Back From The Dead But With A Dirty Face

© 2016 Luke T. Bush

PLATTSBURGH CITY, NY – 12/27/16

This evening a light across the street caught my attention, shining bright in the winter dark.  Closer inspection revealed that a PlattInfo kiosk that has spent months with a blank screen was back to life.

It’s the unit on City Hall Place near the Verdantique Park plaque.  In the past the only sign of life from the unit was an electrical hum heard when standing close to it.  (Apparently it still had a pulse.)  The kiosk is one of three that were installed years ago to provide information to downtown visitors.  The units worked for a while but have spent most of their existence as metal tombstones.  Thousands of dollars spent on another Sap City boondoggle. (Previous articles on this subject can be found here and there.)

The other unit down the street near the city parking lot was still blank.  I’m assuming the third one on Dock Street near the Seagull Parking Lot is still dead.  But it’s better to light one PlattInfo kiosk than to curse the dark.

The revived kiosk now displays in slide show mode ads for local businesses.  I wonder if these are the same businesses that paid for photonic promotion when PlattInfo was launched.  Out of thousands of dollars expended maybe the city will see a few cents use from the unit.

The display looks great but there is one problem: backlit dirty spots mar the screen.  The unclean surface renders the impression of a zombie that dug himself out of his grave but didn’t have a chance to wash up.  The dark smears interfere with screen viewing.  Also gives downtown an untidy look like dogshit on the sidewalks.

I didn’t have a damp rag to clean the screen.  Then again it’s not my job.