The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Apr. 30, 2011

We are hoping that negotiations between Governor and state employee unions will work out and enable Connecticut to move forward.

Savings reached in Southington thanks to a $175 reduction in the cost of administration of the town’s self-insurance fund.

Operation of Meriden's Venture Program in learning vocational skills. This seems an excellent way of imparting a sense of community and welding their participation in the collective.

Wallingford’s Diversity in Action Committee held its 4th annual Celebrity Reader Day, bringing into the schools all sorts of folks not usually there to read to the kids.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Apr. 29, 2011

Firms seem to be interested in bidding to manage the construction and renovation projects at Meriden’s Platt and Maloney High Schools. The city will select different firms for each job, following also the construction manager at-risk path, which could make the whole process more efficient and possibly slightly competitive.

Congratulations to Derynoski School Principal Karen Smith named to be Southington’s new assistant superintendent. That will of course open the way for a new principal at her school.

Wide variation among bids for forensic audit of Wallingford Housing Authority’s books suggests that the guidelines were somewhat imprecise. We hope the board can figure out what it wants and what it needs.

It is excellent that Girls Inc. of Meriden will give its annual Strong, Smart and Bold award this year to Molly Savard, executive director of the Bradley Home for 28 years.

The Editor's Notepod, Thur., Apr. 28, 2011

Stop & Shop is considering where to construct a gas station for its large store at Broad and East Main in Meriden. It’s a rather congested area and it’s a little tough to imagine how a large station could be added into that mix without creating traffic issues, but perhaps it can be done.

Small budget increases (in Master’s Manna, to the library, the Community Development Commission and Wallingford Center, Inc.) added by Wallingford’s council seem like good choices, providing cash where it will be most useful.

Good for Wolcott's Rep. Sampson for voting “no” on the reporting of abuse bill because he has questions on details. When the cause is good, almost everyone feels obliged to support whatever law comes down the pike in order to seem “responsive” but what is done must actually improve the situation.

Southington is holding a medication disposal event, collecting expired or unused prescription medicines for safe and proper destruction. No, that does not mean flushing them down the toilet.

The arrest of a woman and the serious felony charges in connection with sending her son to the wrong school district – Norwalk rather than Bridgeport – (hence theft of services charge) confirms a major flaw in Connecticut schools, namely, the inequality. Instead of prosecutions, spend the money on helping raise other districts.

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., Apr. 27, 2011

Wallingford is going the partisan route, it seems, in choosing an interim tenant representative for the Housing Authority – or not, as may be. Tenants, one can only hope, are ready to scream “A plague on both your houses!”

Our sympathies to the family of Cheshire Town Councilor Anne Giddings, who died Monday evening a month after an automobile crash. Her loss will be felt very deeply.

Meriden’s budget seems to be taking shape with less of the acrimony than has sometimes been the case. Setting figures this year, with the state budget still up in the air, is a bit like aiming a gun in the dark, but that’s the way it always is, since budget processes on both levels of government are fairly simultaneous. And the school board is trimming its sails closely as each day passes.

Connecticut’s legislature is tinkering with the rules at both ends of the school system, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While efforts are still underway to try to require high school kids to remain in school until they turn 18, as a number of other states do, they are also attempting to insure that kindergarteners are a little older (three months) when they begin school – which is fine, but the point was the now missing guarantee of pre-school care.

Congratulations to Jack Masterson (better known at the Daffodil Festival as Smokey Bear). The former South Meriden firefighter and lieutenant will serve as the Grand Marshal of this weekend’s Daffodils on Parade.

There’s not much choice about paying for an outside investigation of allegations concerning the Meriden Police Department. Remember, in this situation, money is the least of the costs in the final analysis.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., Apr. 26, 2011

Gas prices are going up, and the examples are given for Meriden. For some reason, Meriden gas prices are typically below those in much of the rest of the state, too. There’s no solution but to drive less.

The controversy in Connecticut about “Blast” should not be about a specific drink but about a consumer-driven system in which the essential goal is to create products for which there is no need and then to convince consumers that they must buy them. Talk philosophy!

