The Editor's Notepod, Wed., Dec. 31, 2008

Wallingford, et al: Covanta and CRRA come to terms. All is well with the trash disposal business. Who’d of thunk it?

State: Gift cards. It’s an interesting subject, given the multiple closings. But some places doo okay with it, as noted in a later edition.

Meriden: Rushford proceeding with rehab of the former WWII hosp. building which it rents.

Meriden: Detective sues city and colleague over accidental injury involving a second cruiser. I don’t much care who was right and wrong in the accident, but I thought this was the sort of fellow-servant case that was eliminated by the workers’ compensation system.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., Dec. 30, 2008

Wallingford: Electric division charges to rise. This apparently has more to do with transmission and distribution costs than generation. Figure.

Meriden: City building fees to go up? Given the potential profit developers can make, given the relative shortage of undeveloped land in Meriden, and given the fact that the fees haven’t been changed since the 1980s, these fee increases look pretty minimal. I’d charge a lot more, frankly. Times won’t always be bad.

Meriden: this trash business gets more and more curious. City has put off bidding on new internal contract to see where and how the inter-municipal trash collection system will go. Which makes sense. And I guess we’ll have to cross the bridge about whole city or no city pickup of garbage, also. A difference between 14,000 tons and 30,000 tons is significant. Meanwhile, CRRA decides today whether to buy or sell the plant. Given that all 5 towns have opted for the competition’s offer, you’d think CRRA would bow out gracefully, as it’s theoretically non-profit. But betting is they’ll buy. And then what?

Southington: the charter revision panel gets its first marching orders.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., Dec.29, 2008

Wallingford: plan to create a pedestrian-Mecca in downtown Wallingford. Seems like a very interesting concept, and once certainly pointing in the right direction.

Wallingford/State: Rep. Mushinsky has the job of checking out existing state agencies and making recommenda-tions on their retention or removal. That’s an interesting challenge.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., Dec.28, 2008

Wallingford/Hamden/etc.: Wintergreen’s funding in some doubt, as is Edison, as state considers education funding cuts. The legislature is going to have to find money to pay for these schools one way or another, and copping out a sticking it to the towns is the least attractive options, I think. It’s inconceivable to let them close.

Meriden: We The People making a push for nominations and representations on city boards etc. Well, why not?

Southington: Open Spaces committee not planning to meet in 2009. If meetings must be posted at the beginning of the year, can the body then schedule an unscheduled meeting if something comes up? Why not at least schedule one meeting, just to make sure nobody in the group has moved away?

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Dec.27, 2008

Wallingford: Charter Amendment considers the clerk’s position becoming appointed by the mayor. Brodinsky is showing openness in suggesting it be a mayoral appointment. Part of the process, though, may be a decision on the part of both parties not to make it a contested issue. Meriden elects a clerk every four years and has elected the same person several times, partly due to cross endorsements.

Cheshire, Meriden, etc.: Security at local stores is up, reflecting increase in shoplifting, which probably reflects the sagging economy. At least such an explanation is suggested.

Area: All four Ys report difficulties with compliance with a pool pump cover requirement because the law was poorly drawn. Nothing like the old “one size fits all” legislative mandate!

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Dec.26, 2008

Meriden: partially empty shelves in school libraries. That’s a miserable place to practice “economy” just like skimping on textbooks (and that should be taken as skimping electronic books or text resources as well). These materials are cheap, relative to the benefit conferred.

Wallingford: New veterans’ affairs person has been working for nearly three months. Seems to be progressing, but we look to see his report on the needs of the office.

Meriden: Shortage of spaces at Shelter Now is not a good thing. Reflective of the sour employment economy. They’ve taken care of Wall Street (sort of). How about Main Street?

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., Dec. 24, 2008

Wallingford: So the electric division rates are rising, as approved. No doubt, too, that any rate increases approved for Northeast Utilities will take effect as well. I understand rising utility costs when the price of the oil being burned is doubling. But that’s not been the case for six months. So the “market” only reacts when prices rise?

Meriden: Congressman Murphy says this may be the session for health care reform. I hope so.

Southington: Man arrested for road rage incident. Good. There should be more of that. But this may be, in addition to the habit of “letting it all hang out” a result of too much not following the rules.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., Dec. 23, 2008

Meriden: The approach being taken at Crestwood is to deal with each tenant individually. That’s fine, and it’s legal. But it also means that one tenant won’t be in a position to compare notes with others directly. Those who have missed the whole discussion will probably simply pay as requested, even if they have to eat dog food to do so. While I suppose ownership has every right to take rents to market values at will, once HUD rules expire, this is a situation which strongly recommends a legislative remedy.

State: the machine gun death in Massachusetts of that youngster at a gun show: now leading to criminal prosecu-tions. Local police chief, who also happened to be owner of a firm which promoted the gun show, now charged as is the owner of the club. Have they charged the father yet? He is a doctor and was on the spot, and instead of reaching to take the gun from the boy’s hands he was reaching for his camera. I hate to say so, but his was the on-the-spot error of judgment it seems to me. But of course he is already punished.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., Dec.22, 2008

Area/Southington: So nice for Mount Southington that there’s all this snow to get the ski season off to a good start. Let’s hope the snow, but not its consequences, hangs around for a while.

Meriden: more news about those Rent increases on the Crestwood development. The HUD renewal leases seem to hold power regardless of ownership.

Meriden: Y’s Men hosts Ellen Rusconi-Black, who has a Canada Goose deterrent operation. Makes a whole lot of sense to me.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., Dec.21, 2008

Meriden: The story about the Pledge of Allegiance has drawn several letters, and it’s easy to see why. The disrespect is a sort of algorithm for today’s youth as contrasted with older generations. Yet it should be born in mind that the Pledge is only a symbolic statement regarding patriotism regarding the flag, which itself is a symbol of the nation.

Meriden: Diversity study suggests Meriden has fewer minority members of its work force than its population might suggest. The question is, given the fiscal abilities of the city and the limited pool of minority candidates, how to do better. A related issue relates to Connecticut’s racial isolation.

Meriden: Sgt. Nesci lauded for work with the DEA over the last couple of years. It offers resources, training, and creates good liaisons with other agents and departments

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Dec.20, 2008

Southington: the audit and the Parks Dept. nepotism. I suspect Moise is correct in thinking that the operational audit might have disclosed such a situation. But the deeper point is that it was not apparently thought wrong al-though it was widely known.

Meriden: Airport lighting around the newly renovated portions. Let’s be sure that new security lighting is also full cut-off lighting as Connecticut’s law requires in many cases.

Southington: Police Captaincy situation. Now appears moot, but I certainly hope the meeting tomorrow is an opportunity for chief and officers to discuss any plans for realigning the department.

Meriden: Two local HR cases reach new stage: officer Lawlor, tax collector Calabrese. Good thing.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Dec.19, 2008

Meriden: Postal Service and its union have reached some sort of compromise on the route situation. I certainly hope it works out.

Wallingford (and the other four towns): Covanta/CRRA. Dickinson to CRRA to seek non-action on its option. The script is weirder and weirder.

Meriden, Southington (and others): Aquifer protection action pending. Time to do it, if it’s required.
Aquifer protection action pending. Time to do it, if it’s required.

The Editor's Notepod, Thurs., Dec. 18, 2008

Southington: the issue of nepotism in employment of relatives of Parks Dept. employees. Nothing particular against the people identified in the article, but it is kind of hard to believe that no one has raised the matter before as a potential problem. It’s really not rocket science. I would think that not hiring close relatives in municipal situations had been pretty standard for quite some time.

