Wallingford Public Schools will be closed tomorrow Wednesday August 31, 2011

According to the Wallingford Public School channel (99 on AT&T U-verse)  school has been cancelled for Wednesday August 31st.

Unfortunately buses still cannot travel down many roads in town. Wallingford Public Schools will not be open on Wednesday, August 31, 2011.

Only administrators, clerical staff and custodial staff report to work.

There is now an update on http://www.wallingford.k12.ct.us/

WALLINGFORD - Hurricane Recovery - Parking Ban is still in effect

This is not so much “are they enforcing it” (because we all know historically they do not) but rather “if you ARE actually towed – here’s why”

As posted on the Town’s Website (as of noon on 8/30):

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A parking ban remains in effect in the Town of Wallingford on Tuesday, August 30, 2011.

The ban is necessary to facilitate the efficient and safe restoration of public utilities.

No vehicle shall be parked or allowed to remain on any public street while the ban is in effect.

Vehicles found to be in violation of the ban will be tagged and towed at the owner's expense. The parking ban will remain in effect until further notice.

WALLINGFORD - Hurricane Recovery - Electric Division - Updated Information

As posted on the Town of Wallingford website as of 2PM 8/30:

The Wallingford Electric Division (WED) continues its efforts to restore power to all of its customers. The WED system sustained substantial damage from Hurricane Irene, with power lines down in a number of locations.

Safety remains our primary concern and our first priority has been to secure all downed wires and hazardous sites. In addition, beginning yesterday, we deployed our line crews and Engineering personnel to perform damage assessment and to begin making system repairs. The assessment phase is nearly complete. Restoration work began Sunday afternoon and is ongoing.

The first priority in the restoration process is to repair the distribution feeders that make up our system backbone. This approach enables us to provide power to the greatest number of customers in the most efficient manner. As we get the primary system conductors back in service our crews will begin repairing damaged service wires to customers. This process will continue after the completion of system backbone repairs until all customers are connected.

The WED provides electrical service to the Town of Wallingford and to the Northford section of the Town of North Branford. We estimate that approximately 9,500 WED customers were without power immediately following Irene. Since that time, we have restored power to approximately 8,500 of these customers.

Based on our assessment of the work remaining to be done, we anticipate that there will be less than 500 customers without electric service by the end of today, Tuesday, August 30. Due to the variety of problems that may affect individual customers’ service wires, we are unable to provide a precise time frame at this point for restoration of service to all customers.

The WED has called upon outside resources to supplement its regular work force in order to restore service in the shortest time feasible.

The work force engaged in the field with the restoration effort:

• 7 WED line crews

• 6 line crews from Thirau, LLC, the WED’s line emergency line restoration contractor (3 crews are on site and 2 crews are in-bound).

• Line crews from neighboring municipal electric systems, through the WED’s Mutual Aid Agreement with the Northeast Public Power Association

• 2 from Chicopee MA Municipal Light

• 1 from South Hadley MA Electric Light Dept.

• 1 from Westfield Gas and electric Light Dept.

• 3 tree clearing crews from Asplundh Tree Expert Company

We ask our customers to remember that they are responsible for certain components of the facilities to which the WED delivers service. If any customer-owned facilities are damaged due to a storm or accident these facilities must be repaired by a licensed electrician before the WED can safely restore power. WED crews can only work on WED equipment.

Customers who have questions regarding which components of their electrical service are their responsibility should contact the WED Customer Service Group at 203-265-5055 or 203-294-2020.

To aid in the restoration of power, the WED has prepared a helpful diagram, entitled, What You Need to Know About Your Electric Service Connection.

Customers who use or plan to use a portable electric generator should follow basic safety guidelines detailed in the WED Home Generator Safety Checklist.

WALLINGFORD - Hurricane Recovery - Compost Center Expands Hours

As posted on the Town of Wallingford website:

The Wallingford Compost Center on John Street will observe expanded hours this week to accommodate residents who wish to compost yard debris generated by the recent storm.

