Question for you folks.

I think the state.

ODOT

If you're correct and it's the state then we (the Toledo area) are getting the short end of the stick.

The areas around 475/23 and Central Ave. were mowed yesterday.

Ask Ryan to get a team of volunteers out there

No justareviewer, Ryan would call them "community organizers", not volunteers.

Mowing by the state is NOT done until all the rabbit young have left their nests and any game birds might have hatched and fleged. Before this policy was adopted it was an annual spring slaughter.

In this case for the state its damned if you do and damned if you dont. Mowing will be done pretty soon, I reckon.

I kind of like it when it's long. It's rare to see tall grass anymore

Holland - I wonder what the cost of a couple of signs posted around on major thoroughfares stating what you just said would cost vs the administration time it takes to field all the complaints they no doubt get on the local/state/national level about the subject?

Phone calls, emails, snail mailings - gotta figure in the opportunity cost of lost work that admin folks doing all that could've accomplished during that same time...

Maybe use the press - hell, there are enough political camera whores out there who'd love to get in front of a camera somewhere and explain that to folks!

Where is Carty and his lawnmower now?

That was a city owned mower, and the guy had to go back after Carty's media event and remow the grass correctly.

I believe mowing is State work. And used to be performed by College Kids on summer vacation to earn money, However now I believe it is "contracted out" as part of affirmitive action for small/minority owned/women owned businesses. What Federal Procurement describes as "set aside". And the reason for this is because the Fed subsidises and pretty much dictates if the State wants to receive federal highway funding.

Wow - what do you base your claims on, rch101? Do you have any evidence for this?

Mike,

There are no claims in my post, these are statements from my experience and some speculation.

I said I believe because I'm not certain of what the situation is right now. However I know for sure about the College Kids mowing in the past. Also, from driving the interstates in Ohio thousands and thousands of miles you notice the differences between mowing operations by the state versus contractor and the set aside contracting stuff is from 30 years of federal contracting experience.

Many federal affirmative action programs are passed on to individual States with funding. The States then operate/manage these programs and receive the costs of the program and cost of management. That's why you always hear about our elected Reps seeking federal money.

If Ohio (as well as any other stste), had to operate on their own tax devices, the states would in all probability shut down....

I was primarily talking about the interstate system and maybe things are run different with in city limits. But I'd bet that state and federal money comes into play somewhere, even on cutting the grass.

"Mowing by the state is NOT done until all the rabbit young have left their nests and any game birds might have hatched and fleged. Before this policy was adopted it was an annual spring slaughter."

Then I'm all for it. Let the grass grow a while longer. Someone at the gum't level was actually thinking - a rare occurrence.

Don't mow and call it a tall grass prairie. Habitat restoration. Northwest Ohio had tall grass prairies long ago.