The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Feb. 28, 2009

Wallingford: how like a bad intersection. No one will blame Amtrak for any delay, but it’s notable that Amtrak is not available for comment. Is this one of those situations wherein someone will have to get killed before anything can happen? 114 accidents in 3-4 years are a lot . . . does this represent a change, or are these just what has been recorded recently?

Wallingford: Lyman Hall students who won prizes for reading Howard Fast’s 1944 Novel, Freedom Road and writing essays in response. Howard Fast was persecuted for membership in the Communist Party and imprisoned for three months for refusing to reveal the names of donors. Wrote Spartacus. Blacklisted.

Meriden: Quinceañera discussion and celebration is building identities at Edison. That’s a good thing.

Cheshire: train show, held twice a year, brings lots of visitors and benefits Cheshire HS Marching Band as well as jazz band, winterguard and winter percussion. Seems a bit of an odd match-up, but it’s been going for a long time and if it works, great!

Meriden: More stimulus cash seems to be on the way.

Meriden: Postal Service can’t sell and can’t protect old building on Colony. And apparently can’t care less about the plight of Meriden’s downtown. Well, that’s not news.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Feb. 27, 2009

Southington: Board of Ed approves policy to let school groups sell ads to raise cash for what they may need. Well, that’s the American Way or something, isn’t it?

Wallingford: Does make you wonder what good the TARP bailout funds are if Bank of America can’t help local businesses who have been customers continue to operate.

Meriden: Stimulus cash arrives – first hunk goes for Community Development Block Grant. Hope this isn’t the only chunk.

Meriden: Congratulations to two local attorneys, Gerard Adelman (also a former R-J Editorial Board guest) and Corinne Klatt confirmed to seats on the Superior Court bench.

The Editor's Notepod, Thurs., Feb. 26, 2009

Wallingford: rarely has a legal opinion so forcefully added the bottom line to a discussion. The charter says funds are ended at the end of a budget year. Amen.

Meriden: DEP rejects golf course plans to dry up a couple of holes. You’d think that DEP would have made it clearer what they wanted.

State: Miss Outstanding Teen seems to have done a less than outstanding job at hosting a party, but we’ll wait for all the facts. I can’t see withholding names of teens arrested because they are young, though.

Southington: A 2.9 percent increase is very modest, but to those who have taken the no tax pledge, it may still be too much.

Meriden: Executive Auto Group to present before city’s IWWC next Wednesday. How can 792 new parking places and the asphalt they sit on and whatever leaks from them NOT have some negative effect upon the wetlands or anything else round about?

Wallingford: MacKenzie Reservoir dredging project seems ready to go, and if stimulus money is received, that will alleviate bonding load.

Wallingford: good work of Lyman Hall students at Master’s Manna.

State: The raise the age law, providing some sort of legal cushion for 16- and 17-year olds, is a good change, and I think departments are making a whole lot of extra noise over a fairly small matter.

Meriden: new director about to be selected for the MHA. Regarding comments by Roland Cockfield, it has always seemed to me that there is a disconnect between the purpose of Public Housing, which is to provide low cost good quality units for those who can not otherwise afford decent housing, and the constitution of the MHA board, which has to run a business as a landlord and actually protect a bottom line, with very little support.

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., Feb. 25, 2009

Southington: recreation Director files labor complaint over overtime. And this is the fellow whose wife was permitted to work for the town as well. Times are tough, and this sort of thing, not surprisingly, is up for tightening. But there’s a procedure for doing this sort of thing, surely, and it's too bad that the situation seems to have gotten way out of control.

Wallingford: an examination of accounts, while interesting and raising questions of procedures, is likely to be tedious.

Meriden: golf irrigation project approved with golfers footing the bill. Let’s hope there turns out to be no need for blasting.

Meriden: tougher policy seems to have improved attendance at high schools, which is all to the good.

Meriden: City’s cultural center facing some revenue issues, which will hopefully be alleviated through the annual appeal.

Wallingford: Work progressing on Superintendent search, but it might be good not to refer to the eventual nominee as the “ideal” superintendent, which kind of sets whoever it turns out to be up for a fall.

Wallingford: charter revision. Looks like a major effort, but I wonder if the commission needs to be working on details of personnel and pensions. Do such technical things need to be in the charter at all, considering their propensity to change? And there is still room to differ on the premise that the charter needs to be reworked merely because it hasn’t been done recently.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., Feb. 24, 2009

Southington: town has convinced a number of teachers at high end to retire, meaning lower costs for salaries. What does it mean for experience?