Discussion over the possibility of charging an admission for Meriden’s Daffodil Festival would best be held after this year’s event – if ever – and would require some serious contemplation of the purpose of the event and the consequences of various possible charges.

The risk in the Connecticut higher education consolidation bill – undertaken mainly out of spite over the foolishness of several overpaid administrators and with a savings of a piddling $4 million of so – is that the state universities and the community colleges will lose their individualities in a merged mélange where everyone has to do everything the same way.

We hate to see Southington’s Barnes Museum auctioning items to help finance repairs to a leaky roof. Isn’t there some better way to raise the necessary cash?

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., Apr. 25, 2011

Wallingford schools are looking at a fairly bleak year, with worse to come. It will be unusual if citizens turn out in sufficient numbers to demonstrate support and to impel change.

Why in the world haven’t Connecticut harbors in Bridgeport, New Haven and New London been dredged to maintain accessibility for larger ships? Seems like a reasonable choice.

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Apr. 23, 2011

It seems as if the PILOT funds for manufacturing equipment for Connecticut towns’ budgets will not be eliminated after all. This should improve outlooks in Wallingford, Meriden, and many other communities.

And another budget problem for Connecticut concerns alcohol, both in terms of taxes and of Sunday sales. Looks at the moment as if the taxes will rise, while the possibility of Sunday sales a liquor stores has not yet been eradicated.

Truancy: the issue involves behavior as well as mere absences, and involves parents as well as youngster. Meriden's school system is taking a look at chronic truancy.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., Apr. 24, 2011

There’s plenty to keep any interested follower of the Wallingford Housing Authority tangle occupied in the long story about its functioning. This does need to be straightened out.

Folks in Connecticut or anywhere else worrying about what I-phones can or cannot collect should stop and think about it. Everyone knows global positioning exists and that phones are part of the electronic connection: add one and one.

Bill Lutz is clearly a man who likes to be involved with education: a member of Meriden’s Board of Education for a decade and a half, he joined the Berlin board when he moved there a few years ago, and now, in Southington, he’s just been named chairman of the Southington Education Foundation.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Apr. 22, 2011

You sure have to hand it to Southington's John Weichsel for having energy! We wish him the best as he undertakes a year’s job as interim manager in East Hampton.

Republicans in the Connecticut legislature should stop belly-aching about “one party rule.” Split control has given us year after year of budget drama with annual special sessions and with last minute compromises and have left us in something other than a wonderful fiscal position.

Meriden Public Works crews are out trying to keep up with the pothole complaints, and more power to them. It’s tough to keep up.

Wallingford is making progress in the process which will lead to new roofs on all schools. It won’t be cheap, but there’s not much alternative.

The Editor's Notepod, Thur., Apr. 21, 2011

That informal agreement back in 2005 about transferring health benefits from Meriden's municipal to its school budget, coupled with an undertaking to cover any cost increases, was no doubt a good plan, and based on the budget situation at that time. It would be great to get some benefit from it now, but legal arguments based on the law which says municipal budgets can’t be reduced may not be very helpful in reaching agreement.

, the orphaned potential tourist attraction, has a lot going for it but offers many challenges to any developer. Johnsonville in East HaddamMaster’s Manna (of Wallingford) director, Cheryl Bedore, has set her sights high and we wish her the best of fortune.

Connecticut Democrats have agreed on a tax package at long last, and it is yet to be determined how well it will fly, especially in comparison with the Republicans’ plans.

It is good that agreement has been reached on the Susti-Net health plan for Connecticut, although the proposal coming forward seems not as far-reaching as originally intended. Never mind: this is going to be an evolutionary process.

That sump pump ordinance in Southington is not ready to be repealed, even if engineers believe that water from such pumps isn’t the main cause of sewer overflow. No one’s going to strictly enforce the rules until need to do so appears.

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., Apr. 20, 2011

Carabetta Enterprises are trying once again for development near Meriden's Cathole Mountain, although it doesn’t seem to offer much change to win the approval this time around.