The expanded schedule is as follows:
Monday - Saturday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

PRESS RELEASE - Town of Wallingford Hurricane Irene Recovery

Town of Wallingford - Hurricane Irene Recovery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lieutenant Marc Mikulski
Wallingford Police Department
135 North Main Street
Wallingford, CT
(203) 294-2814

 

Wallingford Electric Division (WED)

The WED continues its efforts to restore power to all of its customers. The WED system sustained substantial damage from Hurricane Irene, with power lines down in a number of locations.

Safety remains our primary concern and our first priority has been to secure all downed wires and hazardous sites. In addition, beginning yesterday, we deployed our line crews and Engineering personnel to perform damage assessment and to begin making system repairs. The assessment phase is nearly complete. Restoration work began yesterday afternoon, continued through the night and is ongoing.

The first priority in the restoration process is to repair the distribution feeders that make up our system backbone. This approach enables us to provide power to the greatest number of customers in the most efficient manner. As we get the primary system conductors back in service our crews will begin repairing damaged service wires to customers. This process will continue after the completion of system backbone repairs until all customers are connected.

The WED provides electrical service to the Town of Wallingford and to the Northford section of the Town of North Branford. We estimate that approximately 9,500 WED customers were without power immediately following Irene. Since that time, we have restored power to approximately 5,000 of these customers.

Based on our assessment of the work remaining to be done, we anticipate that we will restore power to at least 85% of the remaining out-of-power customers by the end of the day, Wednesday, August 31st. Due to the variety of problems that may affect individual customers’ service wires we are unable to provide a precise time frame at this point for restoration of service to all customers.

The WED has called upon outside resources to supplement its regular work force in order to restore service in the shortest time feasible.

The work force engaged in the field with the restoration effort:

- 6 WED line crews
- 5 line crews from Thirau LLC, the WED’s line emergency line restoration contractor (3 crews are on site and 2 crews are in-bound).
- Line crews from neighboring municipal electric systems, through the WED’s Mutual Aid Agreement with the Northeast Public Power Association
- 2 from Chicopee MA Municipal Light
- 1 from South Hadley MA Electric Light Dept.
- 1 from Westfield Gas and Electric Light Dept.
- 3 tree clearing crews from Asplundh Tree Expert Company

We ask our customers to remember that they are responsible for certain components of the facilities to which the WED delivers service. If any customer-owned facilities are damaged due to a storm or accident these facilities must be repaired by a licensed electrician before the WED can safely restore power. WED crews can only work on WED equipment. Customers who have questions regarding which components of their electrical service are their responsibility should contact the WED Customer Service Group at (203) 265-5055 or (203) 294-2020.

We would all like to ask our customers to help keep our linemen safe as they work to restore power with the proper use of emergency generators. Please do not connect your home generator directly to your home or business’ wiring. The generator should be connected through an approved cut-off switch that will automatically disconnect the home or business from the power grid when the generator is being used. This work must be done by a licensed electrician.

 

Wallingford Police Department

The Wallingford Police Department received 205 calls for service between Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 8AM and Monday, August 29, 2011 at 8AM. The majority of the 205 calls for service were 71 calls for Public Hazards and 54 calls for residential and commercial alarm activations.

 

Wallingford Fire Department

The Wallingford Fire Department during the same operational time period responded to 60 calls for service. No one was transported by Wallingford Fire Department Town Ambulance for storm related injuries. Currently the fire department is experiencing normal call volume.

 

Wallingford Department of Public Health

Any Wallingford restaurant that has lost power is required by state statute to notify the Health Department at 203-294-2065. Residents are also encouraged to throw all refrigerated foods if there has been no power for more than four hours. “When in doubt, throw it out!” Residents that are served by well water who do not have electrical power are encouraged to use bottled water. When power is restored to well pumps the water lines should be flushed for five minutes prior to use. At this point water is not available from the American Red Cross

The Wallingford Health Department has made arrangements with the YMCA to allow Wallingford residents impacted by Hurricane Irene (those without water) to use the YMCA shower facilities. Facilities will be available from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm.  This is a temporary agreement related to the storm.

The Wallingford Emergency Shelter closed at 9pm on Sunday August 28, 2011. Residents are encouraged to seek overnight accommodations, if needed with, family/friend who are not impacted by current electrical outages.

 

Wallingford Public Works

Wallingford Public Works continues to clear trees limbs and debris from the roadways.

