The Editor's Notepod, Tues., June 30, 2009

State: Supreme Court decision in the firefighters' case will bear some analysis.

Meriden: A bravo to union members of Local 740 of the AFLCIO and Local 3430 of the AFSCME for deciding to allow the volunteers to go forward with the off-hours operation and maintenance of Falcon Field as volunteers offered to take on the responsibility. This is a sacrifice and is worthy of remembrance.

Southington: Prepayment plan for the Southington school system, allowing parents to pay for their kids' lunches on-line or by visiting the school could eliminate the business of collecting a whole lot simpler.

Wallingford: the town again seems to serve as the training ground for state service: Chief Douglas Dortenzio has been named to a term as president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association; in attaining this kind of distinction, he joins former school superintendent Dr. Joseph Cirasuolo who is now serving as executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.

Southington: Bread of Life will have a van on site at the weekly Music on the Green concerts this summer. It's a question of increasing need at the food pantry which has necessitated this increased presence, and we hope citizens will respond..

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., June 29, 2009

Meriden: Chrysalis seeking volunteers, and this is an excellent chance for some community service for the right folks.

Wallingford: Hispanic Pride Awards Ceremony held last weekend by SCOW, honoring those who have made a positive impact on the community. This is an occasion that seems likely to grow and flourish productively.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., June 28, 2009

Wallingford: All Aboard! New station location fine with everyone but DOT, which might take years to make up its collective mind.

Meriden: the plight of the Housing Authority. Various levels of government play games with the use of cash, while the board, once appointed, is not, typically responsive to much of anyone. Not just Meriden, but anywhere. Let’s hope Rob Cappelletti can manage to turn the whole thing around.

Area/State: Anyone who drives and doesn’t yak on the cell phone can sympathize with efforts to enforce the state’s law initiated last week by the governor. It’s not easy to enforce, given current crunches, but it should be, and we urge judges to uphold legitimate tickets handed out.

State: Connecticut’s Healthy Food Initiative is facing cuts, thanks to the budget crunch and the fact that restrictions on food not only irritates students used to sweeter, saltier, or fattier foods, but also cuts into the fundraising efforts based on sales of such items. So, everyone, keep eating.

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., June 27, 2009

Southington: the discussions about the checking accounts and the football program seem to be revealing some murky territory. The facts need to be ascertained as soon as possible.

Meriden: Removing the pines at Israel Putnam school because they drop sap on people’s cars. That’s a heck of a thing to do. Do the trees not also provide shade? Are there not a dozen folks who drive older cars who don’t care about sap?

Wallingford/Southington: US Postal Service considering closing up to 150 offices in the state, but, to date, none of Southington’s and not Yalesville. All the same, Meriden still only has a single office.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., June 26, 2009

Meriden: the taxi proposal, a competitor to the existing service, which reports a significant drop in business as is, presents commission and public with interesting situation regarding licensing, competition, monopoly, economics.

Meriden: given the city’s prior undertakings with NRG about taxes and the power plant, it would be not only difficult but probably impossible to oppose the completion of the plant at this time.

Southington: nothing decrees that gifted and talented program requires a lot of cash, seeing that the transportation for the existing program has been scrapped. But it’s hard to figure out how anyone will be reached.

Cheshire: a fee schedule adopted for Mixville Park. . . $5 for residents, $10 for non-residents, which isn’t unreasonable per se, and sometimes when anyone actually has to pay for something it acquires value. But again, as before, was there any presentation of evidence that the graffiti and other misbehavior was from out-of-town.

The Editor's Notepod, Thur., June 25, 2009

Southington: The Charter Revision Commission is getting down to the interesting and critical phase of its operations, and citizens can look forward to some frank and earnest discussions.

Wallingford: citizens and volunteers, dismayed by the closing of the Red Cross Meriden Wallingford office, have met to discuss ways not only of protesting, which may at this point be somewhat useless, but also of find the ways and means to continue providing the services which may otherwise be discontinued.

Cheshire: Surely a one-child-at-a-time swimming lesson can’t be any more disruptive than a one-child-at-a-time piano lesson. How can folks be so worried about traffic and noise?

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., June 24, 2009

Wallingford: Choate Rosemary Hall presents its plan. Reception might be described as cool.

Meriden: The situation with Protein Sciences is wonderful with the contract for the flu vaccine, but muddied with the lawsuit by Emergent.

Area: Now the nutrient towns must arrange to be removed at their sewage treatment plants is phosphorus. All the local plants are along the Quinnipiac, that much abused river, and it will be good to get this completed.

Meriden/State: Republican senators call for probe of Tom Gaffey. A better plan would be to find a local Republican candidate and take him on over the issue, rather than atempting to remove him via legal action. They’re welcome to debate the punishment for violations of the election law financing rules till the cows come home, and they’re certainly welcome to nominate someone and to hammer the issue. Failing that, what’s the point of removing someone by legal action? It’s like George W winning the 200 election with the Supreme Court’s help.

