"MOW YOUR OWN GRASS"

Firefighters at Elyria Station 3 on Bell Ave today received a little present from City Hall. Lieutenant Dave Street, President of the Fire Union, said 3 city employees pulled up in a truck and dropped off a 21” cut lawn mower with a note attached. The note in part said; “Per Jim Hutchson, cut your own lawn from now on.”

Lt. Street said that when the station opened the Firefighters cut the lawn themselves as they have done at each of the 4 stations, but over the years the lawn mowers became beat up and broken down. Last year the city said they could not afford to purchase any new lawnmowers so they would just have city employees swing by and cut the lawn at Station 3. Lt. Street said that when the city would come by and cut the lawn they used a zero turn large riding mower and with that it would take about one hour to cut it all.

Lt. Street said that shortly after the mower arrived Gary Dickerson, the man in charge of the city Street Department, arrived. “Mr. Dickerson wanted us to know that he was just doing his job and following the orders of Mr. Hutchson. He also told me that it is possible that the city may not be able to provide plowing services for us this winter due to low manpower in his department.”

When reached by phone this afternoon Jim Hutchson, Assistant Safety Service Director, said he was unaware of the note that Dickerson had left with the lawnmower. After reading the note to him over the phone Hutchson went right to Station 3 to see it for himself. Hutchson said that the lawnmower was dropped off because the part time help that the city had hired is heading back to school. “We hire a lot of college and high school kids to work over the summer and even here recently with all the rain they have been out cutting a lot more along the highways. I asked Mr. Dickerson to drop a mower off to the Fire Station so that they would be able to take care of their lawn; it is something that they have done for years."

When asked about Mr. Dickerson’s comments to Lt. Street about the snow removal this winter Mr. Hutchson wanted to make it clear that the city will absolutely continue to take care of removing the snow for all of the Fire Stations. “Mr. Dickerson had no right to make those statements and I will be investigating that today. I intend to speak to him after I leave here and I am returning to City Hall because the Mayor wants to see the note that was left behind as well.”

Mr. Hutchson said that in no way was this retribution from City Hall to the Fire Department. “It is just the end of the summer and we are losing our part time help that use to cut the grass here.”