Big thanks to the New Albany Street Department for cleaning the P&u alley.

To repeat: Hearty thanks to the New Albany Street Department for giving the P&u alley a good cleaning.

Regular readers will recall that we had an unsightly dumping issue in this alley just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Dumping in alleys is another reason why we can't have nice things.

The garbage, furniture and all-purpose mess that had been piled up against Stephen Beardsley's properties on the east side of the alley stayed right there, moldering, until the high-traffic holiday weekend was over, a period that included the Saturday of Jingle Walk.

The timing couldn't have been worse. Only after the Thanksgiving weekend had concluded, very early on the following Monday morning, did much (though not all) of the trash get hauled away. We're not sure who to thank for this.

However, before it was collected, I put on a pair of work gloves and sifted through the debris, sleuthing. It will suffice to say that the origins of the nastiness were obvious.

That's all I'll say -- for now.

Gradually the falling leaves and waste materials started piling up again. Joe called the Street Department, and workers policed the area today before lunch. It looks great, and kudos to the crew. We really appreciate their efforts.

As noted earlier in the week, changes are being made in the vicinity.

The Root coworking space begins as a previously neglected half-block emerges.

Things are different now, and I'm hoping that past behaviors are subject to modification. We're doing what we can to keep the alley tidy, and we have our own dedicated dumpster.

That's a hint.