GREEN MOUSE SAYS: They're still illegally parked, but finally those Williams Plumbing safety hazards have been removed from Spring Street.

I've been outspoken about this situation for quite some time, and summarized the case in this post from February 9, 2019.

And like a blight neighbor, Williams Plumbing is there ... for years, and years, and years.

You'll never be able to convince me otherwise: Blocked sight lines caused by an illegally parked Williams Plumbing commercial vehicle were a contributing factor in Matt Brewer's death-by-driver last August.

Recently I noticed the trucks no longer were being parked on the street in front of the business. They're now usually lined up on 9th, north of Spring. This remains illegal according to the city's ordinances, which plainly are written to require commercial vehicles to have off-street parking.

However, at least these vehicles no longer block sight lines at the intersection. The Green Mouse inquired and was told that it wasn't police, ordinance enforcement or somnolent councilman Greg Phipps to credit for taking the lead in removing the safety hazard posed by these illegally parked trucks, but rather Mickey Thompson, New Albany's street department commissioner.

Fairness dictates a round of applause and a "thank you" to Mickey for addressing this.

And like a blight neighbor, Williams Plumbing is there ... for years, and years, and years.

Same shit, different year.

The point is simple. Shouldn't a business like this one located in a primarily residential area be compelled to adhere to minimum standards of appearance and (more importantly) street safety?

Moreover, shouldn't it be WILLING to embrace such minimums before being forced to do so?

Just two blocks east, HyperCars was given a punch list for compliance before being given variances -- and did exactly as requested. I'll never be a supporter of automotive businesses in such a setting, BUT it cannot be denied that HyperCars went the extra mile to be a good neighbor.

Why not Williams Plumbing?

Let's begin the back story on May 19, 2011.

"Municipal dysfunction sweeping prohibited."

I’m continually amazed by prominent examples of neglect that go completely unaddressed.

Almost every day, I walk or bike past Williams Plumbing on the northeast corner of E. Spring and 9th. If I’m not mistaken, long ago it was Cora Shrader’s Shoppe, a nicely maintained corner property.

Now it is a scantily maintained, increasingly dilapidated eyesore used exclusively for what amounts to industrial storage. Extreme weather over a period of years has torn hunks of siding away from both sides of the house, exposing the wood. Worse, the company’s big trucks tend to be parked right on Spring Street, consistently impeding the view of motorists approaching southbound on 9th.

Do these trucks get ticketed when they block the street sweeper, or does the invisible, undefined, non-enforcement Green Line come into play?

Is it downtown or midtown?

Lowdown, or down low?

If there is ticketing, does Williams Plumbing pay the tickets?

Eventually the exterior deterioration was minimally addressed, but illegally parked commercial trucks continued to be an impediment to sight lines. On September 7, 2018 we offered a clear illustration of the issue.

How the Williams Plumbing trucks block vision at 9th & Spring -- a pictorial.

You'll never be able to convince me otherwise: Blocked sight lines caused by an illegally parked Williams Plumbing commercial vehicle were a contributing factor in Matt Brewer's death-by-driver last August.

Still, neither the city nor Keith Henderson did anything to address the situation. From August 20, 2018:

If you want to know how Deaf Gahan purposefully botched the Speck plan for walkable streets, read this article. Hint: HWC dunnit.

NA Confidential: Brief question: has the accident report about Matt Brewer been released? I’m particularly interested in the role of those Williams Plumbing trucks forever parked illegally on the street, blocking the view. Thank you.

Chief Todd Bailey: All crash investigations handled by the Combined Accident Reconstruction Team are maintained by the Floyd County Prosecutor’s Office. I can tell you the case is still under investigation but if you’re looking for specific information you’ll need to inquire with the Prosecutor.

It didn't start yesterday.

Dec 20, 2016
This outrage against innovative public art must be avenged -- or, what happened to the Williams Junk Water Heater Park?

What is it about ordinance non-enforcement in this burg, anyway?

3. There'll be a talk about historic houses as we celebrate IL's Paradise by the Ongoing Blight.

Never before has a week so utterly filled with doltery and drollery culminated with such an inexplicable travesty as the LBJ-era free-lancer Kaufman's bizarre fluff piece about New Albany at Insider Louisville. One is left with the impression that Kaufman interviewed the city's economic director either by phone, or at a waterside villa near George Clooney's pad on Lake Como.

It was suggested to me that I regard it as slyly facetious, or even overtly satirical. Admittedly, given IL's use of the word "paradise" twice in the e-mail, this seems possible. But I doubt whether IL is that clever, so I asked around and got this from someone I trust:

Kaufman is struggling to keep up with Insider Louisville, and IL has lost its identity as it tries to go big time. Plus, they really try and hide the fact it's a glorified blog; no feet on the ground, just freelancers desperate for a C-note, who won't challenge a soul.

Ouch (insert local media crack here). Dear, dear; where do we look for truth, justice and the American way of life-long tone deafness?

1. There'll be a talk about historic houses amid the felled timber.

2. There'll be a talk about historic houses as we count the felled tree's rings to see how long it's been since Elvis mattered.