Meriden: Hanover Pond dredging. It’s a big job. If the muck can be made into an island and that would save a good deal of cash, it sounds like a plan — providing it doesn’t smell too bad. But any way you cut it, it’s an expensive job.

Meriden: Meanwhile, Silver Lake dredging seems to be moving forward and making good progress.

State: Democrats decide not to censure Joe Lieberman, but to send a letter expressing disappointment instead. I would imagine that unless he is completely self-deluded, his poll numbers are telling him something.

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., Dec. 17 2008

Meriden: Glad to see that Wilcox is assisting the Quinnipiac River Watershed Assoc. in the renovation project. There’s a good synergy in getting the high school kids something real to do for a non-profit.

Meriden: Problem with HUD compliance on lead abatement programs. There’s no question that HUD regs are complicated, but with lead paint abatement . . .? This is not a new issue. If HUD changed something, you might think they’d make a point of letting grantees in on the change.

Cheshire: mill rate/revaluation issues. With revaluation now taking place every 5 years, to avoid the sort of sticker shock people used to receive on learning of 10 years of change, the situation still seems to confuse people. 1) it is natural that taxes will go up some each year. Been that way for decades. Maybe the recession will change that, but it’s not likely. 2) Revaluation is more likely to result in shifts in the tax burden among different types of property – commercial, residential, rental, industrial – as properties change values unequally. Most of any increase in value is offset by decreases in the mill rate, but not all, so taxes rise. And, as the town manager says, in this case, although values have all gone down recently, they remain higher than they were five years ago. Of course, it never does seem to happen that a revaluation is made during a property low — or perhaps no one complains when it does.

Wallingford: town becomes the 5th of the 5 to approve the Covanta contract . . . which now seems not to matter, since CRRA may go ahead and decide to pay fair market value for the plant itself instead of letting Covanta exercise its $1 option. And no one still knows the value or what would happen if it does so. That is the most bizarre set-up. Would this be a demonstration of the craziness of quasi-public corporations?

Wallingford/Durham: another bullet strike, another study planned by Durham. Look, if every gun used at the Range is not registered and checked for ballistic markings each time it’s used, there’s just no way that any bullet discovered down range can be identified — or shown to be NOT from the Range. And that is what is needed.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., Dec. 16, 2008

Meriden, Wallingford, Cheshire: Covanta/CRRA trash disposal. Meriden approves Covanta contract, Wallingford expected to, North Haven may have done so Monday night. Fine. That’s the way the water’s running. But the lens has shifted. Now it appears that CRRA may exercise its option of buying at fair Market value (a totally unknown figure) at the end of the contract, the end of 2009. This would bump any contract the towns have reached with Covanta. It’s the same thing as before, either Covanta buys the place for a $1 or CRRA gets it at fair market value, but the equation has somehow twisted.

Meriden: Use of a drug dog to sniff around apartments at Crestwood II. Just because something might be legal doesn’t mean anyone should be doing it.

Meriden: Repair of the pipe on Britannia Street. Seems like a workable solution, and cheaper than digging the whole darn thing up and replacing. But 14-16 feet down? Why so deep? I’ll bet there’s an interesting engineering story behind that!

Southington: the Aquifer protection rules. It’s time to get this done. Other towns have coped. Yes, it makes some rules, but these are for everyone’s benefit. Everyone lives here, not just developers.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., Dec.15, 2008

Meriden: Monument errors. It’s too bad they happen, but they appear to be common. I recall when the additional names were rounded up and placed on the monument, something that Ray Morin had a part in, I think. It’s a situation not unlike that of a memorial gift (to a school, for instance) when the bench or tree or doorbell or whatever is damaged, dies or stops working. Up to some point, an effort to honor the gift is appropriate . . . but how far?

Wallingford: the testing program for monitoring elderly folks who live alone seems like an excellent program to me.

Meriden: Water tower, radio tower atop Dexter/Carpenter. They’ve had trouble with that water reservoir up there as I recall. I did once live fairly close to the top of that hill. I can’t imagine a water tower or a radio tower would be a property enhancer, but I have no idea how bad the current water pressure is.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., Dec.14, 2008

Wallingford/Durham: the issue on the bullet question is one of proof. But how can a link between the bullet holes and the range be proved?

Southington: doesn’t seem quite fair to me to complain about Masci’s overtime if he is a one-man department. Would the objectors rather have him stay home from functions? That’s not how it’s done.

Meriden: city’s purchase of two hybrid cars is hereby noted and approved — even if the price of gasoline has dropped back to ridiculously — even dangerously — low levels.

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Dec.13, 2008

Meriden: Hi-oh Silver, Away! An incident from the Wild West as some yahoo in a rented car runs over a cop’s foot and drives away . . . to Cromwell? Hope they nail this sucker. I know that any time a driver is stopped, all the illegal things one has done lately come tom mind, but this panic suggests a little more than merely rolling through a stop sign!

Wallingford: the parking problem. Having attempted parking a couple of years ago on the block South of Center St., I can see the difficulty. It’s one faced by many traditional downtowns which have rejected the idea of more vertical parking or of converting empty lots. But how about Wooding-Kaplan?

Area: we are lucky, I think, that we had rain instead of ice at the end of last week. That won’t ease the pain of anyone who suffered water damage, though, and for them our sympathies are extended.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Dec.12, 2008

Wallingford: sorry to hear of closing of Barnett Books. It’s a tough time for book publishers as well as other people, according to what I’ve heard.

Area: municipalities gird their shovel-ready projects for anticipated federal dollars. While we can all eagerly await the largesse from Washington, and hope it arrives PDQ! we would be well-advised not to begin spending the cash until it is clearly granted.

Southington: Parking Authority donnybrook really gives the town a black eye. Except it’s not clear who really did the dirty work.

The Editor's Notepod, Thursday, December 11, 2008

Area: Bus transit plans canceled. This is penny-wise and dollar foolish. Even though the price of gas is down. And it is certainly a strangeness that profits go up when price of gasoline goes down. I suppose they sell more gallons, and there’s also more room for the profit margin. Also, just as the CEO of the ICPA says, that stations don’t pass on the full extent of the price increases, they probably don’t pass on the full extent of decreases, either. That’s not just gas stations. Any volatile market would work that way, I’d think.

Southington: Up-close on Eric Daigle, and the whole story. I think it’s too bad that it all worked out in this manner. As we said when Daigle’s name was originally mentioned, he seems like a natural asset to a police department.

Meriden: Crestwood II rent increases demonstrates the dark side of the federally assisted development, which is that eventually, the federal assistance is paid ff, and the owner is then able to move toward the market value, never mind who the tenants are.

The Editor's Notebod, Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Southington: Councilors explain their votes on the police captaincy. The matter is settled solely on the transfer of funds issue, but left unsettled is the chief’s possible reorganization of the department. That’s probably a matter to be dealt with . . . if not by the police commission, then by the council.

Wallingford: Charter commission. Further demonstration of what the issue really is.

Southington: Appointments to the charter commission. There seem to be some non-officials on the panel, but some familiar faces as well. We will see how it all works.

Cheshire: Council approves the Covanta contract, heaving out CRRA. This is probably going to be the pattern. Let’s hope that it proves to be the right long-term choice.

The Editor's Notebod, Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Wallingford: The charter panel votes, along party lines, votes to change the veto power. If this is not a politically motivated change, then what is it? And if it is, why not say so, make it an upfront part of the program, and place it in a separate position on the referendum, when that happens.

Southington: a 4-4 vote on the motion to transfer cash for the promotion of the captain means it falls. Ergo, the plan is dead. Without chance of revival?