Cheshire: The artificial turf field is back, this time with the help of private funding, to be raised. Well, maybe. Is that a good thing? Conclusion has been reached that the turf is not dangerous; folks are upset that games have had to be played elsewhere because grass fields are too soggy. Whatever happened to simply cancelling a game?

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., June 23, 2009

Wallingford: The town council will examine the Choate Rosemary Hall proposal for Old Durham Road. There seems to be but a single house on that stretch of road, probably on the side opposite to CRH’s plan, at a guess.

Meriden/State: Anti-smoking efforts. Money spent to educate against smoking is a good thing. There are plenty of rules on selling to minors. Do we really want to begin arresting people — children — for illegal possession of tobacco? Aren’t there enough laws already that cannot be enforced? Are there not enough people paying fines or in jail?

Southington: An interesting and challenging set of reductions to save 30 grand in the sports programs, mainly affecting middle schools and freshmen in high school.

Wallingford: The interesting thing about the downgrade of the assistant superintendent for personnel, perhaps, is why it was an assistant supers’ job to begin with.

Wallingford: The story of that old Blakeslee house, now destroyed, is a sad one. But the example of the Preservation Land Trust and the town working together is, by contrast, a good one.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., June 22, 2009

Wallingford: Yet another non-profit is faced with fiscal woe. This time it’s Big Brothers, Big Sisters, which has run a mentoring program for years.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., June 21, 2009

Area: The up side of the economy, which is slowing down the pace of retirements in local police departments, is that communities continue to have the assistance of experience of veteran officers.

Southington: Revival of the awards program in the police department. One can hope this might help improve the relationships on the force.

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., June 20, 2009

State: There’s a bill passed but not signed by the Governor requiring LI Sound fishermen to get a $10 license. DEP sold 2,800 of them before realizing the Gov. hasn’t yet signed the bill.

Wallingford: Possibility of moving the train station two blocks north. For a lot of reasons, this seems like a good idea, and it might be good for Meriden to think of moving the station a block or two as well. Both towns’ stations effectively halt traffic every time a train comes through, and if there is to be increased frequency, which is to be hoped, then it will become a magnified problem unless addressed at once.

State: Bill passed and signed requires slowing down and moving over on highways with three or more lanes in the same direction, if there is any emergency vehicle in the situation.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., June 19, 2009

Wallingford: The Choate Rosemary Hall proposal for Old Durham Road. There will be some calculus of compensation which will make it acceptable or will it be simply opposed because it’s Choate asking?

Wallingford: If Democrats nominate 5 and Republicans nominate 7 for Council, it will be interesting to see how, if at all, that affects the races.

The Editor's Notepod, Thur., June 18, 2009

Wallingford: Democrats are shaping up their slate for the fall. New faces arriving, familiar faces leaving.

Meriden: so Edison has some H1N1 cases. Seems as if the panic about this virus, which does not appear to be having the lethal effect it had when first reported in Mexico, has abated, which is a good thing. Whatever the disease, panic is worse.

Meriden: Sewage plant upgrade. Story reads like the science onboard a long-voyage spaceship, with the microorganisms converting the sewage into less noxious substances, recycling, removing nitrogen, phosphorus, etc. This is cool stuff. Is it enough to draw kids to the career?

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., June 17, 2009

Meriden: Everyone can understand the State Health Department rules on fresh produce and why it rules out vegetables and fruits grown in the back yard. At the same time, everyone can be impatient with such a rule. Yes, the idea is that food bought from stores is regulated, home produce isn’t . . . but the rule entirely ignores the fact that people get sick quite regularly from eating items sold at stores large and small, not through any particular negligence or evil intent but through some glitch along the supply route — an un-cleaned blade in a slicer for instance. What’s more, fruit and vegetables bought at the store, much of which has been transported thousands of miles and carted around by many different people in different countries, can’t really be effectively “washed” with a little cold water.

Wallingford: while one can be happy for the plaintiffs out at Mountain Brook, who, according to the one paragraph decision can apparently keep their “not on the original site plan” play sets, it sounds like a bad decision or bad paperwork somewhere. If the court is not going to uphold municipal rules, however much they might grieve owners, it should say why it is doing so.

Wallingford: Mayor’s letter on budget says no layoffs but that jobs won’t be filled. Negotiations still on-going and tangled, with new contracts on the table simultaneously with budget talks. This is a heck of a way to have to run a municipality.

Southington: PZC okays excavation for new library parking, a project in the works for many months, and has dovetailed it with BJ construction, whence the dirt will be taken and used, thank you very much!

