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Sunday, December 26, 2010

FROM WALLINGFORD - Downtown deadlock

This week’s FROM WALLINGFORD is written by my counterpart on the column - Stephen Knight

As Published in the Record Journal Sunday December 26, 2010

Well, for now, the Incentive Housing Zone for downtown Wallingford is off the table. Monday night, the Town Council deadlocked on the issue and the Planning and Zoning Commission postponed a vote on the plan. While support for the plan seemed to be building a year ago, it was clear that that support dissipated in the intervening months. While most of the opposition seemed to center around the need for more information, I think that there are three other factors that also figured into the resultant, lukewarm support.

First of all, major changes to existing regulations have to be driven by either 1) an actual proposal put forth by an entity with means to make the project actually happen, or, 2) a consensus among those most affected that the changes are in their best interest. Neither of those conditions was in evidence. The idea appears to have come to life because some of the social engineers in Hartford passed legislation offering financial incentives to consider development of this sort. Then financial incentives that got the town to the table in the first place were drastically reduced. That left little or no impetus for changes to be made, and what little momentum that did exist died.

Secondly, there are many in Wallingford skeptical of accepting state funds for an entirely local project, and I certainly share such skepticism. When the State of Connecticut offers money to local communities, it does so in order to induce compliance with whatever grand scheme it is that they are promoting. The proverbial “strings attached” to that funding has two results: 1) the town loses control over whatever the project is and 2) the completion of the project slows to a crawl. In this case, the money that the state is offering no doubt came with an enormous set of conditions, restrictions and impediments.

As illustration, I offer you the Christian Street bridge debacle of recent years. Do you recall how long that bridge took to replace? The Town had originally sought to work through the state’s local bridge program, but the project got so bogged down in red tape that the town administration finally threw up its hands, completed its own design and installed the bridge without any state assistance for hundreds of thousands less. In the present Incentive Housing Zone case, the question had to be asked: if we take the money, how much control over the area are we ceding to the bureaucracy in Hartford? Is it really worth it?

Lastly, the linchpin of this whole redevelopment idea is the commuter rail service that is supposed to be built over the next few years. Maybe no one brought this up in Monday’s meeting, but I am beginning to doubt if this operation will ever be built. The state is facing years of multibillion dollar deficits. And, to make the problem far worse, the federal government recently turned down Connecticut’s request for additional hundreds of millions of dollars to finance the project, leaving it for the state to bear the lion’s share of funding. In other words, no one in Hartford will say it, but I think this project is stalled. If that is indeed the case, a huge incentive for creating this special zone is gone.

I take a backseat to nobody in my support for downtown Wallingford and the creation of ways to keep it healthy and attractive. Perhaps sometime in the future, this Incentive Housing Zone will be revisited and the good effort of Town Planner Linda Bush will bring a different result. At present, however, the irony seems to be that the town’s best action was to take no action.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

FROM WALLINGFORD - Let’s celebrate our real heroes

As published in the Record Journal Sunday December 19, 2010

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The VALLEY BELOW American Flag as represented on the http://www.hear2heal.com website.

 

FROM WALLINGFORD - Let’s celebrate our real heroes

by Jason Zandri

A week before Thanksgiving, my neighbor David Gessert called one afternoon and asked me if I was going to be around on Wednesday. He mentioned that he and the neighbors were going to be having a little get together for U.S. Army Sgt. Jeff Sirois who was to be returning to Wallingford after nearly a year in Afghanistan. They were planning to line up along the final leg his travel route and wave the American flag and hold up some signs to welcome him home.

I thanked him for thinking of me and I apologized for being unable to attend. I had recently started a new job which requires me to go into New York City on a daily basis, a change from my previous job which offered me some flexibility for working from home some of the time.

When I think about how much attention in general America pays to which celebrity is cheating on whom and how long Bristol Palin was going to last on “Dancing With the Stars” it made me even more upset that I couldn’t make it that day.

As I was thinking of a topic to put together for this final article of mine before Christmas my thoughts went back to this event, a simple little gesture by family, friends and neighbors to welcome home this member of our armed forces from his recent deployment overseas.

We as a nation simply don’t celebrate our true heroes nearly enough.

We parade the winning World Series team down the main boulevard of whichever city they hail from for tickertape parades (and more times than I’d like to admit, this is the Canyon of Heroes, the lower section Broadway in the Financial District of New York City).

I read a lot of news stories: nearly everything in the Record Journal and a volume more from newspapers across the country online. Over the course of the year I’ve read stories about someone who saved animals from a burning animal rescue or another who heard an elderly woman’s cries for help and called 911.

Many of these stories called these people “heroes.” I absolutely agree that the actions that these people have taken are positively heroic but that is the maximum extent of credit I am willing to give them. You show me a police officer, a firefighter, an EMT, a member of our armed forces that puts their uniform on, pats their children on the head, kisses their spouse good-bye, and who puts themselves in harm’s way in an effort to make us safe and to preserve our way of life here in America for all, and I will show you a real hero.

A message is making its way across Facebook — “This Christmas, when you’re eating your dinner, smiling and laughing, remember that in another house somewhere, there’s an empty chair where a Hero should be sitting. They gave up their life or are presently serving overseas so that you can sit with your family. So light a candle for the Heroes that did not make it home and for those who are still serving.”

To my neighbors, the Siroises, whose house I have walked by dozens of times in nicer weather when I go for my walks downtown, thank you.

Jeff — thank you for serving our country and for protecting it.

Jen — thank you for all the support that you offer to Jeff and to your family while he is away.

To the Sirois’ children — thank you for your sacrifice of time with your father.

When you take the time to stop and consider this on a finite and personal level, it gives so much more meaning to “land of the free and home of the brave.”

To all the heroes — thank you. May you have the best of holidays and may you return home safely.