Connecticut Republicans offer budget plan: eliminate waste, combine departments, cut staff. Even with 2700 fewer employees (at $77,000 average compensation each) it’s only $208 million, a long way from the billions needed.

So the Wallingford Historic Trust is short of directors, three people having moved away, and residency is not a requirement and yet there were issues over Jerry Farrell suggesting a couple of his campaign workers be named to the board? There are conflicts, we guess, and conflicts.

Plainville’s council has now approved the joint public health district with Southington, and this will be a positive move for both towns.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., Apr. 19, 2011

There’s something encouraging about Southington’s moves to increase and spread IT around town departments. More is better.

A news story discusses the proposed Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection “DEEP”, which seems intended to merge a whole lot of existing agencies under one department, including both energy and environment, without much in the way of savings being argued as the reason. Why merge these departments without savings unless independent voices can somehow be maintained?

Meriden is imposing a license fee for working in any city right of way. There are objections, naturally, since it’s a cost, but the fee is returnable once a job is completed, and if the work area is restored to original condition.

There is a problem with bubbles in Southington’s denitrification tank. Considering the cost of this project, we hope repairs are covered by the contract.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., Apr. 18, 2011

Planners and others in Southington rather tired of congestion along Route 10 from Meriden Road to Flanders Road should not hold their breaths. Left-turn lanes are an expensive proposition and the well, even at regional planning agencies, is running dry.

Wallingford Book Club discusses a novel based on the Salem witch trials and brings descendants of historical players together. We’re glad there are no grudges after 300+ years!

One can only admire the hardy souls who turned out for the running in Hubbard Park, Meriden, on Sunday, despite somewhat chilly weather. When you’re running, we guess, cold isn’t quite the problem you might think.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., Apr. 17, 2011

The processes of the Wallingford Housing Authority are set forth for all to see. Our story should make it simpler for folks to follow the action.

No one should permit the actions of an employee at Hartford Hospital (that was, taking home a hard drive with personal – but not medical – information on Meriden patients and then losing the darn thing) to derail the electrification of all medical records. The idea that a transfer of a patient from one doctor to another, from doctor to hospital or vice versa, or from specialist to specialist, must be accompanied by copying and faxing of paper files, is completely absurd, and was delayed, paradoxically, by the passage of HIPPA, originally intended to encourage electronic medical sharing but which got completely distracted by the privacy red herring.

While it makes sense for Wallingford Town Councilor Jerry Farrell not to vote on appointments to the Historic Preservation Trust, particularly if two nominees were known to him from campaign work, it seems a stretch for him never to vote on nominations or for those two individuals to feel obligated to withdraw their nominations to avoid a hassle. It’s not as if service on the HPT is exactly a high paying sinecure.

Cheers to all those fisherfolk up early this last weekend to enjoy the season opener. It wasn’t exactly the most pleasant day to spend a day by a river or pond, but it was opening day of the Connecticut fishing season, and the banks of the Quinnipiac River and Wharton Brook in Meriden and Wallingford were well-stocked with fishers.

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Apr. 16, 2011

If people want to skydive and the company assisting them wants to make Meriden-Markham one of the drop zone, where jumpers are “downloaded,” that’s fine with us – on two conditions. One: all insurance contingencies are paid up in advance; two: downloading is confined to the airport.

Wallingford’s Mayor Dickinson is making noises about changing the pension system from a defined benefit to a defined contribution, and it’s easy to see why any town would want to do this. But there is no reason why any municipal employee, given the performance of the market, would want to make such a switch.

The Summer Campership Fund for Meriden and Wallingford has kicked off for its 36th year and it was a fine start. But there’s a big goal to reach down the road, so it’s time to consider your contribution.

Transfer of Wilcox Tech (in Meriden) and other vo-tech schools to local school districts as proposed is dead in the water. That’s a good thing, too.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Apr. 15, 2011

Federal Dept. of Justice now looking into the Meriden Police Department. We hope they are thorough and speedy and effective and that this is laid open fully and fully cleared up.

MidState is explaining how it reacts in the data loss case. It’s still rather hard to understand why details of how and why the identity download of a lot of patients at the Meriden hospital were taken by an employee of the parent company and how that employee was disciplined – if indeed he or she was disciplined.

