Good Morning! Happy Friday the 13th

Right on. Supposed to be a really nice weekend. Have fun everyone!

It is a good morning. Sun is out and highlighting Cranbrook hill escarpment in that early morning golden colour.

An interesting power point presentation by IPG to City Council
http://www.princegeorge.ca/cityhall/mayorcouncil/councilagendasminutes/agendas/2012/2012_07_16/documents/IPG_ppt.pdf

Looks to me like they keep trying to reinvent the wheel. Seem to be having some problem to determine what quantitative mearurables to use to report qualitative outcomes.

The fact that they do not have one by now after being in this business for several decades under regional and municipal funding really causes me to ask whether anyone there knows what they are doing.

Adopt, Adapt or Develop. Sure to god there are systems out there that can either be adopted and most certanly adapted.

This is totally ludicrous that an organization dealing with getting business into town and keeping business in town does not know how to select and apply a system of self measurement of their effectiveness.

The wheel spinning continues forever! Time is up!

http://www.princegeorge.ca/cityhall/mayorcouncil/councilagendasminutes/agendas/2012/2012_07_16/documents/IPG_ppt.pdf

oops … too early in the morning ….

Noticed our fair city made Global news this week showing the knee high grass in local parks as a result of the new city policy.

After watching them mow a similar field earlier in the week for the first time this year I question if there are any real savings.

The mower did not have enough power to mow with the wings down(he tried) and so the whole field was done with only the center mower and even then he had to go VERY slow. As a result what would normally take ten minutes took well over 1.5 hours!

Even at this snail’s pace huge clumps of grass were left all over the place and a person would have to be suicidal to use the ball field given the clumps and windrows(will give the operator credit as he did attempt to go over a second time to little effect)

Couple of questions come to mind.

Does the administration monitor new policies to ensure they have the desired savings? Fields take 6 or 8 times longer plus extremely hard on equipment!

If first mowing is mid July, should we plant alfalfa and timothy in parks, buy bailing equipment and generate some revenue?

…They are still mowing the lawns outside of City Hall every week though

I think they should not be mowing grass right now other than ballparks since long grass will retain moisture when we are obviously entering a dry spell.

Like anyting “natural” one needs to either manage it properly by artificial means which includes mowing and watering and controlling weeds, or let it go the way nature will take care of it.

So, want to save money? Separate the parks, boulevards, etc.into “natural” and “managed” areas, rather than doing it half-assed as lonesome sparrow writes about.

Hey, I am starting to realize that if a few of us on here were to take over the administration of the City, everything would run perfectly and smoothly …… LOL

So are Councillors taking turns riding the mower at City Hall?

I watched the promotional video in the IPG power point presentation. Under the title “Major Developments in Prince George” for BC Business magazine….showed no minor let alone major developments.

Made no mention of things like runway extension, airport fueling facility, logistics park, container stuffing facility,business tax rates…..you know things that a business would be interested in. Instead a bunch of fluff with people eating and drinking and walking around the clean sunny downtown streets,something more suited to tourism PG.

This document also gave me the Chuckle Of The Week.

“Regular metrics monitoring and reporting requires staff resources, varying depending on the number of metrics and level of detail required”…..DUH!

Is anyone inspecting the paving jobs that are being done? There are a few spots alone Massy that will be pot holes by next spring!

Once a month on the blvd’s should be OK. In the Parks hold it off till its about 3 inches and then knock it down a bit, when it is going to start to rain.

http://ckpg.com/news/19866-city-parks-left-to-get-overgrown-video.html

Link to CKPG news clip about long grass in park(s). Was this picked up by Global?

If so, what can we do to spin stories like that so that they get picked up by provincial and/or national news as an interest item.

Maybe we can get some children to play a new game of African Safari dressed up in khaki outfits with large cameras on tripods and blinds, slowly moving forward through the tall grasses as they close in on wild animals (cats?) to get close up shots.

even better

“Economic development entities lack a direct quantitative return”

same video-different voice over.

Lonesome sparrow …. “Regular metrics monitoring and reporting requires staff resources, varying depending on the number of metrics and level of detail required”…..DUH!

You have to remember that the slides are prepared for presentation to Council …. they are not known to be rocket scientists ….. ;-)

That is the standard or any presentation to them, even administration. Basically it goes like this.

1. You want us to do the job you expect of us?
2. we have option A .. it will cost this much .. or option B … it will cost that much …

They avoid making the decision/recommendation so that if something is screwed up it is Council who will be reminded who made the decision in the case of not enough information or too much cost.

Im in a bad mood today so I will hold back my comments on all the topics in this thread. I can summarize by saying you all suck!

Cutting back on a lot of little things adds up. Perhaps the city finances ar not in as good a shape as we think.

After Stockton, CA another US city has just declared bankruptcy: San Bernardino, CA.

The city can’t meet the next payroll, indicating that it may have run up against a borrowing ceiling.

opps, I better rephrase that, All your opinions suck!

Oh … and Council keeps on falling for the same thing all the time. They really love micro-managing. It is too enticing.

For once I would like to see a Council tell a department or City organization to do the job for a budget preapred by the department/organization and then hold them to it.

If they do it properly, congratulate them for a job well done.

If not, then take steps to make sure the department/organization improves and hold senior managers accountable.

ok, I cant hold back.

“Perhaps the city finances ar not in as good a shape as we think.”