Meriden: Purchase by the city of a long strip of land along Hanover Road. Undevelopable? Sounds as if the priorities need to be clarified a little. From the GIS it looks like a strip a couple of hundred feet long and about 10 feet wide between the road and the pond. It’s something that should be owned just to prevent any sort of weird development.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., June 16, 2009

Southington: With the decision of the Board of Police Commissioners, the Daly matter has to be put to rest. If the union wants to contribute further, the anger expressed could be put to good use in devising policies and standards for the future.

Wallingford: The budget is set, the bullet bitten. It’s kind of a shame that so many of the paraprofessionals who negotiated so diligently for health benefits seem to be first out the door.

Meriden: Concessions approved from the city’s unions. This is a step in the right direction.

Meriden: the new flashing yellow lights at the crosswalk at the Linear Trail should help some of the walkers and bikers get across Oregon Road. It can get busy there, particularly at the hour when school kids are being brought to Wilcox, Platt and Lincoln, and the light should help.

Southington: construction underway at the ski area on a new triple chair lift, which replaces a decades-old T-bar lift. The installation should provide a lift to the local economy.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., June 15, 2009

Meriden: Interfaith symposium held at Ahmadiyya Muslim Community last Sunday which focused on the common aspects of four great world-wide faiths.

Meriden: the mayor has used his bully pulpit to gather local hoteliers and spread to them the good word about Meriden’s resources for entertainment, dining and recreation.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., June 14, 2009

Meriden: City will crack down on unregistered vehicles. In general, a good thing, but it’s something that can be taken too far sometimes. It can result in more attractive neighborhoods but also to protracted battles and ill-feeling.

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., June 13, 2009

Area: Cash for clunkers proposal may not be everyone’s dream solution to a car crisis, but for those who like it, the idea may be just the thing.

State: Good reports have been received of the brand new $165 million science on the banks of the Connecticut, expected to draw 400,000 visitors a year. Good move, isn’t it, to cut its budget by 8 percent, lay off staff, and to dis-fund it in the budget year to come!

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., June 12, 2009

Meriden: Teachers’ Union and the Board of Education. Story says there are 70 fewer teachers now than a few years ago. That’s a fact of some significance. It would be good if the entire pie involving teachers and administration and board were all on the table at the same time to be examined.

Wallingford: Charter panel turns down Brodinsky’s idea about inter-municipal ethics boards. An interesting idea.

State: A good new law! The one requiring labels on bins for used clothing. Some folks don’t care how their old stuff gets used, but others have a charitable intent frustrated when used to make a buck.

Cheshire: The issue of noise is one to be listened to. Apparently there was an earlier effort to create an anti-noise ordinance, which did not reach law. Perhaps it is time to do so, though it is a difficult subject and hard to enforce after an activity has been continuing for some years.

The Editor's Notepod, Thur., June 11, 2009

State/Local: Story about the state marshal system is very interesting. This is the replacement system for the old county sheriff system, which got into trouble not so much over service of process but over transporting prisoners and permitting, as one recalls, a rape of a prisoner in the van on the way back to the jail. Seems as if they left process work on an entrepreneurial basis. Maybe something is wrong in the foreclosure business (and possibly service of process is a small part of that) but since when is it wrong to make money on this activity? Why shouldn’t a foreclosing attorney use whomever the firm wishes to serve process — presumably a marshal who is efficient? And why should a bank not be able to choose whatever law firm it wishes to do foreclosures? Firms aren’t all the same.

State: Transit fare increases proposed? At a time of economic crisis, it makes no sense to raise fares on public transit. Donovan has announced against the governor’s proposal.

Wallingford: Republicans have decided to include John LeTourneau after all, and have nominated seven instead of six council candidates. Will it dilute the GOP vote or enthuse people? Tune in in November!

The Editor's Notepod, Wed.., June 10, 2009

Meriden: Council Finance Committee approves bonding for all-day kindergarten. Does the state of the economy justify a no vote? Only if one assumes that the economy will be bad forever.

Wallingford: Another blast at the Red Cross central decision office may well be justified.

Wallingford: Republican approach to the charter is downright wrong. They evidently think that, given the choice, voters will reject diminishing the mayor’s veto powers and therefore want to attach the rest of the amendments, which they evidently oppose, to its coattails. Even if this is true, it is a wrong thing to do.

Southington: the East Street easement has been worked out. How much better it is to get all the problems addressed. People are reasonable when their concerns are addressed.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., June 9, 2009

Wallingford: Somehow, it doesn’t seem that the situation with the school budget has been optimally handled all the way around. A solution which involves kicking the lowest paid workers out of jobs doesn’t seem fair, either.

Southington: there’s nothing very new about the costs attributable to the landfill operation. What continues to perplex people is how much seems to hang on events now far receded into history and over which we have no control at all.