Meriden: Trashing the shrine on Coe Ave. is pretty nasty.

Meriden: evidently, the presence of city non-profits in the Park selling cookies and cocoa seems to have worked out pretty well for participants. That’s a good thing.

State: Rell will be speaking with state employee unions. This is a situation where tact and finesse is everything. Otherwise, all that happens is pushing and shoving.

Meriden: Contract for Phase II of the linear trail design. I am delighted to see this project moving forward. The first part, through the gorge, has been a fine success.

The Editor's Notepod, Monday, December 8, 2008

Meriden: Chief Cossette asks for expansion of Police Service Technician system. That’s a request we can back. It seems pretty cheap, too, and if it can help train and retrain officers, it’s a good idea.

Cheshire: Ethics Board. Don’t need one? Baloney. It’s a flat-out good idea to have an outside person look at the facts of an allegation and make a public ruling on the potential for conflict. No way that’s going to happen when the whole thing is handled by office memos or conference.

Southington: The idea of a 10 percent cut in state support for public schools, as mentioned here in a Southington context, isn’t acceptable. The technique is simply cutting the cost sharing grants — which isn’t enough to begin with. Stop fixing roads, if need be. Don’t fix the airport. Don’t hire anyone new at the MVD. But this is a foolish area to make across the board cuts. If taxes are necessary to support the program, taxes it must be.

The Editor's Notepod, Sunday, December 7, 2008

Wallingford: the mayoral veto and the charter revision. But we’ve been here before!

West Haven: suit settled with family of kid who got killed on Interstate 95 after he ran from police following a fistfight. Killed by a truck, as he tried to cross the road. Family gets $400,000. Taxpayers should be furious.

The Editor's Notepod, Saturday, December 6, 2008

Meriden: cancellation of the Wetlands meeting on Murdock Ave. site was correct move. I’d also think the developer would expect public attendance. And, for him to consider, if they dislike the project so much that he is worried about the public being there, then perhaps it’s time to modify the project. The idea of having one IWWC member at a time pay a site visit may indeed be permissible under FoI rules, but it is a drop-dead terrible idea from the standpoint of reaching an unimpeachable decision.

Southington: mass resignation over non-appointment of a colleague. There could be more to this story than meets the eyes. But then again, maybe not . . . like Bill Comerford sudden withdrawal from Housing Authority post in Wallingford.

Meriden: Another suit over that acreage on Cathole Mountain. This is most unfortunate. Is there such a thing as an order prohibiting further suits? I think they’ve been repealed. Too bad.

The Editor's Notepod, Friday, December 5, 2008

Southington: That Greenway Commons idea still seems like a good plan, which costs the state nothing. I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t pass.

Meriden: How can rent be raised unilaterally on a lease just after a lease has been signed?

Meriden: Public meeting on private land with public excluded raises some FoI issues.

Cheshire: a zero tolerance policy for bullying…I suppose that makes more sense than allowing kids to take turns, secure in the knowledge that it takes more than one incident to win a punishment. But the “zero tolerance” rule as an official policy means that every incident of any kind gets treated to a full dress crime and punish-ment scenario. Does this really help anyone?

Southington/Cheshire: charges after the powder-puff contest. Perhaps everyone needs to rethink the occasion. A traditional informal event is one thing. A highly competitive and passionate occasion is another.

The Editor's Notepod, Thursday, December 4, 2008

Southington: Charter Commission soon to be named. Composition of group is important, of course. Lots of diversity is fine. Non-officials are fine. But too many strong personalities who may (or may not) have agendas may not be fine. And there is as yet no indication whether the intent is to update charter sections or to rewrite the town government from scratch. That could make deadlock.

Meriden: Inland Wetlands has a donnybrook over a site visit. That the commission would go ahead with a visit, despite the recommendation of the professional staff and without the public is an insult to the both. And it is also rather amusing to wonder if the wetlands impact is significant enough to warrant a hearing — given that the project is strongly opposed in any form by so many neighbors.

Meriden & Economy: tough times for booksellers. This is as bad and dangerous as tough times for newspapers.

Wallingford: the Habitat issue; a withdrawal. If there’s a specific issue with the piece of property, near the Choate Boathouse, which the town wants to develop (and given the record on Wooding-Caplan, The Legion Building and other, long-suffering properties, the plan is rather long-range at most charitable), I can understand putting off this proposal. Why play footsy, though? Perhaps I’m reading into it more than is there but is there a feeling that the non-profit agency is out to do something underhanded or immoral? That needs to be remedied.

The Editor's Notepod, Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Meriden/Middlefield/Wallingford: it’s a Middlefield decision and story, but I am delighted that the arrangements for the town to buy the Powder Ridge property, including the ski area, have been accomplished. And suddenly, for a good deal less than might have been thought the last time I happened to read about the issue.

Meriden: Little cows and other critters on Brownstone ridge causing problems. How should this sort of difficulty be handled?

State: Gov. Rell met with pres. elect. to discuss economic stimulus. I can recall no other president to be anywhere near so busy, but then few have had to face anything like the economic crisis. Rell seemed upbeat. Murphy speaking of public works projects to get folks working, now called infrastructure, which sounds like one good idea. Fasano says use federal $$ to balance budget, but that doesn’t really do anything identifiable, does it?

Wallingford: The trash/energy plant decision is coming up soon. Better hope all the reviewing is done.

The Editor's Notepod, Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Southington: the police appointment. This saga goes on and on. There’s a lesson here, somewhere, but I’m darned if I can figure out what it is.

Wallingford: An unfortunate situation regarding the 250-year-old house on North Main St. It’s very sad when we let history go up in smoke like that.

Meriden/state: statistics on arrests, fatalities, accidents over the holiday weekend. Fatalities, dropping from 4 to 1 (a 75 percent drop) is statistically irrelevant — to everyone, I suppose, but the poor victim and survivors. The number of accidents increased, as did DUI arrests, by about 10 percent each. But the weather was nasty. How much do accidents increase during holidays? Seat-belt violations are down!

Meriden: results at the mall are mixed and somewhat hedged. Isn’t it becoming clear that putting so many annual eggs in one basket for retail is a dangerous thing to do? Or is that like trying to convince people not to buy gas guzzlers and to take the train or bus instead?

The Editor's Notepod, Monday, December 1, 2008

Wallingford: charter panel considers electing zoning board. In general, I think the fewer elected officials there are, the more that responsibility is concentrated. In the specific case of a zoning board member, electing them requires a platform (beyond, “I’m such a good guy”) and that’s hard to do on land use cases without promising a certain type of decision. And that threatens litmus tests.

Southington: economic summit meeting, SEED (Southington Enterprise and Economic Development). Slogan, “Southington is open for business.” Might that not take it a little too far? How to residents feel about all those abatements for business?

The Editor's Notepod, Sunday, November 30, 2008

Cheshire, Meriden, Southington: Issues over grades and eligibility to continue in sports.

Meriden: good for St. Stans. in raising more than is needed to restore the interior. Once a century certainly isn’t too much to ask, and it’s a good effort.

Meriden: a Cuno Foundation grant for $13,500 will bring a scoreboard to the Dunn Softball complex. This will make a lot of young athletes and their parents and friends very happy.

Southington: messages on leaf pick-up are a little confusing. But not a bad idea. It’ll be a tug-o-war between the budget and a popular program.

The Editor's Notepod, Saturday, November 29, 2008

Meriden: Orsini pursues his application before Wetlands commission, even though there’s a big lawsuit pending. I suppose this may well wind up in court as well.

