["Need a Lawnmower? How 'bout a Goat?"; as submitted to You tube by AssociatedPress on
May 19, 2009; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP8m4HbyzhI]
I don't know what the City Code might be when it comes to goats; or for sure, that goats eat dead leaves - but when I heard that a [Correction: $100 fine (much better than $500, but still too high in my opinion...)] might be imposed, starting next year, on folks that don't bag their leaves - goats (I have a vivid imagination...) started to look like a good topic to google!
Bonus points if goats "do" eat leaves:
1. Baby goats are adorable & kids love them
2. Goats don't belch (to my knowledge) any nasty carbon pollutants into the atmosphere
3. The cost per goat rental (as noted in the video above) appears to be pretty low, and...
4. The goats could be kept (when not busy mowing lawns, devouring leaves and composting lawns) in a petting zoo --- along with some other cute little creatures --- which would draw families and children in [to feed them extra nutritious treats?] when they [the goats and the families...] are off duty.
A [Correction: $100 (much better than $500, but still too high in my opinion...)] fine for not bagging your leaves?????
Don't you think that might be another link in the line of links that sends grandma or grandpa [perhaps they broke a hip? have a medical emergency?] over the edge?
Small stuff... Big stuff...
Thinking outside the Rubik cube...
I LIKE goats (I had one as a child) - and I think the YMCA park [Could the City or County buy this?] could use a regular mower or two or (lol, lol, lol) even [changed to 100]!
And of course, there would be free flood water (at least periodically)too [See other posts about the unresolved flooding issue near the YMCA park...] - as long as (but of course) the flood-water is as safe for goats to drink as it must be (ahem...????) for our "kids" to play in...
Herein ("methinks") exists an educational opportunity [Bring in Cornell Cooperative Extension?] and some potential P/T jobs for youth - or anyone for that matter - that would like to see the YMCA park [one potential location, only utilized for youth programs occasionally, from what I can see...] get some serious, productive, consistent [a petting zoo plus...] use.
Do goats eat dead leaves?
I don't remember; but I suspect so [Our goat ate pretty much anything...]
So why not line a park [Other folks probably have location ideas of their own...] with some beautiful trees (very reasonable if folks join up with the Arbor Day Foundation...); fill it up with goats and sheep and other nifty little critters; provide an affordable and kinda fun service to the members of the community that want to utilize it; collect some revenue at the petting zoo gate (and via lawn and leaf munchers/composters); create some p/t positions [regular care, pooper scoopers, gate-keepers, etc] for a few folks [to be paid for via its own revenue stream] AND create a win-win-win for the citizens of Kingston --- with the added benefit of another tourism draw...
Some other potentialities that could blossom from all of this?
Add a concession stand? [Fresh Fruit (Orchard Trees?); Fruit Juice? Ice cream? Hot Chocolate?]
Egg Hunts? Holiday shows?
Lessons in the humane treatment of animals?
Horticulture [trees] lessons?
Your ideas here...?
Crazy thoughts? Maybe.
But we could also (perhaps?) sell those nasty leaf sucker machines - eliminate one source of pollution - save on the gas (or whatever) costs that keep these beasts (of metal) running - save on the labor costs associated with running them - AND save on leaf sucker machine maintenance and storage expenses...
A [Correction: $100 fine (Much better than $500, but still too high in my opinion...)] for not bagging leaves?
"Me-thinks" there might be some more serious violations in this City [like illegal dumping...] courting fines [What about some hefty fines for sex offenders that violate probation and/or parole conditions???] of that nature.
Don't you?
Just thoughts.
More on last nights City Council meeting [The leaf-bagging issue was sent back to the Laws and Rules committee...) later.
NS
Addendum: Some associated [taking away from and/or adding to my thoughts above...] links [please copy and paste in the address bar] I came up with:
"How much does it cost for a goat" - "Yahoo Answers": http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080506083722AAVBbok
"Cost of raising a goat": http://www.goats4h.com/Goat-costs.html
"Goats and more Goats The Goat Pages": http://www.goats4h.com/Goats.html
"Man charged with violating order of protection four times over weekend"; http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/December09/02/Rinzler_arr-02Dec09.html
[Why not charge someone like this a $500 fine (I'll stay with that figure here!) - payable to the victim [or half to victim the other half to a competent Domestic Violence Prevention, Education and Intervention Program] - for every time he violates his order of protection?]
Addendum II:
Yes! Mayor Sottile IS looking to recoup (from the FBI) the $80,000 that the City had to put out due to the costs (to the City of Kingston) of the "Turner rally"!
I had thought about this possibility and discussed it with my husband - but it frankly felt too complicated and "hot" for me [Thank you Mayor Sottile!] to bring up...
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Source of Corrections: "City lawmakers nix leaf-bagging"; Paul Kirby; "Daily Freeman"; 12/2/09; P. A3.
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Source of information regarding Mayor Sottile - Turner / FBI Issue: "Sottile wants $80,000 from FBI to cover cost of 2005 Turner rally"; Paul Kirby; "Daily Freeman"; 12/2/09; Pp. A1 and A6.
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