Meriden: comparison between Summitwood and today’s Plan of Conservation and Development makes the POCD look good, naturally. But not as good as leaving alone in the first place.

Wallingford: Enterprise of Sheehan students in their Dominican Republic Mission team fundraiser.

Wallingford: do they actually mean that conservation programs are causing the rates for sewer and water and electricity to RISE, because the demand is lower? If that’s really true and not a twist or a spin, then we need to do something radically different about our conservation mindset.

Wallingford: Sen. Fasano doesn’t want to see tolls return . . . but there are potential toll-collection methods which work electronically and which don’t mean slow-downs.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., Feb. 23, 2009

Meriden/Wallingford (And elsewhere): Red Cross and other charitable organizations all experiencing serious declines in income with the withering economy. People should take a close look at how much good these and other charities do before going out the next time for dinner – which we say carefully, because we don’t want to harm anyone’s retail expectations either. But if we don’t support charities voluntarily, it will be up to government to do so, through public funding.

Southington: New scoring system for nutrition at local supermarket. It will be interesting to see how effective it will be.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., Feb. 22, 2009

Wallingford: Stockpiling of cash discussion. While it’s good to have money to spend when needed, money in a sock isn’t always the best method, particularly if it seems to be spendable for particular requests other than intended.

Meriden: Noisy vehicles. Motors, mufflers, radios. But where can anyone draw the line? I wish there would be better muffling of trash collection vehicles. They make an awful racket. So does the occasional fire engine which comes up the street. Or how about neighbors' lawnmowers? Depends on the time of day and the necessity, of course. Why can’t motor cycles be properly silenced? Ans.: they can. Noise is part of some riders’ statement.

Southington: make a blanket day – for kids – should help a lot of youngsters keep warm.

Cheshire: Betty Allen’s commitment to taking care of others; she just returned from Biloxi and work on homes harmed by Katrina.

Wallingford: after assurances regarding the future of the linear trail, the trail advisory committee has changed course and withdrawn opposition to transfer of funds to the immediate improvements for Reskin Drive. If the committee’s convinced, that’s okay, but it’s still an odd way to fund particular projects.

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Feb. 21, 2009

Southington: nitrogen credits now very expensive. Town considered that state policy was unsettled and postponed. Well, someone will always be on that side of the equation.

Meriden: Suggestion from Walter Hylwa to move the Goffe House and the Andrews Homestead downtown somewhere. Assuming that issues about historic registers and so on could be cleared away or resolved, it isn’t such a bad idea. West Main doesn’t look resemble the streetscape of 1760 at all, and North Colony has changed almost as much. Both locations, while tenable, are far from ideal. Middletown successfully brought several old homes to its southern end where they make a pretty classy display. Downtown is now getting to the point where there is a good deal of open space.

Southington: false allegations against cops are clearly hurtful and damaging to the department and the individual. But this is true against other professionals and businesses – and many crimes. While an arrest or initial charge generally gets large play, it is the nature of things that subsequent stories clearing up the facts, for good or ill, get less attention – even if similarly placed. It’s a real problem, possibly unsolvable.

Meriden: Good for the city for adjusting the golf rates. That should make sense.

Meriden/Wallingford: folks preparing for the literacy Scrabble contest.

Wallingford: it’s appropriate that injustices (I think that puts it mildly) Baha’is are getting some attention. It is certainly not new.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Feb. 20, 2009

Southington: Mixed feelings about West Street development. It’s good to see that growth is happening, especially when all around are losing their shirts, but it’s sad to see the farms disappearing.

State: Rell’s $1.1 billion deficit plan has lots of specifics which will hurt lots of specific constituencies. Still waiting for the Democrats’ plan. Then will come the horse trading. So what’s wrong with every state employee taking a 10% cut? How far will that get us?

Meriden: Re-naming, or reaffirming the name of the WWII building seems straightforward and logical. So let’s do it.

Southington: Good work in reducing energy cost by about 14% per month. Simple techniques seem to have worked just by turning out lights instead of waiting for the motion sensor to do the job.

Cheshire: Kill A Watt being loaned at the library for people to use and measure energy use. A good idea.

Wallingford: so what’s the right way to handle skating at public ponds? If the town is to approve skating and must wait until whatever thickness is required before giving the okay, there’ll be little skating and fewer suits. And vice versa.

