About six weeks ago, this fed up Newsdog penned a column lamenting the ongoing orange cone obstacle course that’s been moving around the neighborhood for what seems like an eternity. When one dug-up, coned off area is “completed,” the whole Infra-Source circus moves to a different area or corner and begins to cause traffic, dust and steel plate headaches for a whole new batch of residents and business owners.

Critics of the dog’s column called us ungrateful and said that these infrastructure improvements were like “manna from heaven” and that we should celebrate such improvements in our community. Let this dog be clear, just like we tried to be last time. We’re not anti-infrastructure by any stretch. The improvements to the Independence & Benton intersection were a long time coming and offer a huge upgrade to the area.

That said, we’ll let these photos do the talking, because this representation is apparently what Spire sub-contractor Infra-Source thinks is adequate for a completed product. Not exactly the manna from heaven we were expecting, to be sure. Such shoddy jobs like this are typical of the smaller patches left by Infra-Source. The dog sure wouldn’t accept this kind of sloppy work in the private sector, why should the public have to accept this kind of “workmanship?” Short answer, they shouldn’t. The dog has also learned that the aforementioned utility subcontractor has been named by a high-ranking city official as “one of the worst contractors we’ve ever worked with.” That city official also indicated that complaints have been coming in about that same contractor destroying city property in carrying out their tasks. One look at some of these photos is all the proof we need.

Here’s the deal. This News-writing canine has been around long enough to remember the lean years when City Hall-sponsored infrastructure projects were few and far between, so we were extra appreciative for PIAC representatives like Charlie Passantino and Ruthanne Harper who walked over hot coals, overcoming numerous objections, to bring city projects and infrastructure improvements to the Historic Northeast community. We’re all for infrastructure improvements when they’re done right and in a timely manner.

That said, if this is what passes for satisfactory completion of a job, we’re in a world of hurt given someone, at taxpayer expense, will have to come in after these shoddy workmen and fix the mess Infra-Source left.