Cheshire’s teachers accepted a plan modifying their contract by splitting the annual percentage wage increase in half, spreading it over two years. Is this a model which can be followed by other unions?

Abandoning the bill which would have included the amount saved by coupons in the sales tax is a bad decision by the Connecticut legislature. Yes, lots and lots of folks enjoy using them and saving a few bucks with them, but the collective loss – which would have been affected only by non-food items anyway – makes a difference in state revenue stream.

What a society we live in where we need to debate how to require students in Southington high school to carry their ID cards – around their necks on a lanyard or merely among their other books and papers.

It’s a shame to close the salmon fish hatchery in Berlin, part of the governor’s savings plan. The choice appears to have more to do with which fish are popular with sport fishermen rather than which is better for the state’s ecology.

The Editor's Notepod, Thur., Apr. 14, 2011

Supporters of education in Meriden came out in force to express hopes that cuts will be minimal in the upcoming budget decision. It’s interesting how strong the symbolic impact of a few high salaries are on the general belief that all can be made well by reducing leadershio salaries, whether in general government or in education.

Wallingford Mayor Dickinson’s decision to forego salary increases almost totally has made him truly underpaid, which is certainly part of his appeal to voters, election after election. It’s another demonstration of the power of symbol.

Legislators local to the Waterford nuclear plants in Connecticut are opposing new taxes on Millstone, noting significantly that the plants provide 30 percent of the town’s tax income. But if significant new taxes are not levied, there will be precious little government left in Connecticut.

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., Apr. 13, 2011

While it is certainly true that the investigations pending concerning Meriden’s police force should not have any effect upon contract talks, it is likely that, relevant or otherwise, the concerns will hover over negotiations like a heavy thundercloud.

Plan B, as announced by Governor Malloy, which would be called into play if negotiations with Connecticut state unions do not produce results he needs, is that every town loses 1/3 of its state assistance. That’s when it might be better to be a small town rather than a large, but in any case, there will certainly be much disruption.

Cheshire’s Republican council actually passed a budget 3.4 percent and $3.4 million smaller than this year’s figure. There may have been less outcry because the public hearing on the budget was held before, not after, cuts were sliced from the town manager’s presented requests.

Wallingford’s Town Council will figure out how tenants should choose a new representative for the Housing Authority. We hope it does not resolve into a partisan affair.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., Apr. 12, 2011

It’s too bad but probably unavoidable that Meriden will need to bear the expense of an investigation into allegations concerning police brutality and nepotism. A situation such as now confronts us needs to be addressed and will only fester if it is neglected.

Wallingford’s likely budget will cause some cuts in the school system, as about the only way to reduce costs is to reduce teaching staff. The logic of the state laws requiring most recently hired teachers to be first laid off would lead, curiously and taken to the extreme, to one teacher teaching all the students.

Despite efforts to slow down the process, Southington’s Town Council approved the North Center School project 7 to 2, including the $88,000 façade to match the “renaissance” project. It’s time to get on with it and to hope it all works out as planned.

We agree wholeheartedly with Interim Middlesex President Jonathan M. Daube in seeing Meriden as site for growth for his institution. A larger presence of the community college could do much to liven up the city, and it would be great if Meriden could dream of some institutional building along the lines of such colleges elsewhere in Connecticut.

It sounds as if Wallingford’s Flood and Erosion Control Board, which has never held a meeting or taken any action, will consist of the entire council membership. We hope that as the board examines its function it will act with circumspection on whatever it is supposed to do – and that the members can figure it out themselves.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., Apr. 11, 2011

Southington’s Town Council has received a budget from the Board of Finance which seems eminently adoptable and quite frugal. All the council really needs to do is to test the public waters and see how much objection surfaces to what has been trimmed.

One of Connecticut Gov. Malloy’s proposals to close the budget gap is a 3 percent luxury tax on boats worth over $100,000. Boating interests are naturally upset and talking about moving to Rhode Island, but Connecticut residents should take a look at the reality that almost every state is looking at multiple ways of raising revenues and that no matter where one goes, there will be taxes.