Monday, December 13, 2010

AGENDA – WALLINGFORD TOWN COUNCIL

TOWN OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

Town Council Chambers

December 14, 2010

6:30 P.M

AGENDA

Opening Prayer – Deacon Eugene Riotte, Most Holy Trinity Church,

1. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call

2. Executive Session pursuant to § 1-200 (6)(B) of the Connecticut General Statutes with respect to the matter of Janet Moore v. Town of Wallingford – Personnel

3. Motion to Consider and Approve settlement with respect to the matter of Janet Moore v. Town of Wallingford as discussed in Executive Session - Personnel

4. Consent Agenda

4a. Consider and Approve Tax Refunds (#471 - #485) totaling $6,288.95 Acct. # 001-1000-010-1170 - Tax Collector

4b. Acceptance of Donation from Napier Foundation and Approval of Appropriation of $6,000 to Donations Acct # 213-1042-070-7010 and to Expenditures Acct # 213-3070-600-6000 – Youth & Social Services

4c. Acceptance of Donation from Operation Fuel and Approval of Appropriation of $210 to Donations Acct # # 213-1042-070-7010 and to Expenditures Acct # 213-3070-600-6000 – Youth & Social Services

4d. Acceptance of Donation from Wal-Mart and Approval of Appropriation of $500 to Continuing Education & Training Acct # 001-2030-501-5700 and to Miscellaneous Revenue Acct # 001-1075-070-7040 – Fire Chief

4e. Approve minutes of Special Town Council meeting of May 3, 2010

4f. Approve minutes of Special Town Council meeting of May 5, 2010

4g. Approve minutes of Regular Town Council meeting of September 23, 2010

5. Items Removed from the Consent Agenda

6. PUBLIC QUESTION & ANSWER

7. Consider and Approve a Budget Amendment in the Amount of $32,000 to Transmission & Distribution Mains Acct # 433-9012-343 from Power Purchased for Pumping Acct # 431-8620-623 – Water Division

8. Consider and Approve a request for a Bid Waiver for New World Systems Record Management System in the amount of $13,500 – Police Chief

9. Consider and Approve a request for a Bid Waiver for bus transportation service with Durham School Services – Dr. Salvatore Menzo, Superintendent of Schools

10. Consider and Approve Wallingford Regional Solid Waste Project Reserve Agreement - Mayor

11. Discussion with Covanta representatives regarding Resource Recovery Plant, status of combustion unit off-line and environmental issues - Mayor

12. Executive Session pursuant to §1-200 (6) (D) of the Connecticut General Statutes with respect to the purchase, sale and/or leasing of property – Mayor

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Citizen Mike Returns – Episode 6 – Recent Arbitration story

The Citizen Mike Show is on each night at 9PM except Sundays on Comcast channel 18 and on U-Verse channel 99.

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Episode 6 is now available on demand. I have it cross posted here and it is available on the WPAA VideoAlive page on demand.

The episode covers, in layman’s terms, the recent arbitration award that has handed down regarding Local 1326 of the International Association of Fire Fighters and Local 1183 of AFSCME and the process by which all of this was handled.

It is a MUST watch for anyone that would like more information on all of the details on how we have arrived to where we are today and the simple way that this award can easily be paid for and handled within the current budget and without raising any immediate taxes.

As far as the future award for next year and years going forward – that will require planning and forethought and we as a town should get started on that now while we are still a year and a half out.

Again – I HIGHLY recommend the Citizen Mike Show as “must see TV”

Saturday, December 4, 2010

VIDEO - Citizen Mike Show - Funding for the paramedics and the scale-back in paramedic coverage

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This week on WPAA, at 9 p.m. every night except Sunday, the Citizen Mike Show returns with a talk about funding for the paramedics and the scale-back in paramedic coverage by the mayor in order to address an arbitration award.

Please tune in.

Next week, the show will cover the recent events at the Housing Authority.

As soon as this week’s show is available as video on demand I’ll get the link up here. In the meantime if you have Comcast it’ll be on Channel 18 and if you have U-Verse it is on Channel 99.

AGENDA – SPECIAL MEETING – WALLINGFORD TOWN COUNCIL

TOWN OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

Town Council Chambers

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

5:15 P.M

AGENDA

1. Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call

2. Consider and Approve an Appropriation from Account 001-7060-801-3230 Contingency- Accrued Expenses in the amount of $327,486 for partial payment of retroactive pay owed employees associated with the 1183 Bargaining Unit - Personnel

Friday, December 3, 2010

VIDEO - Wallingford Town Council Meeting - NOV 9, 2010

Since the mayor has given the order to stop providing the Town Council and other meetings online, I have decided that in light of fact that there are other towns coming online to do this that I will provide the meetings as I am able to.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - NOV 9, 2010 - PART 1

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - NOV 9, 2010 - PART 2

Thursday, December 2, 2010

VIDEO - Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 26, 2010

Since the mayor has given the order to stop providing the Town Council and other meetings online, I have decided that in light of fact that there are other towns coming online to do this that I will provide the meetings as I am able to.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 26, 2010

VIDEO - Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010

Since the mayor has given the order to stop providing the Town Council and other meetings online, I have decided that in light of fact that there are other towns coming online to do this that I will provide the meetings as I am able to.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010 - PART 1

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010 - PART 2

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010 - PART 3

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010 - PART 4

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - OCT 12, 2010 - PART 5

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

VIDEO - Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 28, 2010

Since the mayor has given the order to stop providing the Town Council and other meetings online, I have decided that in light of fact that there are other towns coming online to do this that I will provide the meetings as I am able to.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 28, 2010 - PART 1

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 28, 2010 - PART 2

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 28, 2010 - PART 3

Wallingford Town Council Meeting - SEPT 28, 2010 - PART 4