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Sunday, April 29, 2007
Fountain keeps going and going and going
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My son put his plate in the sink.
It had enough ketchup on it to cover three hot dogs, a burger and an order of fries.
Huge slathers.
What a waste.
Next time, I suggested, squeeze less. You can always get more.
That same week, Jerry Sherrill sent an e-mail. Waste was on his mind, too, but it was bigger than a bottle of Hunt’s.
Sherrill walks Ande, his girl dachshund, at Graves Park in Norcross several times a week. The facility has two dog areas — one for small dogs and one for hefty ones. And each area has a water fountain with three spigots.
For some time now, the middle spigot of the fountain in the small-dog area had been running. Nonstop. At least six weeks.
“Perhaps longer,” said Sherrill, a part-time county bailiff.
Two weeks ago, Sherrill called the Gwinnett Parks and Recreation Department, trying to make someone aware. Sherrill said he was transferred to Russell Small, an independent contractor on the county payroll. Let’s just say Sherrill got nowhere and leave it at that.
Last week, when Sherrill and Ande took their walks, the spigot was still going. So he contacted me.
On Thursday, I dropped by the park right after the morning rain. Everything looked richer and greener. I hopped on the trail and walked over to the dog areas to check out the fountain. It was, indeed, running. I pressed and wiggled the handle several times to no avail.
On my way out the park, I spotted two men working on lighting from the restroom. Maybe they were going to repair the fountain, so I asked. They shook their heads, no.
Back in the office, I called Small. Maybe he’s a nice guy and I caught him at a bad time.
“I oversee construction,” he told me, gruffly.
“Well, who do I talk to?”
“Hold on,” he said. “I’m trying to decide who that would be.”
He directed me to Eric Horne, the department’s grounds maintenance manager.
Horne did what a public servant ought to do. He did his job. He looked into the situation right then and there. He got on his two-way radio and contacted a parks coordinator. I could make out a little of the conversation, and the crux of it was this. It’s Small’s job to fix the spigot.
Horne, who treated me with respect, got off the radio.
“Let me call Mr. Small,” he told me.
I forewarned him by telling him what Small had told me — that Horne was the guy.
“Oh, is that right?” said Horne, laughing as if this were a familiar situation.
I explained to Horne my involvement, how park patrons like Sherrill and those of us who make good use of every drop of ketchup we can squeeze from a bottle have a problem with a fountain that imitates the Energizer Bunny.
And though I suspect it’s not his bailiwick, Horne made a promise.
“I’ll take care of it right now,” he said.
And I bet he did.
• Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail rbadie@ajc.com.
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