Citizen Builds Stairs for Tiny Fraction of What Government Would Spend

A retired mechanic in Canada got sick of waiting on the bureaucracy and took the initiative to build stairs in his community park:

Retired mechanic Adi Astl says he took it upon himself to build the stairs after several neighbours fell down the steep path to a community garden in Tom Riley Park, in Etobicoke, Ont. Astl says his neighbours chipped in on the project, which only ended up costing $550 – a far cry from the $65,000-$150,000 price tag the city had estimated for the job. …

Astl says he hired a homeless person to help him and built the eight steps in a matter of hours.

Those who use the path are grateful. A member of his gardening group had broken her wrist falling down it.

“To me, the safety of people is more important than money,” Astl said. “So if the city is not willing to do it, I have to do it myself.”

Municipal bureaucrats are less grateful. They won’t let people use the stairs.

City bylaw officers have taped off the stairs while officials make a decision on what to do with it.

At least Astl has not been charged with a crime.

Someday the bureaucrats will get around to tearing down his non-regulation stairs and replacing them with similar stairs that will cost taxpayers over 100 times as much. Then people will be able to use the path again.

On tips from Bodhisattva and R F.