-litum" letters. Maybe I should do this sort of thing to credit card companies - asking them an "anti-litter" letter about their junk mail.)

Since the Charter Oaks watershed overflowed, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has declared Teak Drive a flood zone. Considering what apparently caused the April damage, I doubt Governor Sonny Perdue will designate it a "Go Fish Georgia" zone.

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E-MAIL UPDATE: A message to us Wednesday had the title, "Why, Oh Why?" Yes, it came in one long paragraph....

One of my favorite sayings has always been, "When all is said and done...there will be more said than done." There is no quote that sums up politics any more than this one. Politicians love to talk. Some even do it best out of both sides of their mouth. The common man/woman, or voters if you prefer, will never get what they need or want because politicians simply cannot agree on anything that loyal voters or "constituents" as some love to call them, need to be passed into ordinances, laws or legislation. We can't get the programming of traffic lights in an order where you are not sitting for over two minutes at non-busy intersections and then can't get a turn signal that lasts for more than fifteen seconds at a very-busy intersection. I honestly feel that in order to be employed to program traffic lights, you MUST have a single digit IQ. I'm pretty sure that one with a higher IQ could suffer brain damage and still do a better job. I only use the traffic light problem as a metaphor. If we can't get a small job such as this right, how can we ever expect anything on a larger scale to be solved? Politicians talk, but never say anything of worth. They talk, some only to argue that evidently is used as a shield to hide their shortcomings or lack of accomplishments (Hey, take a look at what he hasn't done to take the heat off of me type mentality). It is rather obvious as to why Phenix City has never grown. Politicians with the same thought process as the last are elected over and over again. The number one cry is "we have no money for that." Then turn around and spend or allocate millions of dollars on projects that are "flashy". They look and sound impressive but benefit whom? It will never be any better. The residents of Columbus love to see fighting amongst Phenix City Councilors and Commissioners of Russell County because it keeps them at a level of what they feel will always lower than they are. Neither has too much to crow about in my opinion. Phenix City says a lot and nothing gets done. Columbus will always be a big, country town with a "growth" on one its sides called a military base. Don't take this wrong, I am proud of our military and what they do for our country. It's the mindset of Columbus politics to constantly hope that people brought in from other parts of the country and world deserve better than the people that were born and continue to work and live here. Those outsiders come here expecting the table to be set for them while the residents are left looking through the window at the feast that politicians have prepared with the promise of more to come. People rush to the polls and get caught up in the election process and then sit back and complain about who is in office. Wonder how they got there? "If I had known that so and so was going to push for and vote on issues the way that they have...I would never have voted for them", I hear far too many say. That is why you must do your homework so to speak, prior to the election and attend forums for candidates before they are elected and not be afraid to ask stinging and important questions of the candidates before you mark your ballot. These two towns, Phenix City and Columbus, are OUR towns. Let's learn to take it more serious than we do or in the way that it always has been done. More said than done. Let's turn that old quote around! With Regards, I.M. Concerned

Now hold on, I.M. - consider what you're requesting here. If that turn signal light stays on too long, some will consider it a sneaky plot to promote leftist big government.

Another area blog writer suggested several weeks ago that Phenix City voters elect the same politicians over and over. But I took issue with that. Consider or Max Wilkes - suing the city one year, then serving on City Council the next. So there are two groups, and they're rotating....

Columbus residents can see plenty of fights at Council meetings - but not as many as they once did. The new "Public Agenda" rules mean Paul Olson and Bert Coker only have five minutes to get through their various topics. Maybe they should hire an auctioneer to make their points faster - and maybe even bring his own gavel.

Let's see if we can give peace a chance, based on Wednesday's other headlines:

+ The evening news reported Charles Johnston will plead guilty today to the Doctors Hospital bloodbath. This is surprising, since reports earlier in the week claimed Johnston's attorney would request a change of venue for a trial. Maybe the attorney concluded everyone in Georgia considers Johnston the killer.

+ The Phenix City-Russell County Boys and Girls Club confirmed it's losing its national charter on Friday, and will close one of its three centers. The reason for it might be explained at a community meeting tonight. And the way things are going, somebody's liable to blame it on Mayor Sonny Coulter.

+ The annual Georgia Special Olympics Torch Run passed through downtown Columbus, with a stop at the Public Safety Center. Aren't you thankful we have dozens of new police officers to help with this? If veteran officers don't run as far, they're less likely to have a heart attack,

+ Brookstone advanced to the Georgia Class A baseball semifinals by downing Darlington 7-0. That'll teach the folks at Darlington to branch out from NASCAR racing....

+ One-time Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was moved from federal prison to home confinement. Members of Congress should pay attention to this. If a scrambler like Vick couldn't get out of the Leavenworth, Kansas prison, I doubt the detainees at Guantanamo Bay can.

(Michael Vick hopes to return to pro football -- but for now, he'll have a construction job paying ten dollars per hour. Wouldn't it only be fitting if he builds doghouses?)

+ Instant Message to Wane Hailes of The Courier: That was you, right? The man in the pink shirt with a sweater? The man I saw running across Wynnton Road Wednesday afternoon? In the middle of the block, not at the corner? And talking on a cell phone as you did it? Maybe it's time to write another column on personal responsibility.

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