Maybe they should send Evan Cossette over to do it, get some of his aggression out on the tree.

Let's get real! I've seen some of our town employees doing things for themselves on town time and it wouldn't have taken much to have removed this stump. Back when they were young they were probably one of the first to help others because that's the way we were raised back then. LET'S TURN THIS SOCIETY AROUND!!!!

Jason Frederick, I do not believe this forum was intended for anyone's humor. There are serious problems with the way departments of the City of Meriden (yes including the PD) treat its citizens. The lack of concern for taxpayers/citizens, taking services from us and the lack of yearly maintenance is quite disturbing. At times in our lives, we have to take things seriously, life is not always a joke. Humor is great but should be shown/experienced in proper place proper time.

Dear Ruth, thank you for your appropiate support on this issue. Its aweful that the City of Meriden cut all limbs and the trunk down to minimum, cleaned up all cuttings, yet, even being social with such a kind cute elderly couple, they leave the uprooted trunk behind.

Whoa, Unbelievable, I'm confused as to whether or not you think I agree with the original poster? I very much do agree with them. I'm sorry my first post was sarcastic but it is exactly what city officials think. My second post was serious as well. From what I can remember, Cossette has a desk job right now, 40 hours a week, plus he gets paid the average overtime he would have worked were he on the road. I am very serious about the fact that we should actually make him work for the money hes making. Send him around with a city truck to fix all the little things that he can that are wrong with the city. Clean up Hubbard and Habershon and all the parks for that matter. Everything you said is completely true. The service in this city is laughable at best. I find no humor in any of this. If I had a truck I would go pick it up myself.

My apology Jason, didn't realize where you were going with the comments. You are right, City of Meriden services are non existant for homeowners/taxpayers. Even though we pay pay pay with the ever increasing mil rate we get nothing in return; actually we may.... we have to pay pay pay for services that should be provided, especially in times of disaster such as our almost hurricane tropical storm damage. I had to hire someone to take the limbs and brush off my proper, being totally disgusted when reading that surrounding towns are providing pickup service of limbs/brush removal curbside. I come from Stratford where they still have once a year large pickup for free. Its called spring cleanup. Even though people put mounds out in front of their home, by the time their area is scheduled for pickup, most of the mounds are gone leaving minimum for the town to pickup. One man's junk is another man's treasure. For me to make dump runs for large items I'm caused to totally break everything down, exhaust myself, load up my compact 1994 hatchback, pay $20 to unload, go home load more...never ending cycle causing me multiple $20 payments

Theres not even yearly maintenance. Other towns/cities have crews out to clean storm drains since renters and some homeowners don't care to do it. Eh the list can go on

The City of Meriden elected officials know they lack respect of taxpayers, they won't admit it, they'll just raise the mil rate to coverup their flamboiant spending, paying pet projects for hopes of re-election, greed of Dept of Ed (economic troubled times and they want addition to highschool? schools are to provide a roof of childrens heads for education, have maintenance maintain properly so things last longer).....I'll stop here and let City officials complete the list

Any hoot, thanx for explaining your posts

The Parks department employees who were there explained to the homeowners involved that we did not have the right equipment with us at the time and that we needed to get Call Before You Dig information because we did not know the location of utilities underground. We needed a stupmp cutter and very large loader from Public Works for this removal. The owners were told that we will be back out there next week. As far as we know, the owners were satisfied and appreciative of the City efforts.

The "inner-city" gets trash pickup weekly right. We cant get a bulk pickup even twice a year? God forbid they let you bring household garbage to the dump either. I'm not sure though is that a private company down there now?

Inner district property owners pay an additional tax calculated to offset the costs of inner district trash pickup. The City holds two free bulky waste disposal days per year.

Need to know where power lines etc are on the property? Its uprouted already. In my opinion and experience in watching trunks and roots removed from properties, it involves a chainsaw to cut away the remaining roots attached to grown, close to the lawn itself. I've seen men dig maybe a foot down to do this, with shovels, no major machinery needed. There was a bucket loader m chainsaws, manpower and several large dump trucks for the removal of limbs and debri at the time of major cleanup.

Taxpayers are watching. Hope "back next week" doesn't prove to be a round around of"repairs will be made next year" like on Winthrop road repairs.

Theres a report about a partially uprooted leaning tree on Winthrop Terrace, perhaps you can bang both issues out on the same day since both issues are in very close to each other. This way crews won't have to be sent out twice to resolve both issues, and tax dollar waste will be avoid

Jason, you are so right. Makes one wonder exactly how badly taxdollars are abused. Citizen's services are non existant in this City...can't even call and get large item pickup at our curbside anymore. Guess that additional out of pocket cost of $75.00 to get that service wasn't enough, just like all those tax dollars paid quarterly and car taxes paid not being enough to maintain the City and provide services at households.

