The Slip Seat Diary

Census Run is over - a good six weeks
My time as an Address Canvasser with the Census Bureau has ended - as of yesterday 5-20-09. That was six weeks into a Not to Exceed eight week appointment. Two weeks ago it appeared that the run would end at the four week mark - then our Kansas City crew was detailed to a northern Missouri Crew Leader, Lane Seymour, and we worked for two weeks, 80 hours, in rural counties across north Missouri.

I did AAs or Assignment Areas in Harrison county - west of Bethany, MO and in Gentry county, just east of Albany, MO. I had a few hours left yesterday after completing my final Harrison county AA so was sent to Worth County where I did a few Blocks in Sheridan, MO - near the Iowa border.

All good experiences - a lot of running back and forth across Harrison County in particular since the canvassing in rural areas means a lot of dead end roads and lines on maps that look like roads but turn out to be dirt lanes along Section lines; in wet weather they turn to mud and after the mud they're dry but deeply rutted from tractor and farm equipment.   Two of our enumerators ended up needing tows - I played it pretty conservatively and didn't venture where it didn't seem wise - stayed mostly on gravel and out of trouble.

I learned that nobody lives on true dirt roads - there are some abandoned homes we're obliged to approach and ascertain their condition and exact location but in no case did I find any occupied homes that were not on serviceable gravel or asphalt.
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It was a lot different working in the rural areas versus the city canvass I did for the first four weeks of my assignment. In the city I could complete 25 address in an hour - well over 120 in a day. In rural territory i could and did spend an hour on one address but the norm was about 6 an hour - and 35 to 50 per day.

The days were long - we commuted each day. It would have been more economical for the Census Bureau to house us in Bethany and work from there but a policy decision was made to have us commute - a 100 to 115 mile drive on the clock and with paid mileage at 55 cents a mile. Thus it shortened our time on station and increased the expense to the government but we did as told. In addition to the 200 miles of back and forth driving I typically logged 60 to 80 miles per day crisscrossing my county.

Most people are not home - just as in the city. A lot of rural Harrison county is very thinly populated. In many whole Sections - 640 acres, one mile on a side, there are no homes and in most Sections only 2 or 3 homes. Lots of vacant homes, some in good shape, some vacant long enough to show some deterioration and some are hulks - still standing but with considerable damage from the elements and time itself.

We were to inventory everything that was standing and recognizeable as a home - former home. It was sort of nuts to be putting abandoned homes that hadn't been occupied in 50 years into the system but that was our job. They go in as UNINHABITABLE if they're "open to the elements". That means doors or windows missing or open or if the roof is perforated so water enters the home. Lots of those across the county but also lots of vacant homes that could be moved into tomorrow. Part of the out-migration from rural areas. I did come across several families that had moved to Harrison county from the Kansas City area - "to get out of the city" in those cases. There are some Amish families in Harrison County and one of our clues as to where a home might be - power lines - doesn't work with the Amish.

People were cordial with almost no exceptions. I anticipated more resistance to just having someone from Census show up but the vast majority understood the need for Census data. I had it easy in that I wasn't asking any Census questions - in this stage we're simply verifying addresses, doing the inventory of living quarters - making changes to the map database by adding or deleting or renaming roads and obtaining the lat/lon of homes we inventory - even the uninhabitables. We worked from a pre-loaded set of addresses or descriptions and prior locations - I guess obtained by GPS ten years ago - possibly by another means like aerial survey.

The pre-loaded stuff was "fair". it was a starting point but in some ways it would be easier to start from scratch. When the pre-load info was in error - not uncommon - it took more time to resolve the error than if we'd started from scratch. A lot of addresses were ok but in the wrong "block" and that was a nuisance. Most rural homes did not display a house number or 911 address either on the home or on the mailbox and that slows down things considerably. If we don't contact someone we simply obtain the lat/lon and use a shorthand word description of the house - 2-STORY TAN HSE W/ BL TRIM. METAL SHED S. I used AEROMOTOR WINDMILL once in a description - they seem as timeless as the houses even if only the windmill tower remains. The descriptions were sort of fun and in the country it's needed info. Less so in the city where descriptions were rare and house numbers much more common. .

