I’m angrier than an Albany, New York resident over the fact that the city is falling apart. Today, downtown Albany is going without water because of…survey says…a water main break. I wish I could tell you that this is an aberration, but I cannot.
You see, Albany is a city with the oldest charter in the nation. It was settled by the Dutch in 1614 and it was incorporated in 1686. Yes, the city is old. But it’s not the oldest city in the nation. That distinction goes to St. Augustine, which was formed in 1565. But that’s not important right now.
Albany is obviously very old, so it stands to reason that things will break and fail. But Albany is taking that way too far. Today’s failure is far from unheard of. Today, the affected homes and businesses are in and around Madison and Pearl Avenues, an area that I am familiar with.
I once lived on Madison and Lark Avenue, and for us, the failures were not about broken water mains, although we did have one water main break which resulted in going without water for five hours. No bathroom for five hours. Not acceptable.
No, for us it was a power failure of at least four hours and it happened, without failure, on July 17. In the four years that we lived there, it was always July 17 at around 11:00 a.m. It always lasted at least four hours; Now, one could argue that that’s a National Grid problem, but the poles are within city limits, so it’s also an Albany failure.
Numerous water main breaks have happened in the 14 years that we’ve lived in Albany proper, and again, yes, old things break, but there is something to be said for preventative maintenance. You know, like keeping a list of all the water mains in the city and inspect them regularly, flagging for repair mains that look ready to go at many moment. That way, no one would go without water.
Clearly, going without water is a health issue. People who go to the bathroom need, you know, water to flush the toilet and to wash their hands. Exiting the bathroom without washing your hands is unhealthy for those who have to touch the same doorknobs after them.
Do you really want to use the same doorknob as some guy who had just whipped his dick out and held it, coming into contact with his filthy sex organ as well as his urine? That’s why I never use public restrooms, because I handle my business at home. If I absolutely have to, I will, but after washing my hands, I’d use a paper towel to handle the doorknob.
When, a decade ago, I worked for a local mental health insurance provider. One time, I had to use the bathroom. So I grudgingly went in there. After I did my dirty, sinful business, I washed my hands, noticing that a guy who’d just used a urinal and proceeded to try to walk out without washing his hands. That lit me up.
Risking jail and retaliation, I grabbed the guy (he was lighter and skinnier than I) and took him by the neck. I slammed his face into the sink and forced him to wash his hands. Yes, this really happened. I don’t normally react that way, but all I saw was a guy putting my health at risk.
I then literally kicked his ass as he walked out. All I know is that neither he nor the two witnesses went to the supervisors or to the police. As he left, I noticed a slight nosebleed. Sorry, not sorry! YOLO! I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that he washed his hands after that…let’s call it a lesson.
Another massive error on the part of the city is what’s happening today, folks. Because of the city’s incompetence, people at workplaces will not be able to wash their hands and that can spread disease around the businesses like wildfire.
People will get sick and people may just wind up in a local hospital, where wait times of 13 hours are commonplace at any of the area hospitals these days (I checked as recently as today), and all over something that could have been prevented with simple preventative maintenance.
People at home, too, will spread disease. Does Albany’s government care? Probably not. In addition to the health issues, people will not be able to drink water on a hot Albany day. They can’t cook. They can’t clean dishes. Even taking into account all of that, the city doesn’t give a shit about its residents. If you’re a local, just know that your government doesn’t care about you.
I reached out to David Galin, the mayor’s Chief of Staff for a comment about today’s failure, but he did not respond by publication time, which is typical of him.