Prefacing this by saying I love my home town and look forward to each and every opportunity to experience time in the city. Most recently, I drove into town with my grade school boys for the Cards game Saturday night against the Brewers. As I've done for 20 years or so, I'll park as far west as 20th Street. This time, I parked on Chestnut directly across from Union Station right by the fountains.

I know the city is hurting financially, but was surprised to see the weeds - nice sized ones - growing out of the cracks at every corner and along each run of the nice stones/rocks used to build the entire area. Looked like the area has been ignored by landscaping / mowing teams for at least a few weeks, if not a month or so.

This wouldn't surprise me in the least in lesser traveled areas of the city.....but along market directly in front of Union Station along Market St in a huge water fountain display? Kinda embarrassing as I watched Brewers fans unload and walk around the area.

What gives?

I have noticed weeds being allowed to grow on and along sidewalks where they normally are not. I walk dogs at Stray Rescue on Saturday mornings and some of the streets around there had gotten really bad. This last Saturday it looked like someone had gone down Pine Street and sprayed Roundup because the weeds had turned brown. Not sure if it was the city or one of the property owners. My guess is the city because it doesn't seem likely the Pear Tree Inn would care about the sidewalk along the back side of their parking garage and the only other building in that block is vacant.

Sidewalks near auto-oriented land uses tend to be worse maintained. It's most apparent when it snows. Yet another subsidy when the community or the city has to step in to make up for their dereliction.

^Probably true but maintenance seems worse this year than in previous years. Maybe the tree removal efforts that have been going on have taken their focus away from other tasks.

I realize Union Station and the decorative/landscape near it aren't necessarily one of the jewels/focus points of the city any longer, but, srsly.....

Maybe the trash collection crisis is eating into landscaping funds.

What a shame.Never thought I'd see even mild neglect in that area of the city.

Not sure where, but I heard several months ago that the landscaping department within the city was in disarray and has been since at least early spring. Apparently they were facing some kind of labor shortage this year.

The effects have been apparent all over the city. The grassy median between the street and the trolley tracks on DeBaliviere is has been constantly over a foot tall and wasn't mowed for the first time until probably mid June. Similarly the median in Forest Parkway south of Skinky-D is also constantly in the same condition.

The grass crisis just isn't as loud of an issue. Even if the departments are doing an equally crappy job, it just doesn't affect people's daily lives as much as the trash crisis.

The past month has been better as of late. I hope they have stabilized the group since then.

Forestry and Parks Departments have both had to deal with equipment problems and labor shortages this year. That excuses some things, but not everything.

Labor shortage? You wouldn't guess that from all the vagrants looking for handouts at intersections all over town claiming inability to find work.