Meriden: another union reaches terms, running each member about $870. Isn’t this sort of thing better than layoffs? There seems to be so much strategy around in terms of negotiations that it’s hard to pin down any actual costs.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., June 8, 2009

Meriden/State: budget proposals which would cut library-users here and elsewhere off at the knees by eliminating state support for Internet and exchange of data and books, thereby sending patrons most in need of jobsearching aid back 25 or 30 years. Penny-wise and dollar-foolish.

Southington: transfer of the police personnel plan from adding a captain to adding a sergeant may help diffuse the situation, but it will depend on how it is all carried out.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., June 7, 2009

Southington: The town is addressing — with a lot of unexpected complications and costs — the issue of nitrogen in the waste water, but must soon begin to trap and remove any phosphorus in the waste. This is the price of a decent environment and a live Sound.

Meriden: The fire department’s need for pet resuscitation masks in the event of smoke inhalation is one that many residents who share their homes with pets, can easily support. And there’s a chance on Thursday at Rosie’s Café when Andrew and Debbie Purchia will team with staff in a fundraiser for this purpose.

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., June 6, 2009

Cheshire: There’s talk of fees for residents and non-residents for use of town parks, and of a possible differential. Follow the rules in the Greenwich case. But along the way, perhaps it should be established that the “rowdy” youths actually are from out of town.

Meriden: A church has been given a special exception for the lot on Hanover St. which used to be the Hanover House. A church may not bring in revenue, as was hoped for the site, but it beats the heck out of an empty lot.

Wallingford: Mike Brodinsky has proposed an ethics board rule that would permit town cases to be heard by boards in other communities and vice versa. The idea has a lot to recommend it, and is particularly clear in Wallingford after recent “fractious” nomination fights. And Wallingford isn’t the only place. The aim is to get a non-partisan and impartial decision, which, given the typical lack of political cross-fertilization among closely-neighboring towns, ought to result.

Meriden: New court to handle probate family matters on a regional basis will be established on East Main Street in its own space, organized to provide ease of access and room for litigants and witnesses.

Storm-clouds gathering over the use of a checkbook in the football program at Southington High School. One can only hope that investigation will clear up any cause for concern.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., June 5, 2009

Meriden: teachers’ union’s furlough day rejected by Board of Ed as insufficient. Priorities list readjusted. Cuts to be made.

State: the business once more of brinksmanship, with veto and special session being employed in the absence of a budget.

The Editor's Notepod, Thur., June 4, 2009

Southington: The Hartford will not renew its lease on Executive Drive near West Street, which is probably not a huge surprise, given the company’s troubles. It’s almost 3 percent of the town’s tax base, which could be worse. The local strategy of focusing on smaller businesses seems to make sense.

Meriden: The billboard effort continues, and here is downside number 1: if the city can put up a billboard, so can someone else with a similar property abutment.

Southington: Charter Commission has dumped the thought of changing the form of government. That rates a “bravo.”

Meriden: Teachers union approves a one-day furlough, better than nothing, less than hoped. Now we will see where the rest of the chips will fall in the school system.

State: legislative session ends, predictably, without budget agreement. Republicans say cuts with no taxes; Democrats say taxes with minimal cuts. Surely, there’s a way to compromise?

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., June 3, 2009

Wallingford: the shape of union negotiations. Comparisons with other towns.

Meriden: Fireworks to be presented commercially. A fine offer. But they’re not on West Peak?

State: calories on menu lists? Everyone says Americans are too big. But isn’t this a first step in regulating what people eat? It didn’t work at schools. Also, it is inherently unfair to apply such a rule to chains but not to individually-owned outlets. Discrimination, pure and simple.

Southington: It’s hard on the incumbent rec director, but the practice on overtime and comp time are really antediluvian. Does it appear the man has had a cushy deal? Probably to most people. On the other hand, when the system was set up it was probably common enough.

Wallingford: Charter hearing by council. Splits on veto, 5-4, same as before.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., June 2, 2009

State: Acknowledging the hard work in setting up Keno to bringing revenue, it is certainly fair to ask if Connecticut really and truly needs another gambling program to help part people from their cash?

Meriden: Block Grant awards approved. Always an interesting decision.

State: Managers of state employees being allowed collective bargaining rights. A) why don't they have such rights already? B) does the state really need more unions at this time? C) is there a movement calling for such rights?

State: Ethics debate. The issue will continue to exist, no matter what laws are passed, as practices and sensibilities evolve.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., June 1, 2009

Meriden/Wallingford: the closing of the Red Cross office is a done deal? Hope not! And to turn around and sell a newly refurbished building is really pretty cheap.

Area Towns: Teachers unions are still in negotiations about possible concessions in the budget year. Probably, the larger the group, the more difficult the process.