I Won A Two Year Battle With The State!!

[BruceHMX]

Guys I am beaming today. As many know my son is an avid Cub Scout. He is now a Webelo 2 now and will become a Boy Scout next year.

Two years ago his Scout Pack adopted a stream here in VA to clean up twice a year for a community service project. This is a program that is state run through the Department of Conservation.

This department issues you two signs that are the highway type and helps in any way to support the folks who clean the stream.

Here's the problem. How to post the signs? The Virginia Department Of Transportation(VDOT) is reponsible for all official signs posted on roads in VA. However, upon contact with them they had never heard of the program and refused to assist.

Talk about govt red tape!! It has taken us two years to get them posted but today the official signs are up for everyone to see. Pack #218 has officially adopted White Oak Run!!

Who in the world would think it would take this much to recognize 25 boys in ages 6 to 10 who clean up beer cans, McDonalds wrappers and God knows what else to get their official sign posted.

I encourage everyone when dealing with this type of stuff to be patient, try to work with them as best as you can. Don't get nasty, sugar goes much better than salt.

Bottom line our boys now know everytime they pass the stream along with everyone else it's their's.

 

[iluvlabs1]

Nicely done! Accomplishing this sets an excellent example of perseverance for the scouts.

 

[Faulkner]

In this day and time when everyone things that every problem should be solved in the time it takes to go thru the drive thru at McDonald's, your patience is exemplary.

 

[Rule3]

You mean on of those "Road Adopted By xyz" signs??

Unbelievable (well not really) we have those all over.

Glad to hear they finally got their recognition!

 

[dickttx]

I know what you are talking about. A few years ago when I retired I noticed that our county road (rock) was kind of junky. I had the time and the equipment to pick it up and keep it clean so I went to the court house and talked to someone in the county commissioners office. I said that I would keep it picked up if they would tell me where to dump it when my trailer got full. The young lady said that would be very nice and gave a 37 page application to fill out. Among the things I had to swear to was that guards would have to be posted at each end, that anyone associated with the cleaning would have to wear orange vests, that no one would cross the road except at intersections, etc, etc.
I tossed it in the trash and waited for the county to send someout to clean it up.

 

[Fishslayer]

Kinda like the permit scam...

They don't get paid to actually do anything. They get paid to process stuff.

Good on the BSA for volunteering.

Ummm... any particular reason ya didn't just post the signs? From the sound of it the DOT woulda taken years, if ever, to notice.

Awhile back we had a bit of a hullabaloo over our local Minutemen adopting a stretch of road near the border. Seems certain local "groups" were offended.... the ones who spoke the Ingles anyway....

 

[chadwimc]

Where is White Oak Run? My inlaws used to live at Lake of the Woods. It sounds familiar.

 

[BruceHMX]

Guys thanks for all the compliments and well wishes. VDOT has people who drive around in nice king cab pickups who just wait for someone to throw up a sign. Then they take pics, yank them down and fine you $500 each! Me or my pack didn't have that kinda money. But it's done and cool.

The comments about sugar and salt have a meaning. Three weeks ago I got into it really bad with a guy from VDOT. I lost total control as he did too on the phone. He and I said things to each other that were just like I said out of control. I thought the whole project was lost. I didn't sleep for a few nights and felt horrible. Yeah imagin that over a couple road signs. But it's all good. Next thing is to get the boys to work up a nice thank you something for them.

 

[BruceHMX]

White Oak Run is on Rt 218 in Stafford County. Lake of the Woods is in Orange County but only say 30 min's from that location. The spot is not far from George Washington's boyhood home Ferry Farm. The creek supplied Union troops with water during the war as it's on the northern side of the river.

 

[Smithhound]

I had a running verbal battle with our county road department going for awhile. These folks would put up stop signs in the middle of nowhere and then I would repeatedly watch them run them. Phone calls did no good so I personally went to visit the head of the department, that seemed to do it.
Before that they would patch the road. Thier method seemed to be to fill the hole to overflow and then wait for passing cars to compact the fill. I guess they didn't know how to work a tamper.
My road got so bad at one time I called the head guy and asked if they where in charge of pot-holes and was told 'yes', I mentioned that there was a stretch of about 30' in which there where none and they might want to come and dig a few. No sense of humor.
Another time there was a notice of bid for new trucks for the crew in the paper. I wrote (and got published) a 'letter to the editer' suggesting that for all the good the crews did they should just buy them wheelchairs, much cheaper and more suitable for thier work style.
RD

 

[OFT II]

Some years back Highway 71 on the west side of Austin had a sign saying that the next two miles had been adopted by the Austin Nudists Society. I allways wanted to be there on the day that they were picking up the trash.

 

[monet61]

I had a running verbal battle with our county road department going for awhile. These folks would put up stop signs in the middle of nowhere and then I would repeatedly watch them run them. Phone calls did no good so I personally went to visit the head of the department, that seemed to do it.
Before that they would patch the road. Thier method seemed to be to fill the hole to overflow and then wait for passing cars to compact the fill. I guess they didn't know how to work a tamper.
My road got so bad at one time I called the head guy and asked if they where in charge of pot-holes and was told 'yes', I mentioned that there was a stretch of about 30' in which there where none and they might want to come and dig a few. No sense of humor.
Another time there was a notice of bid for new trucks for the crew in the paper. I wrote (and got published) a 'letter to the editer' suggesting that for all the good the crews did they should just buy them wheelchairs, much cheaper and more suitable for thier work style.
RD

And did it make you feel better?

 

[Smithhound]

Actually yes. Yes it did.
RD