It’s a plea Sue Singer has made at least once every year for all of her four terms in office, directed into the ears of two mayors and into those of a changing cast of characters on the Auburn City Council.
Alas, it never went anywhere.
On Monday, the retiring Auburn City Councilwoman implored the Auburn Municipal Services Committee, likely for the last time.
Weeds, they’re what’s got Singer’s dander up. To be precise, weeds in traffic medians. Auburn’s are fairly gagging on the invaders, and no one is willing to do a thing about it, Singer says.
Take a look at the medians along 15th Street Northwest, Singer suggests, one weed wild “bugaboo” among a slew. But the problem’s everywhere.
“When Lakeland Hills developers were taking care of Lakeland Hills Parkway, it looked beautiful. But just as soon as they gave it back to the City, it’s just another mess full of weeds and dead things. We’re letting trees die,” Singer said.
In her opinion, the City should not require developers to install medians if they are not going to be maintained.
“A number one priority for the Council is to maintain our assets, and it’s very frustrating to me that it is just not considered an important thing,” Singer said.
Singer suggested having Vadis, the City’s litter picker upper contractor, do the work. She even suggested outsourcing it to the Human Resources Department, but the department said that would cause a problem with the unions.
Adding to Singer’s frustration is that she can look around and see other communities making it work.
“You go to places like Mukilteo, anywhere on the Eastside. They outsource. Our Human Resources people here felt it was a union issue, but the mayor of Mukilteo told me that he was able to do it, and it did not become an issue with the unions and he was very proud of the way they looked. It was one of his things,” Singer said.
Untended greenery sends the wrong sort of message to a City that cares so much about its appearance.
“It says we don’t care in Auburn. … It’s embarrassing to me,” Singer said.
