What would you do? Does this sound acceptable?

[Ralphie ★]

I emailed my township recreation department aboot an unsafe tree with huge dead branches that are hanging directly over a sitting area with four benches. Big huge chunks littering the ground. This is in a township park. The only response is an auto response with upcoming events on it. 
 

Ask them again?  Or try another contact?  Public works?  Representative?  Township solicitor?

[Square Wheels]

Call them

[maddmaxx ★]

Public works and let them know that the situation is dangerous and people, especially children could be injured.  That's how I finally got them to remove some dangerous tree stuff in my front yard next to the road.  I sent pictures of a large branch big enough to cause someone damage laying on the sidewalk at the end of my driveway.

[Ralphie ★]

35 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Public works and let them know that the situation is dangerous and people, especially children could be injured.  That's how I finally got them to remove some dangerous tree stuff in my front yard next to the road.  I sent pictures of a large branch big enough to cause someone damage laying on the sidewalk at the end of my driveway.

Sounds good, thanks,  I am just sort of dismayed that they put email addresses on their website and something like this goes unanswered.  Let alone that a citizen even has to tell them aboot something as patently dangerous as this.  Public works does a great job of the routine stuff like mowing and emptying garbage, but what the heck!  And they are very good aboot removing downed trees from roadways after a storm.  At least I appreciate the auto reply as better than a total black hole.  But small solace. 

[Chris...]

Pull a branch down, lay on the bench and fake injury then sue them

[KrAzY]

Call public works, they will be the ones caring for the matter. If that does not work, call the news media and military! Someone bound to take care of it or blow it up! 

[shootingstar]

2 hours ago, Philander Seabury said:

I emailed my township recreation department aboot an unsafe tree with huge dead branches that are hanging directly over a sitting area with four benches. Big huge chunks littering the ground. This is in a township park. The only response is an auto response with upcoming events on it. 
 

Ask them again?  Or try another contact?  Public works?  Representative?  Township solicitor?

I would suggest sending also 1-2 photos for public works and a political representative for township and solicitor.  

Municipalities that maybe thinly staffed, appreciate photos as evidence from citizens for damaged public infrastracture/unsafe conditions. We can't expect all staff to be everywhere, noticing everything on public lands and if the geographic footprint of your area is large, that is a high expectation.

Remember, taxpayers would not want to pay for staff just to drive around all over the municipality, just to notice things..  

Each municipality is different. I know our parks/recreation staff have a 1-2 days turnaround time to respond to public inquiries....311 is the main phone number for our city. (As it would be for other  Canadian big cities).

[Ralphie ★]

9 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

I would suggest sending also 1-2 photos for public works and a political representative for township and solicitor.  

Municipalities that maybe thinly staffed, appreciate photos as evidence from citizens for damaged public infrastracture/unsafe conditions. We can't expect all staff to be everywhere, noticing everything on public lands and if the geographic footprint of your area is large, that is a high expectation.

Remember, taxpayers would not want to pay for staff just to drive around all over the municipality, just to notice things..  

Each municipality is different. I know our parks/recreation staff have a 1-2 turnaround time to respond to public inquiries....311 is the main phone number for our city. (As it would be for other  Canadian big cities).

Owl give public works a shot because I have always found them to be pretty responsive. In fact, owl email them now. And really, they mow the grass, so they have to have seen the bigass limbs laying on the ground. 

On a similar note, the tree I called the electric company aboot over a year ago is coming closer to bringing their pole down into the road. I hope it is not me or my fambly who gets smooshed when it comes down. Ironic would be an electric company executive.

 

[shootingstar]

22 minutes ago, Philander Seabury said:

Owl give public works a shot because I have always found them to be pretty responsive. In fact, owl email them now. And really, they mow the grass, so they have to have seen the bigass limbs laying on the ground. 

On a similar note, the tree I called the electric company aboot over a year ago is coming closer to bringing their pole down into the road. I hope it is not me or my fambly who gets smooshed when it comes down. Ironic would be an electric company executive.

 

That's great your public works dept. is reasonably responsive.  I remember the park pathway lights blew out around a popular heavily used and treed areas.  It was super dark night ride to work in fall. I phoned as a private citizen not as staff ...because the dept. wants it documented properly. They responded in 2 days because it required 3 depts. to look into it...first parks gets call, which goes to Roads who handles all streetlights (including parks pathway) and then the electric line company which has arms' length relationship iwth municipality.

It was fixed about 2 days...which I consider very good.  But it was heavily used corner by both pedestrians and cyclists even in dark evenings.

[shootingstar]

Nowadays for the big cities, 311 inquiries/complaints are ....tracked...to point all the closed and open inquiries are statistically gathered and geospatially mapped for city locations on an internal visual metrics charted dashboard map. 

Yes, I can look up internally,  my neighbourhood and can see the statistics for types of public inquiries/complaints my area gets.  The city councillor is also named for each area.

 

[Dirtyhip]

Calls to the city or county office.  Follow up if no one takes it seriously.  Then, a letter to the editor to gather attention to the dangerous situation.  

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

It's the wacky political season.

Call some of the local candidates running for office - especially the challengers - with "Say, I don't think anybody should try to make a political issue out of this or suggest it's a photo opportunity, but there are these dangerous limbs..."

I bet there will be a politician and local station news crews there before you can hang up the phone.

[Randomguy]

Call all the local tv stations, say that someone will die soon and nobody will take action and ask that they send a reporter. 

[MickinMD ★]

On 9/17/2022 at 8:25 AM, Philander Seabury said:

I emailed my township recreation department aboot an unsafe tree with huge dead branches that are hanging directly over a sitting area with four benches. Big huge chunks littering the ground. This is in a township park. The only response is an auto response with upcoming events on it. 
 

Ask them again?  Or try another contact?  Public works?  Representative?  Township solicitor?

Is there a phone number?  If not, I'd call the an elected official and point out how bad it's going to look on his/her record if someone gets injured after he/she did nothing about it.  Politicians are self-motivated to cover their butts.

[shootingstar]

Folks, photos always illustrate a thousand words...we live in the digital age plus the email words.

[donkpow]

Have you tried arbor-tration?

[dinneR ★]

.

[dinneR ★]

On 9/17/2022 at 6:25 AM, Philander Seabury said:

The only response is an auto response with upcoming events on it. 
 

 

Will you be attending the events?

[Ralphie ★]

59 minutes ago, donkpow said:

Have you tried arbor-tration?

Solved!  

[Ralphie ★]

10 minutes ago, dinneR said:

Will you be attending the events?

I attended the next county north’s free concerts during the summer.   Kathleen Edwards and Richard Thompson.  No killer trees that I noticed.