A Monday Surprise

Facebook Memories reminds me of another week that didn’t exactly start off on the right foot.

Yes, those are two different shoes. As I recall, my students thought that was pretty hilarious.

On the other hand, I felt a bit of hope from an unlikely source this morning when reading a post on Next Door, of all places. A fellow reported a large hole in the ground near where he lives and asked how he could best report it. He was concerned that children might come to harm.

I am pleased to report that he got quite a bit of sound advice. This is not always the case on Next Door. Probably the best advice overall in Columbia/HoCo is that you have to know exactly where the hole is located. Once you know that, you know whether to contact your HOA, CA Open Space, or Howard County via See Click Fix. Someone suggested contacting one’s Village Association for help. That’s certainly a good place to start but I suspect they’re going to lead you through the process above.

Of course there were a few wags who offered their two cents. Notable among those responses:

Get a shovel and fill it yourself.
It’s no big deal, kids can use the hole as a play area if it’s not too deep.
Contact the County Executive directly and he’s sure to help you personally.

As to that last one…even if I thought I knew the County Executive well enough to do that…good grief, that’s not his job. Just imagine if everyone who needed anything just called the County Executive directly. It would be funny if it were the premise of a sitcom. In real life, not so much.

In conclusion, if you are concerned about a dangerous hole: it really matters where it is. Who you will report it to depends solely on where it’s located. Now, if it’s on your your own private property, you certainly can get a shovel and fill it in, but, it wouldn’t hurt to consult a professional on how it got there and the best way to address it.

And, at least for today, it seems as though Next Door is capable of giving some decent local feedback. Who knew?

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