This Too Is Yonkers—Coyotes, Nor’ Easters and Mailboxes OH MY!–
By Eric Schoen
Coyotes But No Robocalls?
I don’t know about you but I receive Robocalls from Yonkers City Hall about everything from taxes to garbage to outdoor movies screenings. They are usually voiced by the Mayor or by a city employee with a calm, clear voice.
Sometimes the information is useful but quite often it is used by the powers that be to pat themselves on the back for a job well done. Initially I thought it was meant as an emergency notification system. But over the years we all have learned that most of the time it is not used for emergency purposes.
Last week before the storm, coyote sightings And attacks occurred in Yonkers, Hastings and Somers. A dog was killed, a police officer and a postal worker were bitten, and according to press reports two sheep were injured and one killed in Somers.
One coyote was trapped and killed in Yonkers at Dunwoodie Golf Course, 2 minutes from where I live and 1 minute in the opposite direction from where my sister lives. That coyote was tested and is rabid.The authorities think there is another animal on the loose.
Coyotes are nothing to fool around with. Did we in Yonkers get a Robocall from the city alerting us that coyotes were in town and what we should do if we might encounter one? Nope. We get all these Robocalls for movies under the stars but no Robocall telling us coyotes which can be dangerous are in the neighborhood?
What’s wrong with this picture? I checked with at least 10 friends living throughout Yonkers and no one got a coyote Robocall from City Hall. To his credit, Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada did a Robocall to staff and families.
I have been reading a lot of literature on coyotes and what the response should be if you encounter one is all over the place. If the coyote is foaming at the mouth or coming toward you they say you should take cover and call the authorities as it is confused and dazed and most likely rabid. If the coyote is merely observed other literature says you should stand your ground, yell, shout, throw objects at the animal and it will go away.
I am no coyote expert but I sure hope that neither you nor I encounter one, particularly one foaming at the mouth.
But shouldn’t our city fathers or the county have Robocalled us about what was going on? Not everyone watches television or listens to the radio or is on the Internet to hear about potential dangers. I’ll give County Executive George Latimer a pass on this one as he is still assembling his communications team.
You may remember the commercial from Wendy’s with the line ‘Where’s the Beef?’ Mayor Spano and Yonkers City officials. Where was the Robocall alerting us to a possible danger in our midst?
Nor’Easter
You would think that the utility companies would be prepared when a Nor’Easter comes to town. We sure had plenty of notice about the storm last week. But you have to remember, there’s no way to predict in advance what will happen, what trees will come down and what power lines will fall because of trees or wicked winds as we had last week.
As I put the finishing touches on my column, Another storm is upon us. One thing you have to remember is that during a storm only essential people (firemen, Public Works crews, police officers, ambulance workers and others with similar positions) need to be on the streets driving to work. The roads need to be occupied by these folks and not by drivers going out for joy rides.
Most people have food in the house to last several days. Granted it might not be a pint of Ben and Jerry’s or Entenmanns crumb cake, but there is enough in the house to survive and avoid the chaos at the grocery store.
I am shocked at how bitter some people were in online postings towards County Executive George Latimer, Mayor Mike Spano and other elected officials. These folks don’t create the storms and trees must be free of wires, some potentially live before public works crews or private companies if the tree is on private property can take them down. Burying wires underground is a great idea but very expensive.
Basically, all the elected official can do is hold press conferences and tweet about problems in their communities. And complain to the Public Service Commission if utilities are not doing their jobs. With so many crews from out of town being brought in to help the cleanup and restoring power, respect these crews and bring them some water, coffee or a little nosh to eat. And most importantly, say ‘Thank You.’ It goes a long way!
New Mailboxes with Slots
A lady seemed to be having a hard time putting her outgoing mail in a corner mailbox the other day. In conversation, she didn’t realize how many mailboxes have been retrofitted with slots you push your letter into.
For safety concerns and to prevent unauthorized entry into mailboxes, the Postal Service has removed the door you pulled down to drop your mail into the box with a slot just large enough to put in an envelope. With this procedure, criminals can’t try to get mail out of the box. Smart move Postal Service!
The Postal Service has come under fire in Larchmont and Greenburgh for poor mail service. Mail delivered to the wrong address, late delivery, no delivery, important things like medications being delayed.
These problems are not only limited to Larchmont and Greenburgh. Folks in Yonkers and throughout the county have experienced them. To save money, the Postal Service puts substitute carriers on totally unfamiliar with the routes to deliver your mail.
If they don’t get their act together and become more reliable, deficits will mount and people will use alternative solutions and come up with creative ways to use the Internet to communicate.
A quick story. I went to the Scarsdale Post Office. Like the Yonkers 10704 post office it is open 24 hours a day. I attempted to buy stamps in the machine. All my stamps didn’t print out. Called the number on the machine. Within minutes at 8 p.m. I received a call back from the Postmaster to help me solve my problem.
Try reaching the Postmaster at the 10701 Post office. Don’t waste your time. I would hate to think that people in wealthier Scarsdale would receive better service than those in lower income areas in Yonkers!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM or WVOX.com and click on listen live.
