Though we had no official
fireworks show this year, the unofficial show of both legal and illegal
fireworks in my neighborhood was surprisingly restrained. It seems last year’s Almeda fires awoke many
residents to the fire danger that has been building over decades of rationing
water by rates and poor enforcement of our weed codes.
This year, the City has certainly been keener to enforce our codes
regarding seeding weeds, and to obey them as well. I was delighted to see the railroad weeds cut,
and to see seeding and dry weeds being cut almost every time they are called
in.
But we should not have to complain to enforce our weed and trash codes. That was a job for police and fire until 2006.
As I walk neighborhoods, putting
flyers to “Contact our City Council and Manager” on doors, I have not been
talking to many people. But I am also giving
gardening leaflets and these flyers to store clerks and others as prizes. Nearly all agree that it would be good to
reform our rates so everyone can afford to water their yards, protecting our
city from fire. “Protecting our city
from fire” really strikes a nerve this year.
We all know that water stops fire. Green grass does not burn, and neither do
most green plants, if they are kept watered.
After plants flower, go to seed and dry out, they burn hot and fast. That is why we have a weed code that mandates
cutting or killing weeds before they flower and go to seed.
Fire danger is a major reason we built our water plant. Before that, Grants Pass burned, as many
cities did without pressurized water to put out fires and to water yards so
fires don’t spread.
From the time we built a water plant
until we started rationing water by rates in the ‘90s, the rates were kept as
low and stable as possible, so residents could garden their city, and so pressurized
water to fight fires would be as close as the nearest spigot or hydrant.
The city paid all the plant overhead
with our monthly base charges and covered only unit costs with unit prices. We paid for the water system with our monthly
charge, and the water was nearly free, so everyone with a yard was free to
garden and protect their neighborhood with water. We must return to that rate system.
Speech to the City Council, 7-7-2021, published at GardenGrantsPass.blogspot.com
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Rycke
Brown, Natural Gardener 541-955-9040 rycke@gardener.com
Rycke, thank you for following up on this. It has become so expensive to water in the city that a friend of mine had to give up raising a vegetable garden and that is not right.
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