State: Guaranteed, tolls are not going to be a popular way of raising money, unless it develops that they can be levied on non-residents only.

The Editor's Notepod, Thurs., Feb. 19, 2009

State: So, here’s another group not happy with the governor’s budget: seniors. Again, it’s nickel and diming cutbacks which will eliminate programs which have been of great help to a very few people. The governor has missed the simplest way to save money. I fear she cannot even make the suggestion. But there a legislators who can do so, credibly and with the power to achieve what he suggests.

Wallingford: Good that the town is moving forward with possible use of the Wooding Caplan property for parking. Yes, of course, the police are looking at the possibility, but that’s in the distant future. Paving over a section for parking isn’t a forever scenario.

Meriden: raising the golf fees modestly to cover necessary improvements seems a sensible step to protect our investment in the course. Of course someone should be checking residency. And it’s worth pointing out that many people are willing to pay far more than they do for a round of golf to go to watch any sort of concert and to watch many athletic events.

Meriden: If the YMCA brings in that application for a wind powered generator, it will be a fine thing.

Durham: town funds a $20,000 study of the Blue Trail Range in Wallingford. Let’s hope it produces more information than the state police study a few months back.

Southington: sounds as if the “promenade” in front of the high school may well be a cool idea which is too complicated to work easily.

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., Feb. 18, 2009

Meriden: the eviction mandate: i.e., the state requires towns to store evicted tenants’ belongings for 15 days before auctioning them off. Everyone seems in favor of this, because there’s a cost. I don’t know where to begin on this! The poor individuals evicted – not all of whom are deadbeat apartment-destroyers – shouldn’t get the break of having their stuff cared for for a few days, but the landlord should be able to dump it immediately? If the mandate is repealed, it’s not likely anyone will make landlords do it, and a good many of them will simply appropriate the goods and junk what they don’t want. And junk or not, it still belongs to the tenants. If it’s too expensive, make it cheaper. Don’t ship it to Cheshire! Put it into a warehouse somewhere: there are empty buildings the city could actually use. Bad economic times shouldn’t mean that it becomes open season for repealing protections for the weakest citizens – precisely those who are evicted.

Meriden: Stimulus bill. Go get ‘em. Whatever we can get.

Meriden: council passes the plan unanimously, and we were late with the editorial. That doesn’t make the decision any less of a mistake.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., Feb. 17, 2009

Meriden: Magnet school discussion – demagnetization. It seems to me that any thought of getting the state to “forgive” $8.745 million if the city takes over operations, given the state’s full-participation in the original construction and in the extra construction costs, in the current economy is a pipe dream. Don’t waste time thinking about it. Much more to the point would be working with other magnet communities in a) attracting students from the non-urban communities and b) changing/repairing the disparity of state reimbursement. It makes no sense to penalize Meriden or Hamden because parents want their own kids want to attend and parents of kids from Berlin or New Haven or wherever -- don’t.

Wallingford: Hearing scheduled for those condo owners who object to the restrictions – rightly or wrongly – on what they can add to their units outdoors.

State: How is cutting the subsidy the state has paid to small towns for resident troopers going to save anyone any money? The towns will have to pay the salaries and supporting costs just the same. Whether it’s local or state taxes it’s all public support. This is nonsense – as well as nickel-dime behavior.

Cheshire: Congratulations to Suzie Jing of Cheshire High for her award in the Conn. Art Education Association’s annual competition. So many of us forget so often that it is art’s purpose to make us think as well as to entertain or beautify.

Southington: Twichell House, Plantsville, which has become a “painted lady” in its 21st century incarnation, and a landmark.

Meriden: good luck to the latest entrepreneurs at the quondam Town and Country Market on Hall Avenue. It’s tough to take on the super stores, especially in tough times, but the right person may be able to carve out a niche.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., Feb. 16, 2009

Meriden: Too much focus on demolition in grants for city?

Wallingford: Holding the line on taxes may be difficult – from no less a source than the mayor.

Gasoline: Story from the NYT on how oil is priced. Seems tied to the barrel in west Texas and that’s cheaper than what’s being imported. Sounds fishy to me

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., Feb. 15, 2009

State: Governor Rell’s plan to charge fines for points on driver’s licenses will be popular but is indeed a miserable and highly regressive tax increase, levied on the backs of those most at the mercy of the DMV.