In my opinion, the City's finances should be investigated like the Police Department already is. Something is terribly wrong with money management if little services like garbage collection (postponed) and large item pickup (taken away) is being experienced in any given City or Town

Mr. Kendzior......two free bulk pickups a year for inner city...news to me. I have family in inner city and they know nothing about this freebie.

I live outter city and we can't even pay to have bulk pickups any longer. Yes our mil rate is lower so we pay for household trash pickup and then are required to take large items, for a fee, to the transfer station. We used to be able to put it in front of our homes and pay a fee of $75 (fee increases most likely) and now NOTHING. City picks up bagged leaves for everyone free, yet in times of disaster as we just experienced, while other surrounding towns are providing limb/brush pickup at curbside the City of Meriden choses not to. Tell me, how do I do this as an unemployed person with a mortgage and taxes always paid, not able to afford to hire anyone, and only possesses a 1994 hatchback vehicle.
Thank you to the City of Meriden for nothing, find some money to provide actual services to households please, tighten your belts, don't spend for projects no economically needed right now, tell those pet project seekers to move on.....regularly maintain this City so all does not go to poop requiring much more than needed if maintenance was a regular concern....list can go on. You can not justify how citizens of Meriden are put on back burner and with services we once had to be no longer in existence

Heres a story of my bulk pickup (outter city so I paid $75) I believe back in 2007. I made and paid for my pickup appointment. It took just me, one woman to haul everythign out to the curb, quite the long high mound of unwanted items but when teh City came there were 5 workers, one seemed to be supervising, one drove the dump trunk and stood around till it was time to drive again, 2 stood around idle and one man operated the chomp machine.

Hmmm 1 woman versus 5 men to do one job. Now thats evidences of how "taxpayers dollars aren't wasted"

Thank you for the memory

It is not correct that the City is not picking up debris from the hurricane. City trucks have been going around the City all week doing just that. If you have materials from the storm, you should put them out at the curb now so that they can be picked up.

There are two days each year, one in the spring and one in the autumn, when bulky waste can be brought to the transfer station for free without any charge. The next one probably will be scheduled in October. This is available to residents regardless of whether they live in the inner or outer district.

Bulky waste pickup at a residence was discontinued because private contractors are available to do the same services at comparable prices.

Ooooooooooooooooo ..... then why, when I contacted the City of Meriden, I believe it was public works or transfer station, was I told that the City of Meriden would not be providing curbside pick up of limbs/brush from downed trees on our property that caused me to pay a man to make 3 runs in order to get it off my property?

Oh wait, click fix must be working, all of the sudden "when weather improves" (whens that next spring?) curbside pickup will be provided.

Oh yeah, let me get my chainsaw out to cut up large items, like the delapidated couch & recliner in my garage, so I can fit it into my little hatchback vehicle to make numerous trips.....or again, have to pay for someone to do (more than what the now non existing service that was provided for at $75.00 per appointment)

I just might have to add a "for sale" sign to my property. I'm sure everyone sees them pop up daily. Not all are due to foreclosure/short sale ... I'm sure our constant water/sewer and mil rate hikes is helping

if the tree is on private property, it isn't the responsbiity of the city to clean up the stump.

.How long has it been since Irene paid us a visit? 13 days ago the city commented " The owners were told that we will be back out there next week. As far as we know, the owners were satisfied and appreciative of the City efforts." How difficult would it have been to call in for the stated machinery needed (even though there was a bucket loader (I am woman, I don't know for sure the name of that man toy) while the City had the manpower and dump trucks. Anyway, "next week" has long passed, wheres the city making the second trip ($$$$) to finish the job as reported to the long time elder taxpayers who own the home where the tree fell

When one puts something in type, one would think there is definite commitment.

I am not trying to be insensitive here and regardless if you are elderly or not, the city should not have to be responsible for cleaning up indivivdual property. I wouldn't expect the city to clean up the branches that fell in my yard and if I had a tree fall, I wouldn't expect them to clean it up either. Sounds like that took most of the tree away. If the couple wants the stump removed they should all a tree service to have it done.

Regardless of the cities resposibility the residents were apparently told a crew would be out to finish the job.

Not sure if it was the City employees who finally helped. I hope private contractors didn't have to get involved. But, the job is done as promised, guess we can consider this a positive outcome