The Tarp is Down

The Tarp is Down
Originally uploaded by dwwebber.

You know it's a been a slow couple of weeks here in the Columbus Square blogosphere when about all I have to report is that the tarp, which was hanging down from the roof just to the east of the front doors and which can be seen here, has finally blown down. When I say "the tarp" I'm sure there can be no doubt in my neighbors' minds about what tarp I'm referring to.

The St. Valentine's Eve snow storm seems to have been responsible. I saw the tarp hanging from the dilapidated fence in front of the doors on St. Valentine's Day in the morning.

For months that blue tarp hung there - sad, forlorn, purposeless. Flapping a bit in the breeze, or sometimes just hanging motionless. I never could figure out what it was supposed to be doing. Was it actually protecting something? Hardly, given the way it was blowing around. At one point, the wind had taken it back over the roof instead of hanging down by the wall.

You've got to admit, it was pointless. Why bother with a tarp when your building doesn't have a finished roof? Well, if it was protecting something, that protection ended.

While it may not have had a purpose, it certainly wasn't without significance. To me at least, it symbolized in the way that this project has become not much more than an insult to the people who live here. It sent the message that the contractor and the City in turn couldn't care less about the way this place gets built.