Meriden/area: literacy volunteers need supporters. There’s not much question that there are many who cannot cope in the US because of an inability to read basic documents for jobs and directions. Al the help this program can get is deserved.

Area: oil prices. Volatility is once again putting dealers, most of which are fairly small businesses, at serious risk. It’s easy, as a consumer, to say, “About time,” but by and large the up and down swing is as bad for sellers as for buyers. The standard means by which both have tried to even out the cost are both working out poorly for one side or the other. This discourages long-term relationships and fattens the firms which only provide the cheapest oil at the moment. It’s way too bottom-line focused.

The Editor's Notepod, Friday, November 28, 2008

Region: That employee trampled to death by shoppers out on Long Island is a horrible event. Shouldn’t it suggest that we ought to focus on a better retailing strategy than selling crazy on “Black Friday”?

Meriden: Falcon Field clean-up worked just fine on Wednesday evening.

Wallingford: If both Zandri and Dickinson agree that Covanta ought to run the trash plant, they’re probably on the right track.

Cheshire: Debate over the assessments. There’s always a lag, and if the direction reverses during that lag, people get irritated.

The Editor's Notepod, Thursday, November 27, 2008

State: Casinos want to be open 24/7. There’s less gambling after drinking hours. Well, I can understand that the urge to throw money away may abate somewhat without the influence of alcohol. How far do we go? Or is there no point in objecting, now that the gambling horses have left the barn?

Meriden: City settles with NRG. . . well, sort of. Except for the issues which aren’t settled. NRG says it’s still interested in completing the project . . . but has no buyer for the electricity, once the plant is finished. Something wrong here somewhere.

Wallingford: They’re planning a trial for the Legion Building next spring. Let’s hope something can be done before then. It’s hard to see what good a trial will do anyone, though it’s easy to see that it’ll be expensive.

The Editor's Notepod, Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Wallingford: Is it really true? The charter amendment move is really all about the veto? The suggestion is made that neither commission nor council can consider amending the veto provision because of another charter prohibition on altering mayoral power by “ordinance, vote or otherwise.” I find it hard to believe that an un-amendable charter provision can exist. That said, I would adopt the idea mentioned by Chairman Knickerbocker: break the provisions for amendment into different items and let voters say yea or nay on the veto rule separate from other provisions.

Southington: a similar process is about to begin with the charter. Talk is about not appointing anyone “official” or who has been on panel before. While I think that’s kind of foolish, as Andrew Meade points out, the fact is that anything the panel does will be looked at and debated anew by the town council which can entirely alter the proposal. I would think that deliberately filling a panel with outsiders, even those mildly antagonistic to the current administration, professional or volunteer, would be apt to generate hostility among the councilors who must approve their work.

Southington: favorable bids received for the Plantsville improvement plan — sidewalks, landscaping, lampposts — which is good for the area. Southington is fortunate to have these communities and it’s right to preserve their identities.

The Editor's Notepod, Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Meriden: Looks as if the new Falcon Field facility will get full use by both games. I like the plan that gets those involved helping out on the clean up. It wouldn’t be awful if Platt and Maloney teams volunteered to help with the on-the-field cleanup after the game…or perhaps they already do.

Wallingford (but actually I-91): general cause of crashes is driver error, not some mysterious issue with the road. That stretch is, after all, about as straight a stretch as one can imagine. And, in fact, the general state trend is downward.

Wallingford: can’t the forensic folks do any better than “more likely than not” (which is spectacularly unhelpful)? It’s always been “more likely than not.” What is needed is some positive evidence. Have they tried, for instance, clearing the area down range and actually attempting to shoot over the hill? I’d think that some sort of marker bullet might help. Or perhaps there is a distinctive kind of bullet which can be required at the range?

Meriden: postal service. Granted, I think, that this is essentially a labor/management issue, I wonder where Meriden’s postmaster is — or if the office still exists? We keep having spokespersons for the state answer inquiries. Who’s in charge locally, and why can’t he or she answer local questions?

Southington: The police union wins a round in this controversy over a hiring. Where is this all going to lead?

The Editor's Notepod, Monday, November 24, 2008

Wallingford: The chief notes the need for IT employee. The mayor notes the expenses inherent with computers.

Region: Cops preparing to be prepared for holiday parties during the season, especially beginning this week on Wednesday evening, “known to be a party night.” Revelers, beware!

The Editor's Notepod, Sunday, November 23, 2008

Meriden: agencies which rely on state funding understandably nervous, given the hot talk about the budget. I hope they don’t cut away and undo good work that been done.

Southington: police grievance denied. But there’s a state decision to come. It’s time for people to get together and thrash this out.

Wallingford: the report on the police future should certainly complicate decisions about the Wooding property . . . which everyone will certainly enjoy.

The Editor's Notepod, Saturday, November 22, 2008

Cheshire: The “C rule” for extracurricular participation. If a student gets a grade below C he or she goes on academic probation and can’t be in sports, band, color guard, etc. A plan for improvement is made. You mean, they don’t already make a plan when someone gets below a C? You mean they haven’t already been on probation?

Cheshire: Joint faith observance between Jews and Muslims. This is a good idea, I think. You can’t make progress unless, like the turtle, you stick your neck out a little.

State: Olive oil regulations. I guess, from the facts related, that this is about time we all got around to it. Probably, like maple syrup, there will be rules all over whether one may say it’s really olive oil, or only olive flavored oil. If the government doesn’t regulate this sort of thing, who will?

Wallingford: What’s happening along this stretch of I-91? It’s open and has good visibility? Until we hear otherwise, the only reasonable assumption is that it is coincidence.

The Editor's Notepod, Friday, November 21, 2008

Cheshire: the Pool. Some buildings are just full of problems and issues. There’s not much to be done but to continue to repair them!

Meriden: Former New Departure plant will be removing oil from the ground for about a $1 million. This sort of thing must be done eventually. And ball bearings always seemed so clean to me!

Cheshire: Balanced meals. Kids share ethnic dishes.

The Editor's Notepod, Thursday, November 20, 2008

Southington: there’s trouble in the police department. On paper, the chief’s hiring decision had a certain logic to it, but it certainly seems to have touched a nerve with the guys on the force. There needs to be some intervention to solve the situation, before it gets out of hand!

Region: gas price hovers around $2/gal., regular, less than half what it was on June 18. Consumer prices are actually dropping. For the first time in 50 years, the CPI has declined, moved by gas and oil and other items, I guess. We’ve not had much experience with deflation. What does it mean?

Meriden: man arrested for what I suppose is consumer fraud. Instead of the advertised crack cocaine, he sold an undercover agent a bag of crumbled sheet rock. That too is a crime: “misrepresentation of a substance as a controlled substance.”

Southington: Beaton and Corbin receiving focus for clean-up. About time, I’d say, but the grant money to do this is in fairly short supply.

The Editor's Notepod, Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Wallingford: police station report. Read and opine.

Southington: self storage robbery. It never occurred to me that security would be so miserable that someone could drive a truck in and burgle at random. It’s outrageous.

State: Lieberman. We may not like him a whole lot, but I see no reason to wreak vengeance. That’s old politics.

State: Budget woes. I don’t think we should assume necessarily that the fiscal mess will continue for 2, 4, 6 years or whatever. That makes the numbers ridiculous. On the other hand, 3 billion on an 18 billion budget is 15% not 60%.

Southington: Community Services department needs to be upgraded.

The Editor's Notepod, Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Wallingford: I think those paras have a good case. Medical insurance is undoubtedly expensive. It's hard to see how there's much bargaining room for them to give something away, given the fairly small amount they are paid. I see no reason why this is not a reasonable request. The town is not in business to make life tough for its employees. The question is for the town to find a way to make these benefits available.