Librarians Karen Roesler and Leslie Scherer of Meriden and Wallingford are concerned that Gov. Malloy’s budget would seriously reduce the inter-connectivity of Connecticut libraries by reducing funding for the means by which books and other materials travel from one place to another. It’s an ill-advised cut.

If local school systems are impacted by Connecticut budget woes and lose a lot of state funding, the effects will be felt clearly. It’s time to start lobbying for higher taxes, which is the only way to avoid this situation.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., Apr. 10, 2011

Seems as if residents in Prospect and other towns are interested in creating roadblocks to the wind turbine projects proposed, alleging that stronger regulations are needed. That could indeed be the case, but any interested party should take a look at a real wind farm with dozens of these towers spinning away and compare that with a nuclear, oil, gas, coal or hydroelectric plant.

Joint project between Cheshire and Meriden middle school students of a “walking tour” recording of places to visit in Hartford is an excellent project. Not only to kids learn facts and history, they also meet new people and learn to work together.

Labor is being wary of Connecticut Gov. Malloy, who has asked for $1 billion – but a Gov. Foley would not have stopped with a single billion, one suspects.

Apparently baseball, as noted by Little Leagues and Girls Softball Leagues in Meriden and Wallingford, is drawing fewer youngsters these days, though reasons are not completely clear. The up side of that is that those who do play should have less competition for the playing fields.

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Apr. 9, 2011

We are glad to learn that Sharon and Dale Wilson, injured seriously in a crash on I-91 in December, are on the road to recovery. We extend the former Wallingford Superintendent and his wife every good wish for continued positive results from the health care they’re receiving.

Leaders in the campaign (2005-08) to renovate the Red Cross’s home in Wallingford have written the Red Cross President asking for a return of donations on the ground that by closing that office in June 2009 they used that money for purposes not intended by the donors. We hope the national organization is embarrassed by the letter, but we suspect that no tangible effect will result from the well-expressed letter.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Apr. 8, 2011

Congratulations to Prentice Printing Solutions President Bruce Burchsted and Pyramid Time Systems President John Augustyn who received respectively the Small and Large Business Leadership Awards from the Greater Meriden Chamber of Commerce last Thursday.

Amtrak crews are out in Meriden along the railroad line clearing brush for improvements in the New Haven to Springfield line. They can work during the daytime here, since there are two sets of tracks, underlying the absurd decision, two decades ago, to allow removal of one set of tracks along most of the 60-mile line.

While from a large development standpoint, there are those who wish the Meriden-Waterbury Road were more accessible and less bothered with low bridges, from the standpoint of those who use the road, it’s not so bad. While national chains may prefer the atmosphere along Queen Street in Southington and other roads of that type, not everyone in town necessarily enjoys that particular environment.

The Editor's Notepod, Thur., Apr. 7, 2011

Hartford Healthcare and subordinate institutions, including Meriden's MidState, have some explaining to do concerning the external hard drive a former employee downloaded patient information onto and then what? Lost a computer? Lost a job? A full explanation of circumstances is in order, and never mind employee privacy.

Connecticut is getting a taste of what Governor Malloy’s Plan B is, as orders are given to department heads to take the steps for reducing the workforce to accommodate a reduced budget.

While the efforts to wrestle fairly with regulating ages at which Connecticut children begin kindergarten, the real issue is that a child should be mature enough to deal with the classroom, Unfortunately, the situation is distorted by many parents’ need to have children in school or care (because they must work) combined with a lack of cash to pay for services privately.

Educational reforms enacted last year by Connecticut’s leg
islature in the hope of qualifying for federal money (which was not granted) are likely to be shelved for a couple of years due to the economy. The state board of education is offering symbolic resistance to the delay, as it should.

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., Apr. 6, 2011

Following the ruling by the Meriden Board of Ethics, Councilor George McGoldrick will have to consider the guidelines with care to determine how to shape his relations vis-à-vis employer and public office. It could be a complex path even with the best will, which we are sure McGoldrick possesses.

