Our  City

 Streets
  You probably have seen pictures of

houses with junk cars and so forth on
   another web site. I did not take any

pictures of private homes with junk

  cars and so forth around them.Those

 people know who they are.

How can the city expect them to clean

 up when the City of Ashtabula can

not keep her own city property clean.
Don't you think the city should set an

example first. How can you attract

                 the right kind of people and

 businesses with a city as dirty as

ASHTA

BULA?
These four pictures were taken on January 27. 2007. I first confronted Hugh Thomas about the problem when I had a store on Main Avenue.
An older lady who was coming out of the drug store after the water had frozen, slipped and fell here. The storm drains were placed up hill from where the water would drain. Why???? After ten years, nothing has been done. This is one of the reasons businesses do not want to locate on Main Avenue.
These pictures were taken on September 6, 2007.

This is a city owned lot on Main Avenue.

South Main Avenue
This a close up of the city owned lot  pictures above this picture.  
  South Main Avenue

This is the sidewalks directly across from city hall!
  This is West 46th Street (Spring Street) in downtown Ashtabula.
This is a city parking lot on West 44th Street.

Above & Below

 This is a city parking lot on West 44th Street.

This is a the Municipal parking lot on Park Avenue.

Above & Below
 

       On Sunday, June 24, 2007, I decided to take a walk from my house down Prospect Avenue and back. I took my camera. Many of you may not pay attention to our streets and parks probably because you are used to seeing our parks and streets looking like a crap hole. Some you may not even care. Some of you may have very well noticed the poor condition our city is in. I started out on Center Street and walked towards Prospect. Remember Rt.20 is the main road that comes into our city.
East Corner of Foster & Center Streets
West Corner of Foster & Center Streets, wouldn't you say that gutter is disgraceful! Intersection of Foster & Center Streets, you know the city should left a lot of streets brick. The brick underneath the black top looks fine to me. Usually the only bad part in a brick street is when it has been dug up & replaced with black top or cement.

Looking from Foster Avenue towards the Eagle's Club.

           Center Street underpass               This is

disgraceful!      Center Street underpass

  Center Street underpass

Center Street looking west
Looking down Jefferson Avenue from Center Street. Look how good condition the brick is. The speed limit on these street is only 25 miles an hour. Why would it have to be black topped. So the skate boarders get a smoother ride? If you go to German Village in Columbus, Ohio, all their streets are still brick. The streets are beautiful. However it seems all the officials are worried about in Ashtabula are tearing it down or covering it up.
Where Prospect meets Center Street
Prospect looking west
At the intersection of Prospect & West Avenue

At the intersection of Prospect & West Avenue
Prospect & Seymour
Prospect Avenue
Prospect & McKinley

The sidewalks on Prospect
At the corner of Prospect & Reed Avenue with Taco Bell in the background
Looking down Reed Avenue from Prospect.
The corner of Prospect and Samuel Streets.           I plant the flowers at my church and take care of the lawn there. Last year I swept the streets in front  and beside the church of the church. I don't think a street sweeper has been down it since. I will be going out and sweeping the streets again this year. I don't plant flowers in North Park any more because very few city officials cared and maybe very few of you cared.
Looking down on Samuel from Prospect.
Looking west on Prospect.
On the left of this house is the city corporation limits sign. It sits right next to Pizza Hut. Don't you think someone should have told them to mow the grass a long time ago.
This is disgusting !!!!! If you like what you see, then vote for one of the other clowns running for City Manager!!!!!
Looking east on Prospect.
Looking east on Prospect.

 
Prospect, looking back toward the east (West Avenue)..
Looking back east in front of the Trinity Presbyterian Church.
Looking west on Prospect.
Looking west on Prospect.
 
Hey look at our new handicapped  curb sidewalk. They don't look that accessible with all the dirt, do they????????????
Looking east on Prospect.
Looking east on Prospect.
This house sits at the corner of Prospect & Benefit. It has been in this condition a long time. Do you think the city might do something about it before it falls completely down?
Prospect & Benefit
Looking east on Prospect. ---- Have you ever seen one shoe laying beside the road. It makes you wonder. Is someone walking around going clip clop?
Looking east on Prospect.
Looking east on Prospect.
Looking east on Prospect in front of Arby's.
Looking back west at the corner of Prospect & Seymour.
Looking east on Prospect with overpass in background.
Looking east on the Prospect overpass.
 