State: Apparently, one of the things the state plans on cutting seriously are the PILOT funds, which compensate towns for playing home to prisons. Cheshire, with three, plus a private school will hurt big-time. This strikes me as a major negative. But we mustn’t raise taxes.

Meriden: I’m not sure I see any sense at all in merging the Board Governors of Higher Education, which is volunteer, into the State Board of Education. Volunteers do considerable work in assessing needs of the organizations and in advocating for it. The only thing abolition can do is rob these institutions of an effective independent voice. But of course, we can’t afford the tax money.

Southington: Computer protocols and policies must be updated.

Southington: town is seeking an additional $1.3 million for the clean up costs around the water treatment plant. Good luck on prying such cash away from the state this year!

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Feb. 14, 2009

Cheshire: School board cuts budget request for 2009-10 to a mere 2.09 percent. I imagine any board is rather reluctant to ask for so little, since any council is under pressure to cut more.

Wallingford: Retired 90-year-old principal, Francis Franklin, who is working to build a scholarship fund in memory of the women he loved.

Meriden: I’m not sure I’m entirely comfortable with the decision of the Board of Ethics to okay Mark Hughes’ votes on ACES-related school board issues. Hughes works at another ACES facility. True, he is covered by contract in that school, and one can accept the idea that ACES management would not try to coerce his actions as Meriden Board President, but . . And yet, since the Board of Ethics has spoken, that’s how it is, so let’s move on.

Southington: Secondo’s comment about Obama rather defies comprehension.

Wallingford: Good to get the beams up at the Vo-Ag center at Lyman Hall.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Feb. 13, 2009

Wallingford: Transfer of funds away from Linear Trail fund? Sounds like a snatch and grab.

Meriden: the city has a turn facing the aquifer regulations. As noted, these will prevent certain categories of new businesses on the aquifers, while existing firms must register and observe practices, most of which are already in use.

Southington: Choice of Hartford former chief raises some hackles with the union, since the fraternity is the same as the local chief’s but time will show if Sullivan can be impartial.

Meriden: YMCA opens child care – infant and toddler set – in South Meriden. Some needs to move forward in this field, and this gives the Y three separate facilities.

Cheshire: Council votes to apply for grant, with dissenters, and there’s doubt about spending the local cash if they actually get the grant.

Southington: a 2.9 percent increase in the school budget seems within the realm of responsible possibility.

The Editor's Notepod, Thur., Feb. 12, 2009

Area: Peanut scare. 1) national jarred peanut butter is not affected by recall. Why doesn't this fact get repeated. 2). Many schools don't allow peanut butter anyway, so no big deal. But c.f., that story about the comparative test on peanut allergies between English kids kept away from pb and Israeli kids who have early exposure, with the early exposure kids having fewer peanut allergies.

Meriden: The full committee voted to approve the development plan for Cathole Mtn.They're all afraid of being thought anti-business. It's time to stop this process. That land needs to be preserved. Developers can go after the Hall Farm, if they must, or the brownfields projects downtown, but the city should not sell its soul or, more important, its major physical asset, for the sake of a few or even a lot of tax dollars in the bush.

Wallingford: the issue with financial management system lies in "lack of integrated modules." right. Accountants' talk? I hope someone asked what that meant.

Meriden: It is good to get all the social service agencies together so they each know what the others are doing and can do. Then again, why are there so many different agencies? Our system of categorical eligibility for benefits might be streamlined.

Cheshire: Contract for waste removal won't be waived. Given the particular history, I can see why members had some general concerns.

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., Feb. 11, 2009

Meriden: Unfortunately, the plan to move the football league from Washington Park to Ceppa Field won't wash, so that rules out a move of the Jack Barry League from Britannia St. sogginess to Washington Park. Who knew that arranging leagues could be so complicated?

Wallingford: the discussion begins about remedying parking. I love the suggestion about fewer cars by the bike enthusiast. Probably isn't going to be the main solution, but a great thought.

Southington: Good that an independent person has been hired to examine the charges and counter charges about the chief. This matter should be aired and resolved.

Southington: Town ends last year late with the report but with a surplus, which is very nice.

Meriden: While I certainly hope that the person hit and her youngster in a stroller are all right, it is worth pointing out that under the law, it is not a pedestrian'
s right to use a zebra crosswalk where there is a light with a walk signal, unless the walk signal is on. I thing the zebra crossings should be removed except where drivers are expected to yield to pedestrians at all times.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., Feb. 10, 2009

Southington: Sewer increases. The original plan seems to have taken councilors somewhat by surprise, at 35% + 25% + 15%. That’s 75% over 3 years, and would have had people in the aisles yelling. Why was this an apparent surprise? Another matter for the Charter Commission?