Met lots of dogs. Everybody has dogs, usually more than one. There may be some "puppy mill" operations in Harrison County. No dangerous encounters and I found the dogs provided a good "foot in the door." My plan of attack after a couple of days was - 1) make over their dogs and talk about our own Elmer dog then 2) ask for help. I'd take my map along and ask about roads that aren't really roads - also where the next house will be.

I spent a lot of time at night with RandMcNally.com pulling off maps of each of my AAs, piecing large scale depictions together and spotting the pre-loaded housing locations on the map before I started an area. It was worth it to me. It made me look organized when in truth it's what unorganized folks have to do as a workaround. Surround myself with crutches like a detailed, annotated map.

Once in my AA I marked each road segment as I drove along it so I didn't repeat myself on a particular stretch of road any more than necessary. There was still a lot of backtracking due to roads closed, roads that weren't there, bridges or culverts out or to double check and resolve conflicts . Often finding one place would lead to making a correction to a prior listing. I did climb some fences and gates to enter property with a long lane and a remote, over the hill, house or trailer. I was apprehensive about doing that but no incidents - again most proved to be vacant or the owner away for the day. Still I didn't want to surprise somebody far off the road behind a closed gate - me showing up on foot with something that looked like a Geiger Counter in my hand could be dangerous so I was happy nobody was home on those long, remote lane behind a closed gate investigations. We were ok to do it legally - not so sure about the common sense of it and I deferred on some of them - a few were clearly wanting seclusion so used the "CANNOT COLLECT" option a few times.

I made a one mile walk along a rutted dirt road to verify the existence or extinction of a place. I was sure it would turn out to be DNE- "DOES NOT EXIST" but it was over the brow of a hill and as I got closer I saw the telltale red chimney and it turned out to be a very large, 2 story home, totally weathered and abandoned for probably 30 or 40 years but still erect and in fair shape. But on a dirt road with no access. I was impressed by the fact these remote, abandoned homes were not vandalized. Window glass still intact, no markings, no signs anybody was using them for parties or other mischief. Maybe the overall thin population means everybody knows everybody and you just don't mess with stuff on a farm. Even abandoned stuff. Don't know but no signs of malicious destruction.

I'm back to driveaway work - actually enjoyed the interlude away from it. The money was pretty good with three of the weekly checks yet to arrive - that'll be nice and in contrast to driveaway work not a lot of later bills to pay like airline, bus, motel bills. I did buy about $27 worth of gas per day but put that on debit card so no big surprise later.

I understand we're all to be terminated "for lack of work". That wording will help those who were on unemployment or will go on unemployment. Quite a few on our team of 16 were unemployed so the work was a good six week period of regular pay - for most I'm sure it was higher pay than their state unemployment benefits. We got 14.50 per hour and 55 cents per mile with a max of 40 hours per week. I worked 35 to 39 hours most weeks so close to the max. There was no cap per day - only the cap of 40 hours in a week. Tuesday I stayed with it late and logged 14.5 hours - that's how I got my to 38 hours in 3 days. And that's also why I"m off today - I'm tapped out on my 40.

Others are still working but the entire Northwest MO project is to finish up by Friday. Interestingly my Harrison County crew leader was retired Navy - a former propulsion officer in nuclear submarines and a very effective Crew Leader and nice guy to work with. Same for my KC Crew Leaders, Stephanie and Steve. Good people all around at the local level. Some of the stuff coming from the higher ups was questionable but I had a good insulating layer between me and them - my Crew Leaders.

Appended below - some of the ways to know you're a rural northwest Missouri Address Canvasser for the Census Bureau. I'm working this up with one of my co-workers, Mary Beth.

Mary Beth just emailed me some thoughts on the past two weeks. We talked back and forth quite a bit after our day in the field and Mary Beth also "got it" - got the essence of the rural area and people. I'm going to quote first and ask her ok later but I think she'll be ok with my lifting her remarks.

Dick

I had the same experiences and feelings as you did about the old abandoned homesteads. They had such a beauty and integrity about them. I wanted to just kneel down and say a little prayer out of respect for the good people who lived there and cared for the land. Such quiet beauty.