The loss of a hard drive by a former MidState employer has got to be a nightmare for the Meriden hospital to deal with, though we certainly hope it remains more of an administrative issue than a nightmare involving harm to anyone. After this incident and similar ones at other organizations, companies and government, it would clearly seem that more ways of controlling access to serious data be developed.

Sorry, but a move to “fix” the rules on running for Connecticut’s attorney general to indicate that it is membership in the bar which is required and not trial court litigation, as the state’s Supreme Court interpreted it last year in ending Susan Bysiewicz’s campaign, is closing the barn door after the horses have left.

It’s not a surprise that Meriden turned down a federal grant under the School Improvements Grant program. A plan which requires a school system to fire and rehire no more than half of the teachers, replace the principal and reform the curriculum (to what?) while extending the learning day (which has been done), or converting to a charter school just doesn’t make any sense.

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., Apr. 5, 2011

Governor Malloy is on the money about Connecticut's education grant. Any change makes some towns winners and some losers.

Enough Union bashing. The fact that Connecticut's union stewards can conclude some business while on the job is only mildly upsetting, since there is very little doubt that managers certainly prepare resumes and seek out new employment while working and that a good many legislators have to attend to their non-legislative businesses while “on the public’s time” in Hartford. No one works 24/7.

Meriden’s council has approved the city’s acceptance of a grant to foster planning around the rail station and to acquire property. This is motion in the right direction.

We are glad that Governor Malloy has come down in favor of both Connecticut mass transit plans, the new Britain to Hartford bus way and a Waterbury to Bristol railway. Both are strong steps for transit.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., Apr. 4, 2011

As the headline said, there will be few who mourn the delay in implementation of any plan to merge vocational/technical high schools, such as Wilcox, into the control of local school boards, such as Meriden. Saving money is good; this was a bad plan.

Very interesting that a study shows Connecticut may be as useful for wind farming as other New England states. Anyone who finds windfarms objectionable should consider moving next door to a nuclear plant or a coal-burning power station, or even a natural gas plant, like the one in Middletown that blew up while venting its pipes.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., Apr. 3, 2011

Choate Rosemary Hall’s environmental center was begun on Friday, with a ground-breaking ceremony in Wallingford. The building will set a number of firsts and become, it’s hoped, a showplace for sustainability.

Meriden will hire “at-risk” construction managers to run the Platt and Maloney rebuilding projects. According to those who have studied various models for projects, this should work better than most others, which we all hope will prove to be the case.

The complaint by and involving Meriden police officers. We hope the issues are cleared up promptly and thoroughly.

We hope Southington’s Town Council decides not to go with notices, however discreet, along the linear trail informing walkers or riders about available businesses. Advertising is still advertising, and folks don’t go to the park in order to read pitches by people selling things—however worthy.

Yet another item which is slated for cutting in the governor’s budget is the inter-library loan system funding – which is, essentially, a contractor who drives the borrowed books from one library to another. Would patrons be willing to pay fees for this service?

The Editor's Notepod, Sat., Apr. 2, 2011

Mayor Dickinson’s budget presentation for Wallingford, as he worked it, shows the fiscal difficulties the town faces, even with a generous dollup of the reserve funds, and a modest tax increase. We’ll see how the council reacts to it.

What a myopic decision on the part of Southington’s Board of Finance to cut the $11,000 which supports the skate board park because its “ongoing operation for a private organization”, i.e. the YMCA! Why not stop funding basketball, soccer or baseball facilities?

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Apr. 1, 2011

It’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to serve in the volunteer position of tenant representative on the Wallingford Housing Authority. Sticking one’s head into that hornets’ nest is not something it will be easy to find people to do.

Census figures being released show growth in Meriden population and in percentages of ethnic groups. Why doesn’t the census release all the data at once?

It’s to be hoped that further information is allaying the worries of Southington Planning and Zoning members who are worried about foot traffic as it relates to the North Center School project.

Meriden’s City Manager and Board of Education are only $870,000 apart on budget requests, which seems to be a hopeful sign that accord will break out. Good.