A little drama on Randolph Avenue (so what else is new?)
Usually, I report on the drama going on here on Randolph Avenue.
This morning, I was the cause.
I found a notice from the city on my car windshield yesterday:
PARKING BAN FOR SEALCOAT WORK.
PLEASE DO NOT PARK ON THIS STREET BETWEEN THE
HOURS OF 7:00 A.M. AND 5:00 P.M. UNTIL AFTER IT
HAS BEEN SEALCOATED. VIOLATORS MAY BE TOWED.
The paper goes on to state the date of the event (today) and a warning it might happen the next day. Ther’s also a request that those folks who water their lawn to not get any moisture on the street. And in tiny little print, lighter than allt he other words is this:
(please refer to cable channel 22 for the daily sealcoat schedule)
The rest of the paper talks about the glories of the city’s sealcoating process and how it is cost-effective and a cure for acne. Whatever.
Well, I’m no dummy. I don’t want my car towed. So I didn’t part on MY street. I parked around the corner on Columbia Terrace. About a half-block away from the front door of the house I live in.
So today, I walked about of my house and marveled at the utter lack of parked cars on Randolph. I turned north and …
My car is missing.
First, I said “What the [expletive deleted] happened to my car?”
Second, I said “Oh, [expletive deleted]! They’re sealcoating on Columbia Terrace, too, and they towed my car.
Third, I said “There’s NOTHING on that [expletive deleted] paper about Columbia Terrace!”
Fourth: “Those [expletive deleted]!”
Within five minutes, I called every relative I have in this city trying to scrounge a ride to work. I tried to calculate how much money it was going to cost me to get my car out of impound. I figured I would miss a half-day of work.
Then I dashed off a rather, shall we say, spirited email to my district council representative. And by spirited, I mean I was threatening to raise Hell at the microphone at the next Peoria City Council meeting. And I CCed the email to some folks in the address book.
And then I started to make plans for the blistering post I intended to write. I mean, if THAT is how they warn people about sealcoating, I cannot be the first person this has happened to, right>
Then the following happened.
1. One of the people I CCed came by to give me a ride (I’m not mentioning his name, because if I did, everyone would be calling him for rides). Being someone who is somewhat familiar to how city workers operate, he took a detour down Bigelow, right around the corner from what I had parked … and there was my car. One. Block. From. Where. I. Parked. It.
And then I thought to myself. “Well, gee. I’m an idiot.”
My pal didn’t rub it in, although he COULD have.
2. I got in my car, started driving to work and got a call on my cell. It was my council rep., Barbara Van Auken. Barbara apologized the towing and says that there was some communications breakdowns about notifying the neighborhood. They are going to look at the ways to improve the process. I thanked her for the call and told her adding a few words to that sheet warning that nearby streets also would be sealcoated would be enough, as far as I am concerned.
3. I got an email from Bob Tyler, Superintendent for Operations & Maintenance for the City of Peoria Public Works Department. He apologized for having my car towed. I apologized to him for my lack of common sense and I THANKED him for not having my car towed away, but for having it towed to a safe location a few blocks away.
Seriously, people. The way the did it is very taxpaper friendly.
Kudos.
4. The mayor sent me an email thanking for me for my attitude.
5. I got a couple of other emails that I haven’t replied to yet from folks in city government.
So there was some drama in the neighborhood, caused by some poor communication and intensified by a rather grumpy email from a scary blogger.
It ended with no threats of lawsuits. No punches thrown. No demanding that someone get fired. No recriminations.
How unlike it usually is in this part of town.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
That’s sitcom material there, my friend. You should write a pilot for NBC.
THAT’S IT BILLY! In order to get enough cash flow to be a full time blogger you could write a script about the trials and tribulations of a citizen journalist/blogger!
(please refer to cable channel 22 for the daily sealcoat schedule)
‘NUFF SAID.
Except for you!!!
I would suggest you always read and follow instructions written in small print!
Damn! I was truly hoping you’d get a chance to poke a cop in the shoulder while telling him/her how important you are to the blogsphere.
And for the people without cable? And without your friend cruising the neighborhood – were they going to tow your car back to its original place? Maybe that info was on channel 22 too.
“(please refer to cable channel 22 for the daily sealcoat schedule)”
Yeah… that does a lot of good for those of us too cheap to splurge on cable.
No one wanted to be a victim of your blog-a-torial wrath. Great story. What a goofball.
The best part is that lower in the notice, it says it is a “voluntary parking ban”.
I got an email from Alama Brown before the weekend that is was going to be done…It was on Ch.22 also… So maybe you didn’t the email.. I bet you wasn’t happy , but it worked out for the best.. Stay cool…
Mahkno: Amen. There are folks left behind because George W. and Barry O. took everyone’s tv away that lives in a valley and are too cheap cheap to buy cable or a hundred dollar antenna setup… or can’t afford to move to snob hill.
How can the poor buy their shamwow now?
lol