Thanks, Big Joe --
the truck is gone and the block is happy
Communications
snafu leaves ten-ton truck on residential street
over Labor Day weekend
Neighborhood
residents and staff of Shiloh Baptist Church were disturbed by the continuing
presence of this truck on our street during the last week in August. Repeated
calls to the number painted on the side of the truck yielded only one
response, with a promise to move the truck "today," but the
truck sat on the block over Labor Day weekend.
On September 5, Big Joe himself visited the block to explain the communications snafu. He had been away, and the employee who was supposed to move the truck neglected to do so. The firm (a very new business) is engaged to haul away construction debris from a property on our block that is being renovated as a luxury townhouse. The truck was removed that day, and we are all grateful for Big Joe's prompt action.
Big Joe also explained another problem as he sees it, one that brings conflicting views of the public good into play. He told me that the dumping sites are in south (or maybe southwest) Philadelphia, but that they're working over capacity right now, and there are times that the dump site won't accept his truck. Rather than drive this large and fully-loaded truck back to a facility in the Northeast, he prefers to park it short term closer to the dump. From the standpoint of easing road congestion this makes good sense. On the other hand, parking in front of a church for any length of time is a hardship, especially in any congregation with a large proportion of elderly and infirm parishioners. And, in fact, parking a large vehicle in a residential neighborhood where parking spaces are at a premium is an imposition on the residents.
I hope we can find a solution for this problem that is good for both the Big Joes and the Christian Streets of our city.
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