 

This at the east side at the corner of Benefit & Prospect. The city sidewalks are disgusting. In the background is Perkins.
Looking east on Prospect.
Looking east on Prospect.
Looking east on Prospect in front of Rite Aid.
Looking east on Prospect.
Looking east on Prospect Circle.
Looking east on West 44th Street. .
Looking east on West 44th Street. .

 
    The next day I had to pick up some medication from Dr. Kim on Lake Avenue for my wife. I decided to walk there and I took my camera.
Corner of Station & West 44th Street.
This is my good friend Felix Albert. He owns the apartment building on West 44th Street near Station Avenue. He does a beautiful job in keeping his apartment building up.
The corner of Prospect & Station Avenues.
Looking East on West 32nd Street..
Looking North on Lake Avenue.
Under the underpass on Lake Avenue.
Isn't it amazing??????? Our school board is tearing down some good schools without even auctioning them off while other cities are auctioning their old schools off. This is the old Station Street school. The school board sold it and it is now used as St. John Paul school. They have done a beautiful  job in keeping the old building up. My opinion it is in a lot better shape that the "new" building just down the street!
Abandoned house on Station Avenue.
Abandoned house on Station Avenue.
Front of the old Campus Confectionery
The corner of Park & West 44th Street.
If you want to compare North Park to North Park when I was keeping up North Park, go down to near the bottom of the page.
North Park
North Park
North Park - this is the Gazble, I got Post Lumber to donate the benches in the Gazble. Before that there for years there was no place to sit down in the Gazble. The extensions at each end of the Gazble I bought & paid for it out of my own pocket.
West 44th Street in front of North Park
 
Main Avenue looking South
West 48th Street
 
Below are pictures I took on July 19 & 20, 2007
in front of my church. See how dirty the streets are? Well, I cleaned Prospect in front of my church last summer. It looks like Prospect has not been cleaned since. Well boys & girls, I took pictures before I cleaned it this year and afterwards. I should not have to do this. When I was a kid a street sweeper went down our street
 every week about 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. without fail
during warm weather. What kind of people & businesses would want to move to Ashtabula with
a town as dirty as this?????
 
Prospect & Samuel
Prospect & Samuel after I cleaned it.
The storm drain at the corner of Prospect & Samuel on Samuel.
he storm drain at the corner of Prospect & Samuel on Samuel after I cleaned it.
Prospect looking east in front of my church.
Corner of Prospect & Samuel after I cleaned it.
These are children who come to the free lunch program for children at the Trinity Presbyterian 
Church. The free lunch is available to anyone 18
years of age and younger. I tried to pass myself off
as a kid to get a free lunch but even when I got on my knees they wouldn't believe me. Oh well!
Here I believe they are having ice cream for desert. Yum!!!!!! The free lunch program goes on
until August 17. By the way, I plant all the flowers at my church.
 
 
Looking North on Elm.
This is the property of the current City Manager. Do you think that he doesn't want to fix any other sidewalks because he'd have to fix his own.
West 32nd Street.
West 32nd Street.
The nurse at Dr. Kim's office where I picked up my wife's medication.
Looking North on Lake Avenue toward the underpass.
At the corner of West 32nd Street & Lake Avenue.
Corner of West 32nd Street & Superior Avenue
Abandoned house on Station Avenue.
Abandoned house on Station Avenue.
 This is the rear of a vacant building at the corner of Station and West 44th Street. It used to be the Campus Confectionery. I spent a lot of time in that store in high school. However I think that its usefulness has served its day. It needs to be torn down.
Looking towards the old Carlisle Building at the corner of Park & West 44th Street.
This is North Park TODAY! This makes the second year that I have nor planted flowers or did any trimming or cleaning up in North Park after six years of doing so.
Looking west toward the southeast corner of Park & West 44th Streets.
North Park
North Park
North Park
 
 
Main Avenue looking South
Main Avenue looking South
West 48th Street (one block from city hall!!!!
 
 
 
Prospect & Samuel
Prospect looking east in front of my church.
Prospect looking west in front of my church.
This is the drain in front of my church on prospect. It is filled up with water! It has not rained for a few days.
Prospect in front of my church after I cleaned it.
 