Meriden: The drainage easement. Someone, I would say, might have explained things a little better, and not sent along a ridiculous seeming form which appears to give away all rights. I'm sure that's routine, but if people don't understand it they'll legitimately object.

Cheshire: Postal routes changing. And we have to hear it from a spokesperson for New York and Connecticut. That's the main problem with the postal service. It is no longer a local business.

State: Plans to spend more of the tobacco money in CT on, guess what? Anti-smoking. Good idea. And rather novel at that.

The Editor's Notepod, Monday, November 17, 2008

State/local: health care reform, through Obama administration and through Chris Donovan’s eyes. The climate may be better for a revised pooling plan. It is time to do something.

Wallingford: some very interesting ideas concerning the Wallingford Public Library’s efforts to bring teens into the library.

Southington/Bristol: auction of unpaid storage facility. Mainly interesting to learn that 30 days of non-payment can give the facility power to sell all your stuff. We’ll see if the historical society finds anything of value in what it purchased.

The Editor's Notepod, Sunday, November 16, 2008

Region: increasing numbers of kids seeking reduced-price lunch at schools. In Meriden it has been 86% for the last two years. A curiosity of the system that every cafeteria is expected to pay for itself.

Meriden: Springfield College students on a project to help city homeless, beginning with helping to provide holiday support at the shelter.

Cheshire: moratorium coming up for library fines. I’ve seen this made when people come and offer non-perishables in lieu of fines, but Cheshire thinks this is illegal. I certainly hope not, because it’s a good and helpful idea. And a library hardly lives on its fines.

The Editor's Notepod, Saturday, November 15, 2008

Meriden: Baldwin Ave. plan on hold. That makes sense to me. The thing hasn’t really changed and traffic can only be marginally heavier. The simplest, cheapest method of improving line of sight without harming neighborhood lawns would be sensible.

Cheshire: correction union complaining about practices with prisoners. Seems to me that this sort of thing ought to be reasonably negotiated between the guards and their management. That it doesn’t happen that way suggests a few other problems.

Meriden: The plight of unaccepted streets. There should certainly be a policy, and I dare say each street in this category should be inspected and residents informed as to what steps would be needed for street acceptance and how the costs might be borne. We’re not talking about a long list. If the problem has been with the developer, there ought to be some equitable way to resolve matters.

The Editor's Notepod, Friday, November 14, 2008

Meriden: study being done on trash hauling. We’d like to see a list of pluses and minuses. There are, after all, many ways to proceed. Some towns not only do pickup of garbage but also provide regulation garbage containers for everyone, which I suppose makes the collection quicker, since it’s not quirky. And speaking of quirks, the anti-trust wrinkle is an odd one.

Wallingford: Sheehan High School adding drug manufacture (legal ones, a la Bristol-Myers Squibb et al.). It’s kind of a natural idea, and a very good one.

Cheshire: town council presenting operating budget with less than 3% increase for next year. Good start. We may all see budgets actually shrink!

The Editor's Notepod, Thursday, November 13, 2008

Meriden: the old Undercliff Water tower departs. Curious that a major factor in cost is the lead paint used in 1915. How much lead do you suppose has withstood 93 years of rain?

Southington: State has said “yes” to transferring a rejected grant to a new use of expanding the library. That’s a good thing.

Wallingford: report is out on the needs of any new or reconstructed police department. Isn’t it curious that there’s an architectural/design firm which specializes in police stations? Have to take a look at the document on line.

Meriden: An animal crematorium. Good to put it on hold. I’d say it was okay with me so long as the safeguards used on a human crematory are applied to emissions, cremains, etc. On the other hand, I don’t have a real problem with farmers burying their own dead livestock on their farms. Since when has that become a hazard? I suppose the rural landscape is full of horse bones, but these days, can there be that many horses?

Meriden: School board and council members meeting together and with public to keep communications on budget open this year. Seems a good strategy.

Southington: the dog park restricted to Southington residents. Sounds like the basis is a couple of anecdotes. Hotels (in Southington?) advertising the park as a local amenity? That must bring hundreds to the park every day!

The Editor's Notepod, Wednesday, November 12, 2008

State: following trends, prices for gas are down well below what they were a year ago. Back on June 11, we reported average price at $4.35, with diesel over $5. Now gas is at $2.36, with diesel at $3.42. Neither the rise nor the decline makes much sense. And, regarding the drop in diesel, when will we see that reflected in food prices, the costs of which in some measure reflect trucking costs?

State: Bristol and New Britain papers in deep trouble. If they fold, both communities will lose something tangible and necessary to democracy. How come there aren’t any tycoons — heck even a small tycoon could probably afford one — handy to buy one and make something of it. It’s possible.

Wallingford: Lyman Hall Students put day off to good use, raking for seniors.

Wallingford: Charter revision. No change to the council, but they couldn’t finish discussing the veto issue and put it off till the next session.

The Editor's Notepod, Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Meriden: High school study. Weird stuff about what the state will and won’t pay for. Auditoriums? Swimming pools? No, but they will pay for outdoor fields? But these are legislative challenges, perhaps. Big issue is where any new facilities would go.

Meriden: Story of Pvt. Washington and his service with the French army during WWI. It’s an interesting and informative piece of history, and one we can hope we have learned from today.

Wallingford: Deer dies on the property. Curious. We’re astonishingly incapable of dealing with wild animals around here, considering how many more of them there are now than there were 30 years ago.

Meriden: I’m happy that the monument boulevard had been spruced up for today. But to consider moving them all? Move them where? Having them where they are, in the original center of town, simply makes sense. How many people, seriously, stop randomly to examine them? Where else might they go? Everywhere important in the city is on a main road. I can’t take this idea very seriously — never mind the expense!

Southington and Meriden: Since when does the DMV feel it necessary to save the kind of penny-ante change that it costs to bring the registration bus here and there around Connecticut? That’s being penny wise and dollar idiotic.

Meriden: the farm for produce and maple syrup on Thorpe Ave. seems like a good choice to me. Wish it were mine!

The Editor's Notepod, Monday, November 10, 2008

State: Automatic voter registration. I’m not quite clear why it is no obligatory for everyone to be registered – and automatically at that. And why is it a wonderful thing for people to be able to make up their minds at the last moment, literally, and go to the polls? Does this make it more democratic? Why should the courtesy be extended to those who’ve taken no previous interest, as compared, say, to those who have watched with involvement and concentration since the campaign began?

State: Mystic Seaport. The Charles W. Morgan is out of the water for repairs. It is not cheap or easy to replace timbers in a vessel of this size!

Meriden: Congratulations to Franciscans for their decade of Hospice work.

The Editor's Notepod, Sunday, November 9, 2008

Southington: glad to see someone is attempting to produce a novel this month in honor of National Novel Writing Month. We’ve had a great many sillier months.

Meriden: Factory H going to be not ploughshares, but townhouses overlooking a park and a walk along Harbor Brook.

The Editor's Notepod, Saturday, November 8, 2008

Wallingford: the mosque. I will be interested to see if another location in town proves to be any more palatable than the Leigus Road site was.

Southington: charter petition filed. Previous amendments: 11/3/1970; 11/2/1971; 11/7/1972; 7/14/1980; 7/23/1984; 11/8/1988; 11/8/94; 11/7/2000; 11/7/2006. That’s 9 times since effective date in 1966.

Meriden: Unfortunate that a good Shelter director has gotten a better job after less than a year. That happens.

State: more on Lieberman’s discussions with both parties. It’s pretty tacky. The man should declare himself. I thought he had more class than that.