Public Works Department will be conducting a town wide brush only pick-up, the week of September 6, 2011. Brush to be collected must meet the following conditions; brush must be no longer than 4’ long and 6” in diameter. It must be tied in bundles so that one person can pick it up.

This week the Town of Wallingford Compost Center will remain open every day from 8AM to 4PM through Saturday September 3, 2011.

 

Wallingford Superintendent of Schools

Wallingford Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, August 30, 2011.

*This will be the last press release from the Wallingford Emergency Operations Center regarding Hurricane Irene

Please visit www.town.wallingford.ct.us as well as Wallingford Government Access Television, Comcast Xfinity - Channel 20 and AT&T U-verse - Position 99 for up-to-date local Wallingford information.

Wallingford Public Schools will be closed tomorrow - August 30, 2011.

Wallingford Public Schools will be closed tomorrow - August 30, 2011.

All teachers, secretaries, and custodians should report at their regular times.

Professional development will be conducted for all teaching staff.

All staff should check their district email for more information.

Please check back to this site for any changes.

Wallingford Police Department Hurricane Information

I had this forwarded to me from Town Councilor Vincent Cervoni (thanks Vinny) and I thought it made sense to get it out to everyone so I am cross posting it to my blogs, Facebook and the Record Journal forums.

The full details of this can be downloaded HERE

What is important to note immediately is that there will be a parking ban in effect as of 11PM Saturday the 27th.

There is additional information within the PDF so I would suggest that everyone read through it in detail.

WALLINGFORD – Updated Hurricane Irene information via the town website - Hurricane Preparation Recommendations

Credit where credit is due – the town has done a good job of providing information regarding the upcoming storm.

Here are the links as provided by the Wallingford Municipal Website.

As originally published - Hurricane Preparation Recommendations

Hurricane Watch

Hurricane conditions are a threat within 36 hours. Review your hurricane plans, keep informed and be ready to act if a warning is issued.

Hurricane Warning

Hurricane conditions are expected within 24 hours. Complete your storm preparations and leave the area if directed to do so by authorities.

Preparations

Listen to a NOAA Weather Radio for critical information from the National Weather Service.

Bring in anything that can be picked up by the wind (bicycles, lawn furniture).

Turn the refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting and keep them closed as much as possible so that food will last longer if the power goes out.

Fill your car’s gas tank

Create an evacuation plan

Plan routes to local shelters

Clear catch basins near your home to prevent flooding

Water - at least 1 gallon daily per person for 3 to 7 days

Food - at least enough for 3 to 7 days
non-perishable packaged or canned food / juices, foods for infants or the elderly, snack foods, non-electric can opener, cooking tools / fuel, paper plates / plastic utensils

First Aid Kit / Medicines / Prescription Drugs

Flashlight / Batteries

Radio - Battery operated and NOAA weather radio

Telephones - Fully charged cell phone with extra battery

Cash (with some small bills) and Credit Cards - Banks and ATMs may not be available for extended periods

Keys

Documents - in a waterproof container or watertight resealable plastic bag (insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc).

Pet care items for home and evacuation to a shelter. Proper identification / immunization records / medications, ample supply of food and water, a carrier or cage, muzzle and leash

WALLINGFORD – Updated Hurricane Irene information via the town website - Huracán Irene - Recomendaciones para Prepararse para el Huracán

Credit where credit is due – the town has done a good job of providing information regarding the upcoming storm.

Here are the links as provided by the Wallingford Municipal Website.

As originally published - Recomendaciones para Prepararse para el Huracán

FYI – I don’t know Spanish so I am taking this off the website as is; if there are any clarifications or anything needs to be appended I am sure one of my friends that knows Spanish will help me out. (Where are Dora and Boots when you really need them?)

Departamento de Policía de Wallingford

Información sobre refugio

Llamadas de Emergencia 9-1-1

Para reportar pérdida de energía eléctrica 203-265-5055

Servicios Rutinarios de los Departamentos de Policía y Bomberos 203-294-2800

El refugio para el Huracán Irene, en caso de y cuando se declare la emergencia será
Mark T. Sheehan High School
142 Hope Hill Road, Wallingford, CT. 06492.