 

 

 

Below is pictures I took in 2005. I'm leaving them on there because nothing has changed. Ashtabula is the same DIRTY town!!!!!!!  
This is the curb in front of my house. I keep the grass cut off the top of the curb. Because the city rarely comes by with a street sweeper, I sweep it myself. This is the lot next to me. You can tell a street sweeper has not been by in ages. I've actually seen trees growing in the dirt next to the curb.
Main Avenue Main Avenue
I complained to Hugh Thomas when he was city manager about the water that used to stand on Main Avenue. I would like to know who was the engineer who put the drains in? Maybe he thought water ran uphill! I watched an elderly lady slip and fall here after the water turned to ice when the drug store was there. I've even slipped there myself. All it would take is about a one inch grove in the pavement next the curb to cure the problem. Then again when the grove filled up with dirt, we've have the same problem!
Main Avenue West 44th Street - North Park - Do you notice how dirty the sidewalks are?
West 44th Street Park Avenue
Elm Avenue Elm Avenue
Center Street West 48th Street
Center Street Center Street & Jefferson Avenue
Center Street & Jefferson Avenue Junction of Center Street & Prospect
Foster & Center Street Center Street
Foster Avenue &  Center Street Center Street Under Pass
Center Street Under Pass Center Street Under Pass
Center Street Under Pass Center Street
Foster Avenue West 44th Street - BUMP? Maybe they could  fasten    the sign down on the road and fix the bump!
Valleyview Blvd. Collins Blvd.
West 44th Street West 44th Street
Our new Route 20 Viaduct Collins Blvd.
Chestnut Avenue West 52nd Street
Foster Avenue Center Street Under Pass
Center Street Under Pass Foster Avenue
West 44th Street West 44th Street
West 44th Street West 44th Street City Parking Lot
Parking lot on West 44th Street Adams & West 57th Street
Prospect Avenue Prospect Avenue
Reed Avenue next to Humphrey Insurance Prospect & Reed at the new Taco Bell
At South Park on Main Avenue South Main Avenue
South Main Avenue Gary Avenue
South Main Avenue Under Pass South Main Avenue
Bunker Hill Road Adams Avenue
West 57th & Adams Avenue West 57th & Adams Avenue
West 52nd Street West 52nd Street
Center Street & Foster Avenue  
   
   
Columbus Avenue  
Harbor Avenue

 

 

 

 

 Apartment House on West 48th Street - (one block from city hall) - I've called the City Manager's office on this apartment building and sent pictures several times. I've seen people haul garbage from out of town and sat at the street until there was a mountain of garbage at the street. The city did eventually come and pick the trash up. However at least once a month more mountains of trash would appear. Picking up the trash will not cure the problem. Going after the perpetrators including the landlord should cure the problem.
West 48th Street West 48th Street
Elm Avenue - Landlords should be forced by the city to make sure that lawns are cut and yards picked especially when the house is vacant.

 

 

 

 West 44th Street  - The wall around the back of the old Municipal Building was knocked by a semi that no one seems to anything about. I'm sure we have surveillance cameras outside the new justice center. The cameras could have captured the incident on tape. If not there should have been surveillance cameras at all city properties. My question is was there an insurance claim. If so what happened to the money because the wall was never repaired.
Center Street Under Pass Center Street & Jefferson Avenue
Center Street & West 48th Street Junction of Center & Prospect

These two abandoned houses are just two

blocks from City Hall.

Main Avenue - Ashtabula should never look like this. The streets need to be cleaned more than once a year.

Some streets are never cleaned at least not in years!

I have not just been complaining how dirty our city has become in recent months. Our city has been dirty and disgusting for years. Below is six photos that I took in

1999!
       This is positive proof that a new charter and new
leadership is needed for the City of Ashtabula! The type
of leadership that Darrell E. Hamilton can provide!

P. S. I am not afraid to tell you that I took all the pictures on this web site.
This is my web site! I have the brains enough to design it and maintain the
web site myself without any outside help! If a person can't take the 
responsibility for a web site then how can they take responsibility for the

management of the City of Ashtabula?
Prospect over pass

This couch has been sitting on Center Street about a month now.      -  Gary Avenue

                                 Union Avenue                                                        Union Avenue
9th Street in front of Kent State Ashtabula
           Nineth Street in front of the Elks Lodge  - Yes, I know the Elks Lodge is in Saybrook Township. It is right across from Kent State - Ashtabula which is in the city limits. Don't you think that the city and the surrounding

townships should work together? They are a reflection of the city and each other as is the City of Ashtabula.