State: Judicial Review Council disciplines a judge for drunk driving and abusiveness to police after an arrest. It’s interesting that the council has indeed acted.

Cheshire: Rep. Esty’s bill to collect unused prescription drugs rather than flushing them sounds sensible. In the case of most prescriptions, though, don’t doctors instruct patients to finish the prescription?

State: Here’s something which sounds pretty unnecessary to me: That raw milk proposal. The number of people who drink raw milk has to be vanishingly small, but certainly includes those with the money and inclination to want to do so. They assume the risk, surely. No way the stuff can wind up on regular grocery shelves, is there? Why do this?

Southington: new program to help kids deal with serious illness of a parent seems to make sense.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., Feb. 9, 2009

State: governor moves to end special commissions on women, African-Americans, and so-on . . . all created by the legislature. I am not entirely sure that each group needs a specially-created body to look after interests. But if there is no commission, who will do this? The legislature does not, and the governor does not.

Wallingford: Model trains, I dare say, is not the only “traditional” sort of hobby in decline, along with a great number of other socio-cultural traditions.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., Feb. 8, 2009

State: The anti-marijuana laws. Not being a pot-head myself, I don’t really understand marijuana, but I have never seen the point of these laws. Blame J. Edgar Hoover for them: when Prohibition was repealed, he was going to be out of a job unless he found another substance to proscribe. Pot is it. Its proscription is an obsession and a colossal waste of time. The only sense in which pot is a gateway drug any more than caffeine or, heaven help us, nicotine is because in buying and using it an individual is brought into contact with persons with a criminal lifestyle who would sell something stronger.

Meriden: Story on the RJ's last press run. It really brings home a lot of things that have changed over the years.

Wallingford: town and Choate Rosemary involvement in English teaching/coaching at the library.

Meriden: Glad to see that the Quinnipiac River Watershed Authority is still working on the new quarters at Dossin Beach; they’ve got a lot of money to raise, though, to finish the job.

Southington: UNICO, in addition to the Goat Island building, also will care for the 1760 West Street School house, and the South End School. UNICO, since I didn’t know, is a club originally founded as an Italian-American service organization in Waterbury in 1922. The letters originally stood for “Unity, Neighborliness, Integrity, Charity, and Opportunity.”

Wallingford: Congratulations to firefighters honored at Senior Center by Chief Peter B. Struble.

Cheshire: Police cars now have video recording for each interchange during vehicle stops. Time to smile and be on candid camera.

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Feb. 7, 2009

Meriden: Human Rights Advisor Board needs to be given new life somehow. I see no particular problem with atty. Deborah Moore being on the board. There’s no conflict really, since the board has no powers. If the board were active and making recommendations, it still wouldn’t hurt to have her present, since she is in a position to tell other members what city policy is or is not and how things work and don’t work. At the same time, it wouldn’t hurt to have some members with a bit more of an agenda as well as those with other concerns. Remember, it’s an advisory board. Could it be something else? Sure!

Southington: Suggestion box on saving budget dollars. For every suggestion there will be, naturally, some defenders. But I think a suggestion box will merely catch notes from people who are annoyed at some particular program which helps someone else, not them. And that’s okay, so long as those making decisions remember that it isn’t a popularity contest.

Wallingford: Seems to me that while handing out parking tickets is a great way to get people’s attention, it doesn’t solve much and is not the kind of thing to do with today’s economy, thanks for the ticket, officer. Folks should sit down and provide more parking if it’s a problem. One of the things those malls do is that let people park there, and there’s not much squabbling over whether someone gets to park here or over there.

State: Casinos experiencing a drop in income, like everybody else. Will this end CT dependence on gaming funds? Don’t count on it!

Southington: Efforts made by David and Kristen Ryan with Asst. Principal David German to improve drop-off traffic flow at Southington High School.

Southington: as a Valentine fundraiser, the American Legion Auxiliary’s Chocolate Festival is hard to beat — of course, this sort of thing can’t happen in a public school today.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Feb. 6, 2009

Wallingford: Study will be made to determine, at least on an average basis, where the storm sewer system leaks into the sanitary system sewers. This seems a reasonable investigation, given the effects on the water treatment facility under high flow conditions.