The Editor's Notepod, Friday, November 7, 2008

Meriden: City will receive nearly $2 million for buying, rehabbing and selling foreclosed homes. Relieves vacancy and danger of vandalism. Hard to say how to identify derelict homes, though.

Meriden: There has to be an equation of some sort about when it becomes a better deal for the city to operate Edison than for ACES to do so. Since the city got the school’s use, without any cash, I can’t see that that time has come yet. The thing cost $40 million.

Southington: Cooking oil into heating oil. The technology was what F&S was doing last year, which seemed such a good idea then. Still is.

The Editor's Notepod, Thursday, November 6, 2008

Meriden: Fixing Baldwin Avenue. I know the place in question, and it does pose a hazard. But the city should stay away from maiming that spacious 1789 home’s front exposure. And, as someone says, smoothing out the elevations along that stretch would invite higher speeds.

Meriden: School system. I still fail to see how adding assistant principals will help anyone do anything. And they’re expensive. On the other hand, removing a “difficulty level” shouldn’t cost much, but looks to me equally nonsensical.

Wallingford: Schools and teachers reach a three-year contract. That’s a good thing, in general, compared to alternatives.

The Editor's Notepod, Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Election: A good evening, not just for results but for the way it was all handled. The results came in promptly, they provided a clear winner, both in popular and electoral votes, the loser conceded promptly and the victory could proceed. And, by the way, McCain’s concession speech was among the most gracious and patriotic statements I’ve ever heard.

Election, State/Local: this is a big win, I think, for Connecticut’s voting system. Despite the turnout, almost all the voting machines worked well, and lines were kept to a reasonable length — which is not the case in many other states.

Meriden: Okay, let’s hope the flag issue is settled now that everyone has done the right thing.

Meriden: SCSU grant to put kids to work in polling places. That's an excellent idea.

The Editor's Notepod, Tuesday-Monday, November 4-3, 2008

State: Election Day. It will be very interesting to see what the state/local voter turnout is, and how many of those newly registered voters, recruited for the genuine primary excitement, will find their way to the polls today, especially considering how pundits say Connecticut vote is a foregone conclusion.

Meriden: Humane Society may be bolstered by billboard. Good plan.

Wallingford: Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum will accept the Yankee Silversmith’s car. That’s good news. If Wallingford itself cannot find the money or the place, better it goes to a good home than be taken to the kennel and put down.

Meriden: Council approves funding for a back-up vehicular approach to bins at transfer station. Good move! And the council also rejected a sale of its land near the airport in Wallingford.

Meriden: Rohde and the ceremonial role. I hope, for the city’s sake, that Mike will hew to the ceremonial line somewhat more closely. The job may be a bully pulpit, which is great, but that’s as far as it goes.

The Editor's Notepod, Friday, October 31, 2008

Southington: Solvents Recovery Settlement. It’s been a long time coming!

Policing Cyberspace, locally: State, towns. I guess I can see why there needs to be some care, but how does having a police site help?

State: Lieberman and the Democrats. I think that’s an oxymoron for practical purposes . . . except that except for the war, he’s pretty much a Democrat in views.

Meriden: Downtown. How to upgrade/update the interesting, decorative, but not particularly durable surfaces there. It will be a trip.

Meriden: Businesses and sidewalks. Clearly, there should be a program for businesses to help replace. It’s a somewhat technical situation, since there are little Mom & Pop places for whom a sidewalk’s cost of several thousand is prohibitive, and large companies – national food chains, for instance, for which it’s small change.

The Editor's Notepod, Sunday, November 2, 2008

Meriden: No question but what Warren Stephan’s efforts over many years have built a theater presence in the city that is a cultural treasure. Congratulations to him!

State/Area: signage. Well, fewer signs. Perhaps it’s a sign of a changing world, as well, with less material being placed in print.

The Editor's Notepod, Saturday, November 1, 2008

State: bad news for the Hartford, a major employer in Connecticut.

Meriden: AT&T closing call centers. One is very tempted to assume, given the local history, that a lot of the decision is based on the fact that we have union workers in Connecticut and they don’t wherever.

Cheshire: putting a zing in history is a good thing.

The Editor's Notepod, Thursday, October 30, 2008

Meriden: tragic death of Dan Hunter, of Meriden, who will be very much missed by his community as well as his family and many close friends.

State: explication of the constitutional convention issue on the ballot next week.

Cheshire: Questions on Ballot in Cheshire, all capital items. $3.6 million is very minor, but voters may reject some.

Meriden: Land Use plan presented. Some interesting aspects to discuss and to be decided.

Wallingford: discussions over the website and minutes’ availability thereon heating up. There’s really very little excuse for not getting the thing up and running.

Wallingford: The movie that was going to be shot at Tyler Mill was finished instead in Durham, now opens.

The Editor's Notepod, Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Wallingford: lien sales. That’s one big lien. The policy should be tightened up. Enough rope and all that, but this is a little far.

Southington: Gura building fate to be decided. New Town Hall. Third try. It seems like a good idea to me.

Meriden: cops and management have worked out a deal, which will come to the Council. Hope there’s nothing in it which proves a deal-crusher.

The Editor's notepod, Tuesday, October 28, 208

Wallingford: steps against bomb threats. If it’s working, don’t fix it.

State: local legislators running unopposed. Interesting issues surround such seats.

Massachusetts: Boy who killed self accidentally with Uzi. How horrible. And according to news I heard later, people are looking around to charge father with some sort of crime.

Meriden: Downtown foreclosures.

Meriden: curriculum cuts at the schools. Always a difficult sort of step. Seems to have been influenced by NCLB.

Wallingford: doesn’t sound as if the charter commission is going too fast. Which is good!

The Editor's Notepod, Monday, October 27, 2008

Southington: department heads to have evaluations on a regular basis, following management criticism earlier this year.

State: interesting discussion and confrontation at Quinnipiac Univ., which happens to be a private institution, not a public one. Cf., the brouhaha at Central not too far back.

The Editor's Notepod, Sunday, October 26, 2008

Southington: SAT scores. Can't we do any better than compare scores? I suppose Meriden's will be somewhat lower, but maybe not, Wallingford's about the same, but maybe not, and Cheshire's somewhat higher, but maybe not. Says nothing about individual learning, or the quality of anyone's education. And SATs are even now under general question.

Meriden: Update and clean-up for the Broad Street green, the historic center of the city.

The Editor's Notepod, Saturday, October 25, 2008

Southington: Two bids, both lower than purchase price, for MyBar. Yet Council thinks it will make lemonade. Hope they're right

Meriden: Parties will go through channels to get plywood painting approved on Colony Street. Good.

Meriden: electronics collection at Lincoln. I brought stuff there myself, and was impressed at the smoothness of the operation.

The Editor's Notepod, Friday, October 24, 2008

Meriden: the cooperation between Boys & Girls Club’s Camp Cuno and the city for land access to additional acreage up in that area. I’d like to see a map.

Southington: slow and steady is the answer for the artificial turf, as has been pointed out. I cannot see how anyone can justify calling such a decision an “emergency” situation.

Cheshire: taking up the issue of the late mail deliveries. Hope they have better luck than Meriden, which did manage to get one route restored.

Meriden: More on the inner district issue.

The Editor's Notepod, Thursday, October 23, 2008

Southington: more about the selection of the new police captain. Looks to me like they’re going to duke it out, which seems a pity.

Region: those Asian longhorned beetles, discovered in Worcester, Mass, seem pretty bad. They arrived in a shipping crate, probably from China. Is this one of the blessings of a one-world economy?