 
Ninth Street
Walnut Blvd.
Bridge Street
 
West Ninth Street
Walnut Blvd. - We have some real nice homes at the Harbor. Most of them do their part and keep their homes in
great shape. Wouldn't it be nice if the City of Ashtabula did their part with the streets?
 

                   City parking lot on West 44th Street                                 West 44th Street and Park Avenue
This picture was taken on East 46th Street. People on this street have requested that the dead tree be
cut down for years. In the brown & white house is where an Ashtabula police officer lives. He
usually parks his police vehicle in front of his house on the street. If this dead tree falls on his
 police vehicle, will they say, "Wow! Somebody should have cut that tree down!

The Municipal Building & Other City Property

Park Avenue behind City Hall
         Across the street from City Hall                                                                 The "Municipal Building"

    The "Municipal Building"
Since the city moved in this building I have never seen flowers planted in front of this building.
At least the Justice Center does have flowers planted in front of it. Somebody want to water the grass?
The old Harbor Fire Station
The Harbor Fire Station
The old Harbor Fire Station - Once again proof that the city does not take care of anything. How can we expect

the people of this city to take pride in their property when the city won't take care of their own property?
Public Works - West 24th Street
Public Works - West 24th Street
Public Works
 
 

North Park
        Over two years ago before the Bicentennial I ask that new trash cans be placed in North Park. After all
the main part of the celebration was going to be held in North Park. I was ignored but new trash  receptacles
were placed on Main Avenue & Bridge Street. Not only that but I never received one penny  from the city to
celebrate Ashtabula's & Ohio's Bicentennial. However I spent close to $14,000 out of my own pocket. I still
owe a few hundred dollars which I hope soon to be paid off.

I can't maintain everything in North Park. Gloria Kaull and myself can't do everything in North Park. We need a regular park service to maintain our parks and city property. The city workers can only work with what they are given.

   
 
   

These two pictures were taken before I started

cleaning & planting flowers at North Park.

   
   
   
   
   
   

Thomas Fence donated two dump loads of mulch for me to use at North Park and the little park on South Main. I spread all of it by myself and planted all the flowers. They wanted to know if city actually intended on buying any of the mulch. Well, you should know the answer to that!

I trimmed the vines away from the sidewalk. as I have been doing for five years. The dark spot on the sidewalks are where the vines used to be. I also cut the vines out of the tree. If you let those vines grow up into the tree, the vines will kill the tree!
 

I paid for the stage additions onto the gazebo. I never gave it to the city because the city has never been known to take care of anything. It belongs to me and Ashtabula 200. The next time you use it, think of me. I also got the benches in the gazebo donated by Post Lumber Company. Thank Craig & Jeff Post the next time you sit on the benches. Shop at Post Lumber. They are in the city!

After I planted the flowers in the little park on South Main.

 
Before I started working in North Park five years ago,   I piled the top soil here, ( donated by Saybrook Feed &
the hedges were taller than the roof of the gazebo! Garden) to create a hill. I intend to put concrete with
  stained glass that lights up at night that spells out
   Ashtabula in gold.

I intended to restore the Oliver Topky Fountain to look like it did when Mr. Topky donated it. The

fountain use to have several layers of water sprays that used to light up in rainbow colors at night. I think that

Mr. Topky deserves better.

Don't you think the weeds need to be cut down in North Park? During the Bicentennial in 2003, I mowed
the entire lawn in North Park with a push mower the entire summer!

     Remember the pictures of me planting flowers at this same location? For some reason I could not get the

water turned on in North Park. I called the City Manager's office four times and even went up there once. I

even went to Public Works. I was told the person who calls the water company to turn the water on died. I'm
terribly sorry for this man and his family. Does this mean he was the only one who could call the water
company to turn the water on so I could have watered my flowers in North Park like I've been doing for the
past five years? I never ever had any problem with the water not being on until this year. I think it was done
on purpose. A lot of my flowers died and in this location someone pulled up all of my flowers.
     The picture on the right is of a sprinkler that is in almost all the flower beds in North Park. However when
new sidewalks were placed in North Park when Hugh Thomas was City Manager, the lines were cut and never
repaired. I've been on to the city to repair the lines ever since.
 
 

All pictures are dated. Just click on the picture and go to properties.

       This city has so many resources compared to other cities that it is remarkable. The resources are more than any other city that I have ever lived in. But this city is not making the most out of what it has.
       Ashtabula has very little pride or dignity left. We have forgotten our heritage.
 
 
 

More pictures to follow!

Never, never, ever give up!