Posted on 03/10/2010 12:38:47 AM PST by ctdonath2
Syracuse, NY - Syracuse has the authority to demolish the crumbling building that has disrupted the commutes of 50,000 people a day for nearly a week, but it wants the state to pay for it.
The state is OK with paying, but it’s not sure it has the authority to demolish the building, whose bricks are threatening to drop onto Interstate 81.
Instead of deciding on a method of demolition, or hiring a contractor, or setting a tear-down date, officials at both levels of government have spent the past five days wrangling over legal issues.
Meanwhile, the one mile stretch of I-81 north will remain closed today for a sixth consecutive day.
Traffic flows Wednesday in the southbound lanes of Interstate 81 in downtown Syracuse, but the northbound lanes remain empty because of concerns that a large brick building could collapse onto the highway.
(Excerpt) Read more at syracuse.com ...
Seems the upshot (from those living around there) is nobody has the money to pay for cleaning up a mess that closed a major freeway. All that traffic still has to go somewhere, disrupting business. While everyone shrugs and points fingers, nothing gets done. New York state can't afford the cleanup, Syracuse can't afford the cleanup, the building owner can't afford the cleanup, and nobody is going to do anything knowing they won't get paid.
Such is how the Soviet Union fell: the government just couldn't pay workers, who went home.
Who wants to bet the little problem is the unions demand atleast 5xs what it would cost a private company to demolish it.
The Communist Party that ran the former Soviet Union and the corruptocrats in the NYS Democrat Party are very similar. They are both dishonest, irresponsible leftists who created huge incompetent bureaucracies that stole everything they could and did little or nothing. Look at the former Soviet Union in the 1980’s and you will see the future of the U.S.
FIFY.
And so begins the end.
Seems the upshot (from those living around there) is nobody has the money to pay for cleaning up a mess that closed a major freeway.
That's not what I read in the article...
Miner said the state has committed to paying for the demolition up front because the city can’t afford it and because of the threat to the highway. City officials estimate the demolition will cost more than $1 million.
It doesn't sound like a money problem with the state to me... :-)
A million dollars to demolish one building?
What’s it made of, asbestos?
Actually you don't start seeing Waffle Houses on I-81 until you get into southern PA near the Mason/Dixon line. Once you are in Virginia however, there is a Waffle House off pretty much every exit.
In fact, one might consider renaming the Mason/Dixon line the IHOP/Waffle House line.
I actually like the Waffle House when I am on a long drive as it is a place you can get in and out of in a hurry and you can always count on a heaping, greasy plate of Southern-style breakfast for about the cost of a Starbucks latte.
Waitresses are always stereotypically southern (accent and all) with a scary percentage of them named either Dolly or Ruth. The short-order cook (always male) invariably looks like he is on work-release from the local penitentiary.
Still, I love the place. Even if the floors in the bathroom are always slippery and the jukebox has a disturbing preponderance of Waffle-House related tunes (i.e. "The Waffle House Shuffle")
My favorite Waffle House dish is the ham and cheese omelet with bacon, grits and wheat toast. That breakfast will keep you full right through dinner.
I-81 is probably my favorite highway and always reminds me of trucking movies (like "Smokey and the Bandit"). Syracuse is...well, how you would expect a city named Syracuse to be. They need a Waffle House in Syracuse...badly.
There’s more to the story than one article optimistically portrays. I posted this after talking to one of the locals; the money ain’t there and nobody’s doin’ nuttin’ ‘cuz they won’t get paid.
For a week now, the entire northbound part of this major freeway has been routed thru back roads, wrecking business in the area because customers can’t get around due to insane traffic levels. I suggested local business pay for the demolition just so they can end the traffic debacle and get their customers back.
Remember, this is New York State we’re talking about.
Between unions/kickbacks/backscratching/etc. and hazardous waste, yes.
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