by Ivo Henfling

Sometimes I get the comment that realtors only tell about the "good news" and never about the bad news. I don't think there is no good and bad news, its just news. If you watch the news on TV, most of it is murders and stuff, which shouldn't give us a reason to even want to watch it. In this blog, we (that's my agents and me), try to tell you a bit about what is going on in our community, "good or bad".

I have reported about the water company A y A putting in huge water pipes and covering the ditches, which will create a mess in the next rainy season. For those who don't know this road, it is called "calle vieja", which stands for "old road", which is an important artery as it connects downtown Escazu with the highway and downtown Escazu with Santa Ana. So hundreds of cars use this road daily. See in this pictures below how they covered the storm ditch and left behind the mess. And this is what today's story is all about.

This morning, in the La Nacion newspaper, in the "letters to the editor" section, the newley elected mayor of Escazu, defends himself after a complaint from a Escazu resident (and now I'm translating):

Streets of Escazu and A Y A

In response to don Sergio Chaves Bonilla (lettes 04/08/11), the City Hall clarifies that the municipality, because of the budget crisis (note: the former mayor seems to have left a big hole in the budget), has not fixed any roads in the sector of the Country Club. In relation to the deterioration of the streets, product of the work being done by A y A (water company) to repair the acuaduct, they have promised to make the repairs themselves. We all suffer because of the incomplete work  of A y A and have insisted on the repairs throughout our county. For more information, please send an email to alcalde@muniescazu.go.cr or at fax 2289-8313.

Signed:

Arnoldo Barahona Cortés

Mayor, Escazu city hall.

After reading this article, when I came from taking a new listing in Escazu, I decided to go and take some pictures. That's when I decided I should write the mayor about his comfort and believe of the "promise" by the water company. You know, when someone works for a government anywhere in the world, I don't believe them anymore until I see the results.

I sent the mayor the following email and I sincerely hope that someone in his office will at least open my email before it goes to "delete". I know, its probably all wasted "saliva" but if we don't complain, they'll never get it.

This is a translation of my email in Spanish:

Hola señor Alcalde

I saw your response to Don Sergio Bonilla Chaves today in letters to the column in the newspaper La Nacion.

I understand very well the economic situation of our city (and not a twn anymore) and I know you cannot go in and fix the problems for everyone at once.

But I'd like to see that we all have our responsibilities and is not acceptable that the A y A "promises" the repair of the old road. How is that, promising? They opened up the street, put the pipes into the storm drain ditches and closed it all badly.

First of all, we were left without storm drain ditches, which is not only irresponsibility of the people in charge of the work but also unacceptable because with the first rains, the water will destroy the asphalt. From the Alto de las Palomas to Paco, three holes have been left to some hidden sewer and there is more or less 20 meters of ditch to 2 km of road to collect the rainwater.

When they asphalted the ditches, nobody thought to close the other holes in the other lane, as I show in a photo, 25 west of World Gym. Therefore, the cars have to dodge the holes on this side too.

Today I took some pictures, which I am enclosing, showing that there are pieces of asphalt missing and therefore, the vehicles have to dodge these pieces that are missing and the lanes are as wide as amn oxcart. Very soon we will have accidents. First there must be dead before anyone takes the responsibility to fix the problem? Between the Paco and former Doña Lela there are three pieces missing.

I also think it is an outrage that right on the corner of Paco, wre there is an exaggerated amount of traffic, they have not re-paved and have nothing left rubble and sand lying around. Now they are making holes by the Condado del Country building and the whole street to the south-west side of the Paco looks like the road from Samara to Nosara Beach.

Worse, everywhere A y A has been working, they have left a trail that looks like a civil war with debris, sand, dirt, and other stuff. Nor have marked the street which is going to be impossible with so much sand and debris.

Do we have so little interest in what is ours (because this is a villager mind set and not city people mind set) that no one does anything about it? Who blames who? To say this is A y A and the MOPT's responsability we remove we get it out of our way?

For this reason the country is still third world. In Escazu we continue on horse back despite the Mercedes and BMW that occupy the streets made for ox carts. So no traffic lights, because why would a village need a traffic light? And the bus stops obstructing the traffic flow because a farmer happened to plan 30 years ago that the bus stop shoud be there and the city hall never had the genius required to propose moving the bus stop to a better place?

From what I see, we will en up with all the county roads totally smashed. We just need to finished the still drivable roads from Paco to El Cruce and from El Cruce to the Intex, plus the Guachipelin road.

For many things you do not need money, just the willingness to do things right and force those around us do the same. I'm counting on you, hopefully starting this 4 years with a lot of willingness.

Thank you for listening to my concerns.

Now, this last part, I hope this is not a dream. I sent the mayer quite some more pictures, but the ones above will do to show the effort.