QUE DEBE TRAER AL REFUGIO

• Documento de identificación con foto (Licencia de conducir)

• Comida para bebés/formula, pañales, pañitos húmedos, gel para las encías, pomada

• Mudas de ropa

• Cobijas

• Alimentos & refrigerios, no perecederos con suministro para 3 días

• Sleeping bags

• Teléfono celular

• Almohadas

• Linternas y pilas adicionales

• Productos de limpieza sanitaria

• Radio de pilas con pilas adicionales

• Medicinas recetadas y sin receta médica

• Anteojos

• Objetos para entretenerse (juguetes, libros, juegos, etc.)

• Dentadura postiza

• Dinero en efectivo, chequera, tarjetas de crédito

Documentos Importantes:

• Tarjeta de Seguro Social

• Prueba de Residencia (escritura o contrato de arriendo)

• Pólizas de Seguro

• Certificado de Nacimiento

• Certificado de Matrimonio

• Acciones, bonos y otros certificados negociables

•Testamentos, escrituras, copias recientes de formularios de impuestos.

Consejos/Recomendaciones Para Prepararse Para el Huracán

Conozca la Diferencia

Estar Pendiente de la Tormenta (Hurricane Watch)

Las condiciones del huracán representan una amenaza en 36 horas. Revise sus planes para el huracán, manténgase informado y esté listo para reaccionar si se emite una advertencia.

Advertencia de Huracán (Hurricane Warning)

Las condiciones del huracán se esperan dentro de 24 horas. Complete sus preparaciones para la tormenta y salga del área si las autoridades así lo indican.

Recomendaciones para Prepararse para el Huracán

• Escuche la estación de radio “NOAA Weather” para recibir importante información del Servicio Nacional del Estado del Tiempo.

• Guarde adentro de la casa todo lo que pueda ser levantado por el viento (Bicicletas, muebles del patio etc.)

• Ponga el termostato de la nevera en el punto más frío y manténgalo cerrado lo máximo posible, de esa manera los alimentos durarán más tiempo si se pierde la energía eléctrica

• Llene el tanque de gasolina de su vehículo

• Prepare un plan de evacuación

• Planee rutas al refugio local

• Agua – Por lo menos un gallón diario por persona de 3 a 7 días

• Alimentos – suficiente para por lo menos de 3 a 7 días empacado de manera no perecedera o enlatada/jugos, alimentos para bebés o ancianos, refrigerios, abridor de lata no eléctrico, materiales para cocinar/combustible, platos/cubiertos de plástico

• Botiquín de Primeros Auxilios / Medicinas / Medicinas con Receta Médica

• Linterna / Pilas

• Radio – de pilas y en la estación de “NOAA Weather”

• Teléfonos – completamente cargados y con batería adicional

• Dinero en Efectivo (con billetes de cantidades pequeñas) y tarjetas de crédito- Bancos y cajeros automáticos no estarán disponibles por algún tiempo

• LLaves

• Documentos – en un contenedor o paquete a prueba de agua o (seguros, documentos médicos, número de cuentas bancarias, tarjeta del seguro social, etc.).

• Objetos para el cuidado de las mascotas para el hogar y para la evacuación hacia un refugio. Identificaciónadecuada / información sobre inmunizaciones / medicamentos / gran cantidad de alimentos y agua, una caja o cargador de mascotas o jaula, bozal y correa

Areas Propensas a Inundaciones

Esta tormenta pronostica producir una cantidad aproximada de 10 pulgadas de agua de lluvia, en algunas aéreas puede llegar a 14 pulgadas. Esto ocasionará enormes crecimientos en las quebradas y los ríos que pronto ocasionarán inundaciones en sus riberas. Esto pone a los residentes en el área en una situación muy peligrosa al igual que a los trabajadores de la seguridad pública. Las personas que viven en estas áreas más propensas a las inundaciones deberían hacer planes de evacuación de manera voluntaria.

Vehículos Cruzando en Agua en Movimiento

La mayoría de los carros flotarán (y se irán arrastrados) en niveles de de 18 a 24 pulgadas de agua en movimiento.Camiones y camionetas no resisten más de 6 a 12 pulgadas adicionales. Quebradas y ríos pueden crecer rápidamente y el fondo de las vías también puede desaparecer haciendo el agua más profunda de lo que parece.