Southington: considerable elbowing to demonstrate which party can save the most cash in the budget. A curious process.

Southington: discovery of arsenic at the former water department site. Something else expensive to be cleaned and removed. Are there more of these places in Southington, or is it just that they make more of a stir in Southington because they become expense items?

Meriden: Health survey. Apparently 400 persons were surveyed. Nearly 40 percent say they’ve got high blood pressure. Reading the report, I’m interested to note that nearly 25.7 percent of the participants were over age 65, another 26.8 were from 55 and 64, while 21.7 percent were from 45 to 54. That nets that 74.2 percent of the survey were over 45. Is that reflective of the city’s demographics? Which could certainly account for the elevated blood pressure findings (pardon the pun).

The Editor's Notepod, Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Southington: Union grievance over promotion of a new captain. Issue, I suppose, is his "outsider" status, though I'd think that a guy who has spent years as a state trooper and gotten a law degree to specialize in defending police from lawsuits would be an insider. The charge of being a "drinking buddy" is hard to prove and hard to disprove, but there's a long history of a union, not particularly this union, objecting to anyone entering at high level from outside.

Meriden: Crown Street as highway. From a personal standpoint, I would be terrified to exceed the limit. There are almost always people on the sidewalks and people in front of the homes, and there is very little extra space. Cars are often poorly parked, and as the story notes, there are too many of them. I don't know what can be done about it, really.

Wallingford: I continue to think those paraprofessionals in Wallingford have an issue. It's a bargaining issue, not a civil rights issue (though it's strange that in this country it somehow seems not to be a civil rights issue), and we supported them earlier.

Meriden: Downtown board painting. This is not about the Italian flag, really! It does seem to be about who gets to tell other people what to do. Have there been earlier problems? I haven't heard of any; but to dismantle about the Design Review Board before there's any complaint seems a little silly. It's not an archaism, but it does need to have its ducks lined up if it's going to tell other folks what to do.

Meriden: Council's Economic Development (etc) Committee votes not to sell 31-acre parcel just down range from the airport runway to be developed as houses. That's a no-brainer. Why would anyone -- other than a devel-oper, who wouldn't have to live there -- want to build at the end of a runway? IT would only exacerbate the Airport/Meriden vs Wallingford issues which already exist.

The Editor's notepod, Tuesday, October 21, 208

Meriden: The Italian flag, in plywood, on Colony street. I suppose that painting the plywood frontage violates some regulation or other. I wouldn't want it as a permanent thing. Uniformity is a worthwhile goal, given the ha-phazard history and the general nature of things. But this is not a permanent installation. It's only for a few months. Well, give it a year. Would a red-whit-and-blue paint job be better? Plain plywood? I say it should stay.

5th Congressional District: here's a clear issue. Privatizing social security. Another: Health care and its universality. A third: public financing of campaigns. A fourth: drilling and energy.

Meriden: NRG receives an invitation to dance with something called Exelon. And of course, the guys running that corporate game don't condescend to stoop so low as to speak to us locals.

Wallingford: For the fire department, and for the volunteers, the chance to use a controlled fire as a training facility is very excellent.

Meriden: Glad to see that the city has a new finance director on board. Good luck to Michael Lupkas.

Meriden: Council committee considers the possible elimination of the central tax district. There are some inequities there. It will be interesting to see if they can make the situation any better. My own preference is to continue paying for garbage pickup as a city function -- even though the city's been privatizing it for a number of years now. It's one less thing to fuss about when the city just does it!

The Editor's Notepod, Monday, October 20, 2008

Meriden: Congratulations to latest Hall of Fame inductees.

Cheshire: The “Thresholds” program for inmates seems to be one of the steps advocated by those concerned with prisoners for many years. These are life skills and many inmates lack them in some respects.

The Editor's Notepod, Sunday, October 19, 2008

Wallingford: American Legion building. I can’t see that anyone has any coherent idea for the place; yet people are vaguely angry over the fact that it was purchased anyway. It’s time to move on, but this will probably work its way out in court. I can’t see Dick Blumenthal coming up with a better plan.

Meriden: Center Congregational Church has hired a gay pastor. It’s a bold step for a congregation to take, considering how volatile an issue this can be. A few people will get up and go, but most will take the differ-ence in stride. A bigger problem for this and other so-called “main line” churches/denominations is where they will find future congregants. Presumably, they will come from the pool of tolerant citizens who feel themselves free to choose their religious affiliations.

Meriden: questions now face city/owners about future of #30 and #19 Colony Street.

State: Constitutional Convention on the ballot. It would be grim chance if this previously largely un-noticed item is propelled to the front by reaction to the recent Supreme Court decision. I think, myself, that any wholesale opening of any constitution or charter invites amendment by surprise.

The Editor's Notepod, Saturday, October 18, 2008

Wallingford: Mosque. Mr. Farid says he’s staying in town to find a place for a house of worship. I hope he can find one.

Meriden: Energy assistance forum. Good stuff to know.

5th District Race: lots of noise here about influence and Rowland and wives. I don’t think it amounts to very much in the long run.

Southington: searching for Native American campsites along proposed widening of Mount Vernon Road. My question regards how long this process will take. I also wonder how this project might relate to the pending bonding request for moving that road to accommodate Compounce expansion. The company no doubt has a time limit.

The Editor's Notepod, Friday, October 17, 2008

Wallingford: The decision on the Mosque on Leigus Road. I really can’t see what the objection is to a house of worship in the neighborhood. I hope someone invites the Muslims to another community which will wel-come them.

Cheshire: The postal service strikes again. Why don’t they just leave it alone?

State: You know times are bad when the gambling receipts go down. On the other hand, seems to me that the old j’ai alai courts and the dog races began to decline before, not after, the casinos opened. There are fashions in gambling which have no relationship to the economy, perhaps.

Southington: Concerned Citizen candidate for 81st District lives in Meriden!? Apparently, that’s okay. He only has to move to the district after election. Who knew? But that does open some interesting possibilities for someone with the capability of moving where the votes are. Seems to me that’s a loophole which, if residency is to mean anything, should be closed.

The Editor's Notepod, Thursday, October 16, 2008

Wallingford, etc.: CRRA/Covanta compared in general. I suppose I’m a control freak at heart, but I cannot see allowing a critical local service, garbage disposal, to be handed over to someone else and to be operated under someone else’s profit motive. CRRA’s proposal seems not to insure that after amortizing the purchase the plant would belong to the towns. That has to be cleared up. The Covanta proposal gives the whole thing to the company following exercise of the $1 option which incredibly exists. I can’t see it.

Southington: Briarwood College sold. Transferred is the business, not the land. It’s odd to think of an institution of higher learning being operated as a business. The sites of the other schools in Connecticut, all with a Lin-coln name, focus on career education.

Meriden: Businesses angered and traffic snarls which dissuade potential customers. Apparently, there were some communication problems with the East Main repaving job.

Cheshire/Southington: The life-style center is again concerning the neighbors, this time over traffic flow and that overpass at Rts 10 and 322. Again, the need is underlined for there to be collaboration in the zon-ing/development process between adjoining towns.

The Editor's Notepod, Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Wallingford: the building that nobody wants and that cannot die. After interested persons incited the Historical Commission to intervene to save the American Legion building for historic value, efforts are now being made to sell the property — and two presumably legitimate offers have now been rejected. Makes no sense to me.

Meriden/Wallingford: town’s suit vs. ZBA based on traffic, logically enough. The whole controversy is an excellent argument for contiguous municipalities to work together on zoning issues. It’ll never happen.

