Why Minneapolis Doesn't Board Second Story Windows

(415 31st Ave. N., owned by CitiMortgage, subject of a lawsuit by the Hawthorne Neighborhood Association. In this picture, front door is unlocked--board over front door has been cut out with a chain saw--and most of the second story windows are missing, leaving the house open to birds and the weather)

So why does the City of Minneapolis not bother to board the second story windows of houses? The answer may surprise you...

If you were a contractor, how much would you charge per window and door to go around boarding up houses?

Think about it, now. You've got to pay for the boards themselves, and the labor, plus drive out to all the places needing boarding and get it done in a timely manner--though five days is apparently quick enough--and you've got to pay for your labor. So how much would you charge?

It turns out the City of Minneapolis pays a company $140 per window and door. That's why they don't bother with the second story, because they just don't have enough money in their budget.

What kind of lame political decision approved a contract like THAT? Your tax dollars at work, baby. Please, write to your city councilperson and gripe about this.

So every time I board up a house MYSELF and let the city know it doesn't need to be boarded, I've just saved the taxpayer $140. I hear rumors that neighborhood activities like this frequently result in the receipt of "Twins tickets" by the good citizen in question.

Huh. I don't really care for baseball. My son, though, he likes baseball.

(Oh, by the way, as noted earlier...I boarded up the front door. I went inside and found a lot of evidence of squatter activity, including two unopened beers in dented cans, probably scavenged somewhere. The squatter will miss THAT, but Bacchus God of Drink is pleased with a poured-out sacrifice at the base of a tree)