Control del Tráfico

¡Suspensiones en el servicio de energía eléctrica significan que los semáforos no estarán funcionando!

Los oficiales de la policía no podrán estar presentes en todas las intersecciones. Los conductores deben parar en todas las intersecciones que tengan semáforos que no estén funcionando, para cerciorarse que es seguro seguir adelante.

WALLINGFORD – Updated Hurricane Irene information via the town website - Precautions During Storm Conditions

Credit where credit is due – the town has done a good job of providing information regarding the upcoming storm.

Here are the links as provided by the Wallingford Municipal Website.

As originally published - Precautions During Storm Conditions

Power Outages

This storm is expected to arrive this weekend with the strongest winds forecast between Sunday, 4:00 a.m., through midnight. Power outages will occur. Prepare to be without power for 3 - 5 day, perhaps longer.

To report an outage, please call the Wallingford Electric Division at: 203-265-5055. If busy, please wait a few minutes and try again. Only call if your power is out.

If you encounter any downed wires, assume that they are live and stay away at 25 feet.

 

Flooding Prone Areas

This storm is forecast to produce an average of 10 inches of rainfall. In some areas more the 14 inches will fall. This will cause extensive flooding of streams and rivers that will quickly overrun their banks. This causes an extremely dangerous situation for residents as well as public safety workers. Plans should be made to voluntarily evacuate these flood prone areas.

Vehicles Crossing Moving Water

Most cars will float (and be swept away) in 18-24 inches of moving water. Trucks and SUVs are not much better with only 6 - 12 more inches of clearance. Creeks and rivers can rise very rapidly and the road bottoms can also wash away making the water much deeper than it appears.

Traffic Control

Power outages mean traffic lights will be out of order.

Police officers will not be able to respond to every intersection.

Motorist must stop at all intersections that have inoperable traffic lights to make sure that it is safe to proceed.

WALLINGFORD – Updated Hurricane Irene information via the town website - Hurricane Irene - Shelter Information

Credit where credit is due – the town has done a good job of providing information regarding the upcoming storm.

Here are the links as provided by the Wallingford Municipal Website.

As originally published - Hurricane Irene - Shelter Information

Wallingford Police Department
Shelter Information

EMERGENCY CALLS
9-1-1

Routine Police and Fire Department Services
203-294-2800

Routine Electric Power Outages
203-265-5055

The shelter for Hurricane Irene, if and when declared open, will be Mark T. Sheehan High School 142 Hope Hill Road, Wallingford, CT. 06492.

 

WHAT TO BRING TO A SHELTER

• Photo identification (Driver's License)

• Baby food/formula, diapers, wipes, teething gel, ointment

• Change of clothing

• Blankets

• Food& snacks, non-perishable, 3-day supply

• Sleeping bags

• Cell phone

• Pillows

• Flashlight& extra batteries

• Hygiene or sanitary products

• Battery powered radio & extra batteries

• Medications, prescription & over-the-counter

• Eyeglasses

• Entertainment (toys, books, games, etc.)

• Dentures

• Cash, checkbook, credit cards

Important Papers:

• Social security cards

• Proof of residence (deed or lease)

• Insurance policies

• Birth certificate

• Marriage certificate

• Stocks, bonds, and other negotiable certificates

• Wills, deeds, copies of recent tax returns

President Obama has signed the Connecticut Emergency Declaration

President Obama has signed the Connecticut Emergency Declaration. See email from the White House below.

Please contact Colleen Flanagan with any questions.

Colleen Flanagan
Director of Communications
Governor Dannel P. Malloy
Colleen.Flanagan@ct.gov
860.770.8090

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2011

President Obama Signs Connecticut Emergency Declaration

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Connecticut and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Irene beginning on August 26, 2011, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all counties in the State of Connecticut.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Gary Stanley as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT: FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

###

PARTY FOR A CURE - Telethon changes, but local MDA ‘party’ goes on

As published in the Record Journal Friday August 26, 2011

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

Fast facts
What : “Party For A Cure” for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Where : Zandri’s Stillwood Inn, 1074 S. Colony Road.
When : 5:30 p.m. Sept. 4.
Cost : $50 donation to MDA.
Information, tickets, donations : Call Zandri’s at (203) 269-6695.