Meriden: I-91 construction. There’s no real excuse for operating these road repair jobs in a way which simply snarls traffic for hours. I spent an hour in August on 91 southbound just sitting because of similar work; someone else I know sat in the northbound lane this week. While news of the work has been in the paper, on neither occasion did I see any sort of warning to motorists. Through traffic has no choice, but I was coming home from Cromwell at 9 p.m. and would not have entered I91 had the work stoppage been posted. And while we’re at it, drivers should be aware that there’s a project on East Main Street Meriden as well.

The Editor's notepod, Tuesday, October 14, 208

Region: Falling gas prices . . . and other commodities. The numbers seem excellent (even if temporary) for American consumers. But there’s a price here: in a number of nations which depend on the export sales of agricultural products or raw materials to support economies, falling futures can mean literally that!

Meriden: Tom Grimshaw’s hobby should be appreciated. Reading and understanding both the Bible and the Quran (or either one of them) are activities to be urged, not necessarily for reasons of faith but for reasons of civil and foreign policy. For the faithful, reading the word is a way to reinforce belief; for those merely curious and concerned, it’s the best way to understand other people’s system of life.

Wallingford: St. John the Evangelist Church has patchy, bumpy, asphalt sidewalks, but won’t see new ones for another three years. This is for laying asphalt? Town Engineer John Thompson says “call the mayor.” Well, okay!

Southington: the use of the old Drive-in for storage of the contaminated soil is logical, I guess, since no one has suggested it should have been placed elsewhere. There’s been a gas line buried across the land as well, with excavation remains. No surprises: it’ll be 4 years next spring since the town bought the land. It’s one of the facts of public works. Without a big emergency, things move very slowly.

Saturday-Sunday-Monday, October 11-12-13, 2008

Monday, October 13, 2008

Towns, locally: bonding/lending could become difficult in the economic environment.

Wallingford: Television reception. This digital changeover is such a huge rip-off as far as I’m concerned, but in a nation where TV has become a sine-qua-non, I suppose it is a serious problem not to have reception.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Meriden: Housing market. Rentals. How is it that a landlord can be foreclosed without notice? I presume that means that the landlord gave tenants no notice. But surely, the tenant must still be evicted via the usual process, does it not? At least any tenant whose rent is paid on time.
State: Voter registration. It’s one thing to register young people, and so another to get them to vote when it comes time.

Wallingford: Town Councilor comes and talks in a civics class at Lyman Hall. This ought to be required of every councilor (probably easy to do, since most politicians are pretty gregarious) and of every civics class (harder to accomplish, since time must be found in the schedule, and it’s tough to account for time spent with a politician on No Child Left Alone).

Saturday, October 11, 2008

State: supreme court’s decision on same-sex marriages. As far as I’m concerned, this is only the other shoe. The civil union step, though laudable, doesn’t provide equality where it matters — which has nothing to do with the bedroom. I’m delighted the court ruled this way. A lot of people are upset, but it is not the court’s job to place an essentially sacred concept of “marriage” within the confines of state law.

Wallingford: the Ethics controversy. Apart from the economic advisability of going to self-insurance — which may or may not be wonderfully cheaper — the issue seems to divide between those who feel that non-execution of a local ordinance is an ethical issue and those who do not.

Meriden: It remains a useful thing for the race relations panel to be meeting.

Southington: new structure to police department. The new guy, Daigle, has some strong qualifications. It seems a bit unusual to me that an officer who has spent the time to get a law degree and who has been employed at a firm, will choose the full-time work in a department, but I can see the attractions of the calling.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Meriden: Postal routes. There may be other (mainly labor/management) antagonisms involved in the route-cutting foray made in August, but it does seem somewhat out of line to cut routes by 15% and then to expect every-thing to arrive as it did before. I think the carriers have a beef. It’s typical of this privatized operation that there is no one real to respond from the management. The “spokesperson” is a mouthpiece without authority.

Southington: the Goat Island oven sounds like a very warm artifact and one worth preserving, if at all possible

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Meriden: More bad news for AT&T workers on Deerfield Lane. 60 jobs, following 200 earlier in the year. Makes one long for SNET, which did not have the option of moving jobs to . . . wherever. It was May of 2004 that the union picketed in Meriden site against then-SBC and police protection was required. They reached a five year contract in July 2004, and then SBC bought AT&T which was Cingular but not singular, and they all became AT&T and around we all go.

Wallingford: Another old house finally ready to be deconstructed or demolished. Too much waiting around dos properties no good.

Meriden: Walk to school brings officials out to check out safe sidewalks. If there’s cash, why not get it? But it will take a plan.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Meriden: Kendzior gets extension of contract and high marks. I don’t recall that happening within the span of the manager system.

Wallingford: more on the trash plant. There’s a lot to look at here. Are the other towns in the current pact looking as well?

Wallingford/Meriden: VNA still operating, despite July lightning strike and fire. People seem not to know this.

Southington: a second hotel to be built directly across the street from the first; neither built, both approved. Seems kind of guaranteed to make both unprofitable. But that’s competition. First comer gets the good spot. Next in line sensibly goes to the second-best, which, by definition, would be NOT across the street. But that’s only if there’s any individuality in a hotel.

Wallingford: the litter ordinance seems to be somewhat different than was hoped? Or tough to enforce? Or tough to comply with?

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Meriden: Council creates a committee to help form plan for high schools’ future. Seems a logical and cooperative step. Certainly beats shooting dueling proposals back and forth. They also approved the deal with Meriden gas Turbine, at least in rough form.

Wallingford: I continue to be envious for Meriden of Wallingford’s municipal generating capacity, as demonstrated by the renovated Pierce Plant. This durable facility went from oil to coal (I think) a couple of decades ago and has now been refitted with natural gas and diesel fuel, and can now emit up to 85 megawatts, which is substantially more than its old 22 mw.

Meriden: Mayor says annual clean-up will continue. This is a good thing to be doing.

Wallingford: have to take a look at the proposals on the trash plant. The deadline is coming right along.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Southington: The town hall referendum, # 3 in the current series, reflects 19th century experience. I think the town needs a new facility. All accounts I’ve heard of the existing facilities suggests they are woefully inadequate and in bad physical shape.

Wallingford: The Blue Trail Range fundraiser. Seems to me that for a great many years the range has been a fairly passive sort of land use (despite the apparent aggression of bullets and all). The range is now being asked to jump through all kinds of conditions which were not extant when the range began. While there’s a natural concern for safety, the expenses of accomplishing all the sought safety steps, not to mention the legal fees, will clearly bankrupt the range — which may be the end in mind.

State: Jury duty. Threats (especially unenforceable threats) are hardly a way to create willing jurors. But justice requires committed and attentive juries. Seems to me the solution is to make it more worthwhile, to compensate — adequately — workers who must miss regular employment to serve, perhaps figure out a reward system for those who show up. Also, if the one-day attendance rule hasn’t yet been applied throughout the state, it should be so expanded.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Meriden/State: teen pregnancy program much needed in city; after several years on a downward curve, seems teens becoming pregnant more often. Follows the economy? Suggestions in story on relative lack of affluence of many teen moms. This should be so simple to cope with, but being straitened into “abstinence” programs doesn’t seem to be a workable choice.

Southington/Wallingford: both town celebrations seem to have done well, despite some questionable weather during at least a part of the event.

Meriden: a second motor vehicle accident involving a West Main Street business. And I know of a similar accident in Hamden. Did people use to drive their cars or trucks into buildings?

Southington: Good. State is taking action against a development company which is allowing erosion at site. That is what DEP should indeed be doing.

Cheshire: A teachers’ contract without arbitration. That is something of a rarity these days.