November Soap-box

If we really want to change the world, each of us should stop one stranger each day and tell them we love them; we love them regardless of their race, religion, political views or personal biases; we love them without knowing them, simply because they are alive.

The older we get the more we forget that each of us was brought into this world the same way, so the only differences that exist are just manufactured perceptions.

In the end, we don’t have to like each other, but we need to love one and other.

UPDATE: Baltimore, MD- A Dry Town (At least around Patterson Park)

UPDATE:  After I posted the letter below on Baltimore City's DPW Facebook page, a crew fixed the problem that night around 6:30pm and knocked on doors throughout the neighborhood to make sure it was fixed. While 311's initial response was lacking, DPW was prompt, thorough and their assistance was appreciated. -Jack

___________________________
Original Post:

Dear Mayor Rawlings-Blake,

My name is Jack Bunja and I have lived in the City ofBaltimore for over 5 years now. I originally hail from a small town in Pennsylvania, so I was a little bit apprehensive when I and my fiancée, Dawn Papuga, decided to move into the City near Patterson Park. Too make a long story short, I have grown to enjoy the city and all it has to offer, until recently. Two nights ago I noticed that the water pressure in our house at 15 N. Linwood Ave. had drastically decreased. It is common for our water pressure to fluctuate, so I decided to wait for the day to see if it would return to normal; when it didn’t, I used the 311 system for the first time and reported it. The first gentleman I spoke to at 311 was very friendly and took all my information. Then a few hours later a city worker knocked on my door to let us know that a contractor was working in the neighborhood and that he would contact them about a valve issue. Unfortunately, that is where the helpfulness ceased. Nearly 24 hours later, when the water pressure didn’t improve, I called 311 again to find out that my ticket had been closed. The reason for the closure was that a “contractor is in our area and there was nothing they could do”.  When I asked if there was a timetable, they said, “they do not know and there was nothing they could do”. When I asked what I was supposed to do in order to shower or wash my clothes, they said, “I’m sorry sir, there is nothing we can do”. His agitation at my issues grew with each question I asked and customer service quickly took a back seat to getting me off the line. 

Let me preface what I’m about to say next with a little bit of understanding; I am well aware that there are bigger issues in Baltimore then the water pressure on my street. However, this situation has raised many red flags for me and my neighbors. First, I was never notified about contracting work being done that would affect my water. In every neighborhood I have ever lived, it was a standard practice to mail or place notices on the doors in the neighborhoods about to be affected by utility work. Failure to do that can cause issues for the public and inflates the number of inquiries your 311 team must handle. Second, the lack of answers to my questions and they lack of desire to find an answer is a great concern. As a federal contractor, I’m aware of what it means to be a good steward of the tax-payer dollar. I am dismayed that the City of Baltimore doesn’t hold the same expectations for its contractors. When asking multiple people about timetables for this work, they all had no idea. In fact, since I’ve complained, I have not seen a single worker back at that site. With my entire street having the same water issue, I was hoping to see some sense of urgency. My father worked for a utility company for over 40 years, his employers’ expectation and his own belief was that a job wasn’t done until the customer was taken care of. In this case, as a customer, I feel the only answer I've gotten is “we will get to it when we are ready” and that leads me to my final point; what exactly am I paying for? I pay a water bill and taxes; I would assume some sort of customer service would come along with that. Right now, my shower will not engage because of the low water pressure and our sinks are barely running beyond a drip. The result of this is that I can barely clean myself, Dawn cannot wash her hair and we will have to use a laundry mat for our clothes. Will we have a water bill next month and will it be adjusted for the poor service? Beyond that, will I be compensated for the money I spend at a laundry mat?  So far, the only answer I’ve gotten is “there is nothing we can do”.

Let me close by being very frank; my fiancé and I are both established professionals and we are preparing to buy our first house next year. We had hoped that the city would be an option for us, but now we have to reconsider. Why stay somewhere that looks at its population as an inconvenience? Why should I pay taxes to a city that doesn’t monitor its paid contractors? Those are questions that any citizen should expect their city to answer. Like I said in the beginning, I realize there are bigger problems in Baltimore then my water, but I’m not asking for the city (or in this case city contractors) to stop everything and fix my issues; I’m merely asking for some respect. If a city respects it citizens, it might just get a little respect back… Thank you for your time. 

 

Sincerely,

Jack L. Bunja