WALLINGFORD — Fifteen years ago, representatives of the Muscular Dystrophy Association came into Jim Zandri’s office looking for a donation, and left with much more. “MDA kind of became my thing,” Zandri said. “They were just asking for a donation, but I volunteered to host an event.”

Zandri’s Stillwood Inn, 1074 S. Colony Road, is hosting its 15th annual “Party for a Cure” fundraiser on Sunday, Sept. 4, at 5:30 p.m. For a $50 donation, guests can enjoy an open bar, a buffet-style diner, entertainment and a silent auction.

The party will last until midnight and feature live cut-ins on WTIC-TV. The restaurant will be showing the telethon on a big screen TV, and those in attendance will have a chance to watch themselves on camera.

“The cut-ins are always a lot of fun,” Zandri said.

Zandri’s event is one of two MDA telethon parties being held in the state. The other event is being hosted at Mohegan Sun.

Zandri said he became involved with the MDA because he was always a big fan of Jerry Lewis, the comedian who hosted the telethon from its inception through last year. The MDA announced several weeks ago that he would no longer be part of the telethon.

John Sullivan, a town councilor and friend of Zandri’s, has been a regular at the event and helped co-host it over the years.

“It’s an incredible charity,” Sullivan said. “And the money raised stays in Connecticut.”

Over the years, Zandri said, $309,000 has been raised. Last year’s event alone raised $41,000. Much of the money comes from a silent auction of items donated by area businesses.

“This year we have a scooter, a recliner, Yankees tickets, Red Sox tickets,” Zandri said. One of the most popular items every year is a handmade afghan knitted by Joan Parisi, the wife of Town Council Chairman Robert Parisi, he said.

“There’s something for everyone,” Zandri said.

This is the first year the telethon will be held without Lewis — and strictly in prime time instead of spread over 22 hours — but Zandri said he doesn’t foresee that hurting the event. The most rewarding part, he said, is helping those in need.

“It makes you realize that you could be on the end where you’re in need of help,” Zandri said.

“Until you learn, you don’t realize how many different diseases fall under the umbrella of MDA,” Sullivan said. “Research to find a cure can’t be done without these events. I look forward to it every year.”

FROM WALLINGFORD - Vision and sophistication

This week’s from Wallingford is written by Stephen Knight and is presented as published in the Record Journal on Sunday August 21, 2011

Halleluiah! An agreement to extend the lease of the parking lot behind Simpson Court has been reached. Not only that, but the Town Council has very wisely voted to invest (more on that word later) almost $500K in improvements to the property.

But almost instantly, a group of people, all of whom cut their teeth on the Wooding- Caplan referendum of yore, took to the streets denouncing the agreement as contrary to the public interest because the money is to be spent on improvements to private property. I want to analyze their contention in three ways: the maintenance of a healthy downtown, the investment to the property and the use of public funds.

First of all, who benefits from the improvements? Opponents would have us believe that only the four property owners do. Nonsense. We all do, because a viable town center benefits each and every one of us, whether it’s in the property values of our homes or the quality of life we all wish to have. And that viability only exists because people want to come downtown. And they will only drive downtown if they know to a certainty that safe, convenient parking is available for their car. No parking? No people. No people? No successful downtown.

Secondly, let’s look at this investment. Yes, the Town of Wallingford is spending taxpayer money improving a piece of private property. But we are leasing this property. The owners are giving up control of the property. For thirty years.

Frankly, I think it took a real leap of faith on the part of the four owners to make this deal. Without the parking behind their buildings, their property is worth zilch. It is a credit to them, and to the town government, that there is enough trust between the parties to enter into such a sweeping and lengthy arrangement.

Lastly, let’s put two public investments announced in the same week side by side: the $500,000 for downtown parking, and the $323,000 for solar panels at Gaylord Hospital. Now before I go any further, let me just state that I think the world of Gaylord, its work and its management. This isn’t about them. It’s about comparing public benefits.

