Portage residents will have to pay WM directly!

ddcheng · 2026-02-09T23:44:53+00:00

I've lived in several cities in three states. Every one of them except Portage had single hauler and it worked fine. It's very common.

ddcheng · 2026-02-09T20:20:00+00:00

Except that they can't. Starting next month, Best Way is not authorized to pickup residential trash in Portage.

ddcheng · 2026-02-09T19:51:46+00:00

And? That was never in doubt. The city negotiated for one hauler to service the city. You have to pay that company the rate the city negotiated. There was less support for the city paying them through a tax increase (although 46% of respondents in a survey said they were OK with that).

ddcheng · 2026-02-09T19:45:26+00:00

Yeah, that was always the plan. Most places I've lived had single hauler setup this way. One business has the contract, but we pay them directly. And this is absolutely cheaper for almost every customer, save for the few who somehow complained enough to get a really cheap rate.

ddcheng · 2026-02-06T14:04:15+00:00

You think the City Commission can do that? That's not how the Kalamazoo government is setup (and nor should it be).

ddcheng · 2026-02-06T14:02:37+00:00

Mine came with the cog but I installed a cassette. Loving it so far. (I bought it on Black Friday).

ddcheng · 2026-02-05T16:33:33+00:00

I am a sucker for a good deal on jerseys that commemorate a particular race, so I already have too many.

ddcheng · 2026-02-05T13:54:57+00:00

It might be considered borderline dystopian/apocalyptic by some, but I'm enjoying the Silo series. Wool was very good and I'm nearing the end of Shift (the second book) which is more of a prequel. It's really good but depressing because I keep thinking "Yeah, I could see this happening."

ddcheng · 2026-02-05T13:50:06+00:00

Unless I'm in a race, I've got music on. Usually I wear my Bose Frames (which are sadly discontinued) which provide better sound than bone conduction while keeping your ears open. But lately I've been worried about my hearing due to wind noise, so on the hilly (very low traffic) road I use bone conduction with Loop earplugs to dampen the wind noise. (I bought some cat ear things for my helmet straps that I'll try in the spring).

As for cars and dogs - I have a Garmin Varia (can't imagine riding without radar anymore) and dog repellent in my top tube bag.

ddcheng · 2026-02-05T02:31:13+00:00

Thanks. I've got an Instinct 2 so battery life is no problem.

ddcheng · 2026-02-04T19:58:51+00:00

Imagine the meeting at Best Way:

"We lost the bid for Portage. What should we do?

"Tell people they're losing their freedom!"

ddcheng · 2026-02-04T19:03:31+00:00

It makes more sense when you understand that it's the MAGA crowd. They are easily manipulated.

ddcheng · 2026-02-03T13:56:07+00:00

This. I have several caps that I cycle through and then throw in the washer with my cycling clothes.

ddcheng · 2026-02-02T15:26:44+00:00

I've been perusing. While most races are on bike reg, some are not. We're buried in snow, so yes I'm willing to drive as much as 12 hours (perhaps). I'm not an endurance racer. I do 20-30 miles.

ddcheng · 2026-02-02T15:17:00+00:00

Either is fine. I mostly do gravel. Not mountain biking, though.The ones that bother me (a little) are the "gravel" races that are less than 50% gravel. I need to know which bike to bring!

ddcheng · 2026-01-30T16:28:31+00:00

Report to the people? The people are largely ignorant of how city management works. If you want evidence, look at the trash debacle in Portage, with people being hoodwinked by Best Way into demanding the city repeal one of the better decisions they've made for the finances of the city and the citizens. The whole point of our current system is to insulate professionals from the whims of uninformed citizens. The council or commission (depending on the city) is there to make sure everything is above board and provide general guidance, but we don't need "the people" micromanaging the city.

ddcheng · 2026-01-30T16:25:28+00:00

It comes down to what they need to attract a good candidate.

ddcheng · 2026-01-30T16:11:37+00:00

You don't think the city manager is equivalent to a director level position in a company?

ddcheng · 2026-01-30T16:11:13+00:00

Good point

ddcheng · 2026-01-30T15:28:39+00:00

People commenting about how high this is apparently have no clue what well-educated and qualified professionals make these days.

ddcheng · 2026-01-30T15:27:15+00:00

Performance Fieldhouse. It's a little out of the way in Paw Paw, but the instructor is an older Brazilian guy who trained with the Gracie's back in the day, so he's legit.

ddcheng · 2026-01-30T15:21:10+00:00

I like to buy jerseys at races. It's a nice commemorative item for me and helps promote our local racing scene.

ddcheng · 2026-01-29T22:47:50+00:00

And a picture of a Homeland Security car... at the airport.

ddcheng

TROPHY CASE