Where the heck have you been the past few years? We think the city finances are in good shape? Constantly increasing tax’s, stupid expenditures and service cutbacks? Maybe you were trying to be funny?

There, I feel a bit better now.

Do you hear sucking sounds again old white guy? Turn down the volume on your computer. :-)

“hold senior managers accountable”…..good place to start as accountability is sorely lacking on Patricia Bvld.

WCB and dust inspection:
I work in alot of sawmills from the south to the north in Bc. I am truley amazed in the different standards these inspectors have from region to region. All the sawmills i have been in have been inspected and re inspected, they have all been passed. Most sawmills now are fairly clean. But some of the passed ones havent even been touched and are piled up with dust and debris from years of build up. Even the employees have said there was no cleanup down previous to inspection. But from what im told these mills have passed. I aplaud most of the mills because they have stepped up to the plate and have gone beyond wcb requirements.

Don’t forget the big Condor arriving at the airport today, 11:05 am.

“Perhaps the city finances ar not in as good a shape as we think.”

Let me re-phrase that for you, Albus!

“Perhaps the city finances are not in as good a shape as they are trying to make us believe. They want us to keep believing that everything is well under control.”

There! Feel better now?

I remember a mayor saying that we have only used 50% of the city’s borrowing limit. Scary stuff.

Hemochromatosis, If you care be Aware, Educate: Educate yourself,your family and your friends about Hereditary Hemochromatosis (IRON overload)Visit http://www.toomuchiron.ca
Test:Screening Blood tests; Transferrin Saturation ,Serum Ferritin ,Diagnostic Genetic tests.
Share; Disease Conditions ; Arthritis ,Condrocalcinosis, Diabetes , Enlarged liver,liver diseases including cirrhosis , Bronzing or graying of the skin ,jaundice ;Cancers (metastasized from the liver) Heart arrhythmia and cardiomyopathy, Heart disease; congestive heart failure. Nothern Health is discontinuing some of these tests in Sept. so go get tested as this can be fatal.

Big kerfuffle when the casino moved from George Street to Highways 16 and 97. No kerfuffle this time when a Honda dealership moves from 1st and Victoria to Highway 16 West. Carry on, folks. Revitalize synonymous with the word vacate? Not in my dictionary.

People with Hemochromatosis, can give Blood. So call Canadian Blood Services to Donate (l-888-236-6283) or on line http://www.blood.ca

Its amazing how many people actually have hemochromatosis bitter. My wife’s father had the markers and so she was tested and she had both genes as well. Her iron levels were very high. Now she donates blood regulary and a slight diet change and she feels better than she has in years. Such a simple fix but who knew?
http://www.cdnhemochromatosis.ca/index.php

Bitter:”Northern Health is discontinuing some of these tests in Sept. so go get tested as this can be fatal.”

Just curious, can you tell me WHY Northern Health would be discontinuing some of these tests? What are tests that will be discontinued and will one be able to still get these tests done if paid for out of one’s own money? Is the reason money?

(I paid for years for my own PSA tests, and boy, was that ever a good investment!).

Prince George;
I attended a HHC gathering put on by the HHC Society at the Civic Center July 9th and we were informed of this news.
Why HAVE I NEVER HEARD OF HHC?
Until recently, many GPs were trained to believe HHC was extremely rare and patient’s symptoms were overlooked or attributed to other causes. because early symptoms are subtle and nonspecific, most individuals with HHC are not tested, diagnosed and treated until some irreversible damage has occurred. Even post-mortem, HHC is often overlooked as a possible cause of death, garnering the nickname “the silent killer” HHC still is under recognized and under diagnosed. Early intervention is the key.

Albus Antiquus Vir: Albus, try and look at the weather, your health, all that you have, your employment, this area of the world and everything about life that you enjoy and should be truly thankful for. Hopefully you’ll come out of your bad mood. It is really beautiful again today, so everybody try to enjoy it and have a safe and happy weekend!

The helicopters being shipped to Angola are to be used in the upcoming elections there. Only expensive twin engine aircraft to be used. UN has lots of our money.

Does anyone know what the substance is that they sprayed on the John Hart bridge? What is the purpose of spraying it also?

Thanks Hammy! I meant to post that exact question and forgot. I want to know how much of it is ending up in the river as well…

I could be wrong but I believe it is toll oil. It is used to seal the concrete from water. They use it also to control dust on gravel roads. Supposed to be non-toxic. It is a wood by product.

I thought the stinky stuff on all the bridges in town were diesel spills, not so. It is a sealant to help prevent the concrete from deteriorating. Sure smells bad, butI guess it is a good thing if it does what it is supposed to

Speaking of spills, how about the huge oil or diesel spill up the hill on Ospika near Tyner. A city street sweeper blew a Hydraulic hose or something and spewed oil or diesel all over the place for almost a kilometer up the road. How did the operator not notice the leak for so long?

Sounds like last time Shirley Bond played golf, privatizing BC liqour was put on the table. What I want to know, was it because she lost a bet? And if it was, how often does she play golf, and how bad a player is she?

Give more,

hot weather is not beautiful to some of us, I am much happier in 18-20 degree range.

All you people that dont like the way our City is run. go to the City website and click on Core Review Survey and unload your ideas. Happy unloading.
Cheers

Already been there, already done that. Any chance that anything will change?