Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Some like it hotter

Town Hall 2'nd floor bathroom

So the venerable Amherst Schools –that consume the majority of our $60+ million budget—can’t provide hot water in the bathrooms for our children, but the town side of the budget--that survives on the left over table scraps--can provide employees and citizen visitors with common sense routine water temperatures. Hmmm
Bangs Center bathroom about 10 yards from the Health Department.

19 comments:

Gavin Andresen said...

Please don't take this the wrong way, but something about you running all over town sticking a thermometer under bathroom faucets (and managing to take a picture at the same time!) makes me laugh.

Be careful, or the nickname Larry "Thermometer" Kelley might stick. Although Larry "Hot Water" Kelley might be more appropriate.

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah, back in the day it was "Kickin Kelley".

But Town Hall and Bangs Center are only a short walk apart and I had to be uptown anyway (and as I'm sure you know, I carry my camera at all times)

Anonymous said...

at least invest in a real thermometer for taking water temperatures. This is a riot.

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah, one with MERCURY.

Anonymous said...

I'm not getting the validity of this comparison. It seems from what the school folks are reporting, it is not that they "can't supply hot water for our children" but that they choose to lower the ratio of hot water to cold in bathrooms that are used predominantly by children intentionally. Where hot water temperatures have more hygienic importance (as deemed by public health officials), they are providing it. So why, with that information in hand, are you running all over town testing water temperatures? The question, and any major concern associated with it, seems to have been answered.

Larry Kelley said...

"Where hot water provided more hygienic importance", eh. Yet I have other nitwits saying hot water makes no hygienic difference.

So let's not have the food service folk’s pass along pathogens but let the individual kids do it.

And as I mentioned to Gavin, if you know the town of Amherst it isn’t very far from Town Hall to the Bangs Center.

Damn, now that I think about it I should have hit the Jones Library where I'm sure the results would be the same (and they have LOTS of kids).

Anonymous said...

Larry, it's not the temperature of the water, but the use of soap and water for an adequate length of time (at least 15 seconds) that is necessary for proper eradication of germs in hand washing. And here's a news flash for you: if left to their own devices (which I'm sure most Wildwood kids coming and going from the bathroom are), children tend to turn on the cold water tap only. They have much less tolerance for hot water (just like hot food) than adults do. This is a NON-ISSUE! Why can't you just accept it and move on?

Anonymous said...

Why do you resort to name-calling when challenged? It truly weakens your point.

Regards,
One of the "nitwits" who in a previous post cited a scientific journal article that proves that water temp makes no difference in handwashing efficacy:

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com
/journal/120097609
/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Anonymous said...

So, my Wildwood third grader tells me that the water is always "freezing!" And consequently, "A lot of people don't wash their hands." My third grader alleges that she at least always "gives her fingertips a quick rinse." Oh boy! She says the last time she had warm water was in the kindergaren area.

Anonymous said...

Folks are more willing to wash their hands for the required time if the water is warm.

My kids were talking about the cold water at Wildwood when they were students there 10 yrs ago.

Larry Kelley said...

Well, Anon 6:27 AM (glad you get up early to be snarky), I don't think the last two Anons were trying to reason with me, it sound like they agree and have first hand experience with the cold water situation (pun intended).

Yes Anons from last night: You know darn well that as soon as I posted my email complaint to the Health Department school folks scrambled and did everything possible to get that water temperature up. And after 24 hours the best they could do was 86.7 degrees. Yikes!

Anonymous said...

I think Larry has struck a bigger issue: why does the town react so strongly to being asked a simple question. You can put up all the smoke screens you want about the merits of water temperature and hygiene, but the real issue is why do the town officials issue trespass orders for something that is a “non-issue”. We have the right, no obligation to ask questions where our children are concerned. Don’t we teach our kids “there are no bad questions”. So my question is to the town officials: what’s up with the smoke screens?

Larry Kelley said...

Agreed. If there are no skeletons in the (public) closet they why can't the blogger take a photo to show that?

And remember, the last time I was in the boys room I did announce myself to the main office and did have Principal Matt Behnke with me the entire time--so I can hardly be accused of "skulking".

And he observed the entire water procedure I used (thermometer in the water stream after letting run for one minute and leaving in for another minute and then instantly taking photo) so he could clearly see my camera was only pointed at the thermometer, with no children present the entire time.

Anonymous said...

I agree. Your real story is that one... what's there to hide?


Answer: There's a lot to hide.


I'm sick of all the attacks on Larry.

So much scum, so little bleach.

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah, and the Gazette has been their normal useless selves.

I'm just waiting for the Bulletin to go cyber so I can link to it and react to the very one-sided story they published a couple days ago.

Anonymous said...

It seems much easier to attack LK than expend a slight degree of energy and focus on what's wrong with some of the School administrators. You're correct, the convenience of our children having warm water is not the isssue (although you can bet the administrators have a comfortable temperature in their bathrooms). It is the way in which the Super and the poor rookie Principal over reacted that raises questions. Way too defensive. And way too small.

Anonymous said...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/15/entrapment.pools/index.html


Swim pool death-traps.


So yeah, Larry kelly's a real MONSTER...


A**holes.

Anonymous said...

Face it, Larry "Mercury" Kelley you have peed away your political capital by sneaking around little boy's rooms leaving behind broken thermometers.

Keep up the good work.

Larry Kelley said...

Well just read my current post above (try to keep up nitwit)