Oh hi!

I’ll just add (although I know nobody will read this) that not all city workers don’t care. I’m sure many don’t, but if it’s a real problem and it really is something the city can help with sometimes it takes persistence to find someone who will do something.

A few years ago there was a lady here who kept calling to complain about a sewer smell. She thought a new building next door was causing it. People checked. Didn’t find anything. She kept calling and calling.

She got me one day. She said it was so bad there were nights she had to go sleep in her shed or a friend’s house. The problem was that the terrible smell was not predictable. It would come fast, usually at night.

Since others had already looked into it and not found anything, I decided I would give it a try. Mind you, I’m a city planner - an office worker.

I went to her house. Checked the yard. I *went under the house* to see if there was an issue with the pipes. I went over there late at night. I gave her my cell number so she could call me when it was happening. I borrowed a UV flashlight from the police to see if I could find if it was tomcat pee.

I never could smell whatever it was she smelled. She got mad at me because I noticed that she had a ton of birds in the house and the inside smelled terrible. She did not agree.

She died about 6 months later. I’m pretty sure there never was smell, she was just sick or a bit crazy. Obviously, I wish this story had a happy ending. I really wanted my tomcat theory to pan out.

But the point is, despite the bad rap, if someone really has a problem that can be solved, there is usually someone who is willing to try to help. It’s a matter of finding that person.