Drought Restrictions Affecting Window Cleaners

Window Cleaner, Jim Hamilton says, "As soon as the drought came, the phones stopped ringing. I do believe the public is taking the restrictions very seriously and it's taking a toll on us guys who make a living using water," he said.

Business drying up as drought persists (MINT HILL, N.C.) — As drought conditions persist across nearly half of North Carolina, some business owners told Channel 9 they're noticing their customers are spending less and cutting water usage. The combination of heat and a lack of rainfall is bringing back memories of the 2007 drought when business dropped nearly 40 percent. It may get worse this year. And when traffic slows it can trickle down to his employees that could lose hours if times get too tough.

Business has been slow for Jim Hamilton as well. Monday was the first time in two weeks Hamilton suited up in his window-washing gear and he did it to give Eyewitness News a demonstration to show how much water he uses. "As soon as the drought came, the phones stopped ringing. I do believe the public is taking the restrictions very seriously and it's taking a toll on us guys who make a living using water," he said.

He believes they're doing the right thing. There are 47 counties in North Carolina in some form of a drought and Channel 9 meteorologists predict conditions will worsen over the next few days. "We'll all to do our part hopefully and in time, the good lord willing, we'll get through this too," said Hamilton.

Researchers from the National Drought Monitor told Channel 9 they collect reports from across the country showing where drought conditions force businesses to cut employees or expand their services to save jobs. 

Nelson city hall recently had its windows cleaned, in violation of the city's own water restrictions.

Nelson city hall washes windows despite water restrictions: or anyone wondering why city hall was washing its windows recently despite water restrictions, it turns out it was done by an outside contractor who does windows for provincial government buildings. “Due to 310 Ward formerly being a provincial building, the [contractor] still does building maintenance,” public works director Colin Innes told the Star.

“In discussing this issue with them they have indicated that the window washing was organized for all of the buildings they maintain, so our restrictions were not recognized in the setup of the window washing.” Innes said the company is now aware, and will comply with any restrictions in place in Nelson.

Window Cleaning Photos

Hoodies, by ProphecyBlur. Click to enlarge.

The Friday Photos: Cleaning Windows - There are plenty of opportunities for vertigo-free window cleaners across town, with a choice of platform, crane or — for the hardcore pros — abseiling. The Shard is undoubtedly London’s new big boon for the trade. As a high-wire activity though, window cleaning is not a risk-free business, as one cleaner found out in the summer.

Image by Roj Whitelock. Click to enlarge.

Shard in the mist, by Rob Telford. Click to enlarge.

Inside job, by Linda Wisdom. Click to enlarge.

Cleaning up City Hall, by Rob Telford. Click to enlarge.

New Providence Wharf, East London, by Tom Hurley. Click to enlarge.

These windows look pretty clean, by sczscz. Click to enlarge.

Abseiler in action, by Jan Bode. Click to enlarge.

Barbican reflected, by Mr Tudor. Click to enlarge.

Two tiny figures cleaning the Shard, by crashcalloway. Click to enlarge.

Blaming The Window Cleaner - Not The Architect

Dim view of £140,000 bill for cleaning City Hall windows: The design of the London Assembly's City Hall building is costing taxpayers “a fortune” because the bill for window cleaning has spiralled to £140,000 a year, the Standard can reveal. Washing the 3,000-plus panes of glass on Norman Foster's building now costs £13,600 a month — more than doubling the bill eight years ago when it opened. And, despite the rising costs, people working inside say that its complicated design means many windows are still filthy.

Figures obtained by the Standard from the Greater London Authority accounts show that in the past financial year £138,930 was spent cleaning glass at the Mayor of London's headquarters, nicknamed the Beehive. Back in 2002 then mayor Ken Livingstone admitted having to pay £61,000 a year. Boris Johnson's office said that the terms of the lease meant windows must be cleaned to a certain standard and the market rate was being paid.

Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat leader at City Hall, said: “Clearly there was a fundamental oversight when City Hall was built and no one gave any thought as to how the windows could easily be cleaned at a reasonable cost. As a result of such incompetence a fortune has been spent.”  She called it was “a prime example of a modern building where the design has come first and practicalities second”, adding: “Serious questions now have to be asked as to why the cost of cleaning the windows has been spiralling while so many continue to be filthy.”

The GLA said that, to ensure the windows were cleaned to a reasonable standard, both specialist safety equipment and highly skilled staff were required. City Hall, on the South Bank next to Tower Bridge, opened in July 2002, two years after the Greater London Authority was created. It is leased under a 25-year agreement. Architect Lord Foster also helped to design the City's Gherkin, HSBC tower in Docklands and Wembley Stadium.