I love that nobody has botoxed foreheads or perfect teeth. I love that the kids—all ages and sexes—play together outside and ride around on their little bikes. I love the Dads on their tractors with a bunch of fresh-faced kids holding on and all happy and laughing. I love the families “working” together on Sunday afternoons: It’s really not work—it’s just enjoying each other while they’re doin’ what needs doin’.

Every time I parked the car and walked down a path or overgrown drive, I found some special kind of sanctuary. I never regretted taking the time to do that.

Nicely stated. I think we city folks got more out of it than we bargained for - more than just a paycheck - some insight into a different way of life. Not sure the "advantages" of city life are all on the plus side. Am I ready to move to Harrison county? No - but it would be great to see the Milky Way again and be surrounded by pastures, hay fields, cattle, woods and from every hilltop a green horizon with nothing larger than a barn in sight.

Happy Trails

Dick Williams

You Know You're a Rural Northwest Missouri Census Canvasser ...

When you can park right in the middle of the road for five minutes and nobody cares

For every house you see you compose a six word, abbreviated description. Most read: 2-STORY WHT HSE W/ BLK TRIM

You can spot an abandoned house hidden in the weeds and brush half a mile away.

When you get on a paved road you think you're in heaven!

You know every dog in Harrison County. And most of their names.

When the door's wide open but nobody's home!

You wave or waggle a finger at everybody - sometimes the same person six times in one day.

When the gravel road narrows then has grass growing between the tracks that means it's about to turn to dirt, then rutted dirt and impassability even in dry weather. Might as well give it up when you see the grass.

When the only cafe in town opens at noon and closes at 1.

When the town you're canvassing has more goats than people.

When it's 15 miles back to Bethany for a filling station and a bathroom.

New Rig - New Gig
Well the new rig is a 1995 Chevy S-10 - my Blue Toad - used in driveaway but now to be used in my new gig as Census Enumerator. I'm one week into an eight week term assignment as a address verifier with the US Census Bureau - meaning I'm back in the Department of Commerce - I even have a Personnel Action and a new Service Comp date of 4-13-09 - a few years down the road from my original Service Comp Date of 11-29-63 - as in November 1963 with the National Weather Service.

I took the test given for Census work last March - got the call and just completed a week of training - 4 days in class and one int he field. I'm part of a small army that is walking every city block an driving to every rural house this spring and summer to verify addresses. We carry a handheld computer with built-in GPS and simply verify the street address and "map spot" or mark the location of the home - all via the handheld - for every home, trailer, apartment, condo, vacation home, nursing home, prison, dorm, occupied boat, inhabited cave - and yes even an occupied cardboard box. The manual specifically says we're to "map spot" cardboard boxes if there are signs of habitation.

All this is preparatory to the real people counting that will take place in April 2010 but there's a lot of work to do now to clean up the address lists from the 2000 census and add millions of new homes and apartments, add any new streets and update realigned roadways. If you consider the changes in the fast growing parts of the country the scope of the work becomes apparent and even in stable areas it's still a lot of walking to visit every home on foot and stand at or near the front door in order to locate the structure.

We ask no census questions - we're just there to nail down the location and update the database. One day into the actual field work it looks like it'll be a good seven weeks- a lot of walking - a lot of time outdoors. Too cold and it'd be unpleasant, too hot and it'd be unpleasant but this is a good time of year for the project which will continue into summer. They hope to have Kansas City canvassed by July - some areas go relatively fast - others will bog down and some will be very slow where there are streets and homes and apartments to add. Data entry is by stylus on a virtual keyboard - in fact the keyboard display is quite small and a steady hand is needed.

I have not ditched driveaway work but the work has dwindled considerably this spring - a trend that began summer 2008. So I signed up for this and there is enough flexibility to the census work that I might be able to do an occasional short driveaway trip. I'd like to keep enough of a hand in with DUSA to stay on the active roster.