Meriden: Golf course fees. The determination about raising fees depends, I guess, on how elastic the demand curve is. How do you tell, really, except by doing it and finding out how it affects use?

Area: Weekend warmth supposed to be on the way? I think this has been one of the coldest three-week periods in my remembrance.

Meriden: Inland Wetlands will hold a plenary public session to discuss the auto business on Murdock Ave. come March 4. A good thing to do.

Japan: It would never have occurred to me that pot smoking would be so great a scandal in this culture, especially among sumo wrestlers, demonstrating once again that one should never assume.

The Editor's Notepod, Thurs., Feb. 5, 2009

Meriden/State: Rell’s budget message suggests closing the Meriden court house, along with Bristol’s. Apparently, she doesn’t think downtown Meriden has enough problems. This court house ranks 6th in the amount of business done on the criminal side. She says “No tax increases” but suggests hiking all fees and licenses. That’s not a tax?

Wallingford: Electric Division urging customers to circulate a petition. Well, why not? The letter urges that the ISO New England be made responsive, first to needs of consumers/customers rather than adding charges onto transmission costs to cover large investments made to bring power to Fairfield County — which Wallingford, by the way, has seen more than its share of. The whole system is broken, since it never did make any sense to deregulate a public utility. How to fix it is the challenge!

Southington: Congratulations to the Triano family on the Albert J. Dudzik Community Impact Award.

Wallingford: It is good that George Messier is working out well in the Veterans Service Center post.

Meriden: If new restrictions on phosphorus discharges into waste water are “in the pipeline,” and it there’s already a project of $40 million underway on the water treatment plant which includes nitrogen treatment, it sure makes sense to be proactive and deal with phosphorus now if we can.

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., Feb. 4, 2009

Meriden: Well, the grand list may be pretty discouraging, but the budget management seems fairly good, though admittedly we reduced the size of the rainy day fund. Since this was used to pay down debt, it is probably a good thing. How big can the student activity fund be?

Southington: Charter Revision panel meeting with an agenda. They’ve got a lot of stuff to work through.

Wallingford: Congratulations to Choate student Rajogopalan who has come up with a cheaper way to make ethanol from vegetable biomass.

Wallingford/State: Mushinsky enters a bill to legalize medical marijuana. Good for her, and good for the long series of those who have made similar efforts. We need to get over the prohibitive/punishment approach to this stuff. Alas, until we end the “war on drugs,” we’ll see no end to the expensive and wasteful process.

Cheshire: Grand list increase due mainly to revaluation. Wonder if the balance between residential and commercial has changed?

Wallingford: Good for Bob Gross for spotting the discrepancies on CRRA’s website. So that situation has been remedied, presumably, through putting numbers from the correct source in the right place.

Southington/Cheshire: discussion stimulated by news of federal dollars for projects on the linear trail project. Seems to me that it’s a good thing to do. It would be nice for Cheshire to put together its northern extension as well, so they can join up. There are some snags locally and elsewhere, but there’s quite a good length of the conversion completed up in Avon and Simsbury.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., Feb. 3, 2009

Meriden/Wallingford/Southington: How long has the Wallingford grand list been larger than Meriden’s? It’s currently $4.3 billion to $3.68 billion. Southington’s grand list has also passed Meriden’s at $3.96 billion.

Connecticut: real estate home sales decline by 23.7 percent and prices by 9.2 percent. That’s a pretty unhappy picture.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., Feb. 2, 2009

Cheshire: Route 10 traffic loops. That’s what the state gets for making itself so difficult and unresponsive regarding “state” roads. I think this is a silly fiction, but I can’t really see any better way of running it.

State: Hartford mayor arrested for bribery. Not a great moment for the city.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., Feb. 1, 2009

Meriden: I-691 certainly needs some work. When it was aid out, the whole purpose was as a means of avoiding downtown traffic — something designers were only partially successful in, but which managed to be bad for downtown anyway. Development has followed the highway. Fix it.

State: It is to be hoped that personality incidents, whether death, investigations, personal choices or whatever, stop plaguing the legislature. They’ve got a big job to do, and it won’t make it any easier or any better if these distractions continue to occur.

Meriden: People being urged to submit grant requests for community development block. A tough set of rules and decisions, not necessarily rational in all respects.

Cheshire: Have to look up Boulder Knoll and see what was planned. Seems like a small amount of cash, all in all.

Southington: Goat Island lease approved for Unico club. That’s a good thing.