We can work from 20 to 40 hours per week in this work and can pick our times for working - even Sat and Sun; nights are out because it'd be very difficult to see house numbers but it's light till nearly 8 pm now and the days will lengthen till mid June so there's plenty of time to get 40 hours in a week and still leave 2 or 3 days free - IF - legs and feet and stamina hold up.

I worked myself out of new work today - so haven't yet put in a 7 or 8 hour day - only 4 hours today with about 70 addresses verified. Pay is by the hour not based on production although they do track production to make sure we're not going too fast or too slow. Lots of checks and monitoring by our 2 Crew Leaders so we'll be kept on rather short leashes which is appropriate for this army of new hires with no experience at the job we're to do. Nobody's done this before. Ten years ago it was pen and paper this year everything is entered via the HHC - handheld computer.

There'll be a 2nd round so this original eight week tour could evolve to a 2nd tour and I assume once in the system we'll have a shot at the actual census work to be done in Spring 2010 - that's when the other army hits the field. The send people around on census day itself to look for the hard to find and hard to count people - transients, people in transit - those who haven't returned the mailed forms - homeless and so forth.

Census work is a good tide-me-over sort of thing for those who are recently or long term unemployed -the pay's pretty good - varies with the area but it's in the 13 to 15 dollar an hour range - no benefits - but you are a Federal employee if that looks good on a resume. For me it'll help at at time when the trucking income had become unpredictable - some weeks ok but most weeks I'm seeing one 250 mile trip so the work has dwindled to the point of being relatively small change.

I will not be saying anything about the specifics of the work - we take oaths and sign papers guaranteeing the privacy of census data - so not a peep from me about anything learned on the job. In this phase we really don't learn anything but the sanctity of census data is pretty much absolute for 72 years then it's released as public record. Just think in only 7 years you can find out where and where I was born. Well I guess it's longer than that - my first decennial was 1950 and that data will see daylight in 2022 so you do have to wait a while - 13 years. Or figure it out when I go on Medicare in 3 months. Can't wait for that - no more co-pays and early every local transit system in the country will let me ride for half fare with my Medicare card. Bring it on!

I will say working a five day 40 hour week has been tiring - I mean fatiguing. Driveway work can be tiring but most of the time it's ok - this has been rather hectic. Of course 40 hours of 8 to 5 is what 80% of the country works and most drive more than the five mile commute I had so it doesn't sound too bad - it's just for me - i haven't worked a 40 hour regular hours type work week since 1999 and it's been sort of a shock. i'm glad it's over. The field work will be tiring in a physical way - that much time on foot and the miles of walking but I think it'll be good. There could be some health benefits for all of us. I might find a pedometer - will be interesting to see how many miles I walk in a day. It's not a huge number since waiting for the GPS signal to settle on a location slows down the production - but it's more than most of us are accustomed to I'm sure. Probably 4 or 5 miles in doing 120 to 150 homes in a typical day. I need to set up some ledgers and track my houses/day. No real need to but it'd be fun to track it and it's the sort of thing I do - count stuff - including my own stuff.

Most recent trucking work was two weeks ago - I moved three Altec units to St. Joe in two weeks - one from Chillicothe, MO to STJ, one from Beatrice NE and the third from Holdredge NE - that was the longest one at about 300 miles and a long day with the deadheading of 400 miles. The sort of trip that is more work than it's worth to be honest. Of course Chillicothe to STJ was 78 miles and I did that and the Beatrice job in the same day so that was a good day.

Happy Streets ... and Trails.

Dick Williams
Kansas City

Lessons Learned Department

This "scratch" on a recently delivered unit was the subject of a lot of phone calls and a $700 damage claim later reduced to $300. I missed it on the pre-trip so my company had to pay - but split the charge with the shipper who'd had the truck for 2 years while I had the truck for 19 hours. I'm sure it was pre-existing but I didn't document it on the pre-trip - it's barely visible unless you're on all fours looking at the lower portion of the driver's door from ground level.

The receiver was sure he'd find something wrong with the truck and he and two employees crawled every inch of the body and the glass looking for something - the most thorough turn-over inspection I've seen. It worked - he got $300 and will most likely repair the massive damage in house with some touch up paint - he has a paint operation so even if he does a full repair it's all in-house.