Okay, so the Town of Wallingford spends money on the parking lot. It directly benefits every single merchant downtown, and it indirectly benefits every single property owner in town because the downtown remains vibrant. You don’t need to be a professional urban planner to see the bright line connecting this investment with the benefits to the entire community. It’s obvious.

And yet, the same people of the same political persuasion that find this project such a breach of public protocol will hail handing a check for $323,000 of taxpayer funds to a private entity where the direct public benefit is virtually nonexistent, and even the indirect benefit of supposedly helping to save the planet is, putting it as kindly as I can, tenuous. With all due respect to Gaylord Hospital, all the benefits that will accrue from this government largesse will only benefit them. They will save $25,000 a year in heating oil cost, and this government handout will enable them to recoup their $550K investment in a reasonable nine years rather than the twenty-two years it would take if they had to pay for the entire project themselves.

When municipal governments turn their back on their downtown centers, the result is more than the sight of boarded up storefronts, empty streets, decaying buildings and economic loss. The real loss is in the sense of community that a strong, pleasant and inviting downtown brings to a town. Keeping that from happening takes both vision and sophistication: the vision to see the totality of the benefits and the sophistication to see that those benefits are accruing to all the citizens and not just a few. Surely the citizens of our town have both in abundance.

Small says Wallingford isn't on hook for $500,000

As published in the Record Journal, Tuesday August 23, 2011
By Robert Cyr
Record-Journal staff
rcyr@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224

WALLINGFORD - A petition drive seeking to stop the town from spending a half-million dollars on improvements to a privately owned parking lot could harm the town's ability to use the space for municipal parking while still leaving it responsible for maintenance, officials say.    
The Town Council recently approved a 30-year agreement with three property owners allowing the town to make repairs as needed to the group lot behind four uptown businesses on Simpson Court and North Main Street in exchange for the lot remaining open for free public parking.

The agreement, written by former Corporation Counsel Adam Mantzaris, updates a three-decade-long version of a year-to-year lease the town has had with varying configurations of property owners since 1961, said Town Attorney Janis Small.

If the petition is successful and the new lease is defeated at referendum, the town and property owners would revert back to the year-to-year lease, leaving the town responsible for maintenance, but without the same guarantees. Any party can back out of the year-to-year agreement at any time.

The council approved the updated lease agreement, but with dissent from two of its members, who said using public money to fix private property was a bad decision. A day later, Robert Gross began a petition drive to overturn the council's decision at referendum. As of Friday, Gross had collected 1,400 signatures, more than half the 2,491 he needs by Sept. 8.

"The whole purpose of getting the lease is so the town could justify making an investment," Small said. "It would be up to the property owners to decide if they want to continue with the status quo."

The council approved spending up to $500,000 on improvements to the lot, including paving and lighting, as part of Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.'s 2011-12 budget, passed earlier this year. The money would come out of the capital non-recurring fund made up of revenue from the Electric Division.

Small said the lease agreement contains no dollar amounts or spending stipulations and that it simply gives the town the option to make improvements as needed. The capital earmark and the agreement are two separate issues, she said.

"It was drafted in that manner so we wouldn't be in a position where the property owners dictate each and every thing the town did," she said. "There's this idea that the town is committed to spend that amount of money, but there's no such thing."

Councilor Nicholas Economopoulos, a Democrat, voted against the lease and has been helping Gross and others collect signatures around town. He said his decision wasn't made along party lines and that the money could be better spent elsewhere.

"I wanted to be my own person on this one and I feel very strongly about this," he said.

Councilor John Sullivan, also a Democrat, was not present at the council meeting when the vote took place. He said he would have supported the lease, however, because there's no contractual language forcing the town to spend all of the money it has already voted to put aside for lot repairs.

"The jury's out as to how much we're going to put into the property," he said. "The key to this lease is the language that states the town may make improvements. I understand some people feel we are making an improvement on property we don't own. But 30 years is a long time. But if that referendum changes the decision, this could cripple the downtown area."

Like Economopoulos, Town Councilor Craig Fishbein voted against the lease, but worried that a referendum could have negative consequences.

"Let's say there's no lease because the referendum is successful, but it doesn't challenge the expenditure," said Fishbein, a Republican. "Does the referendum address that at all? They're just challenging the lease. We'd still have that money we voted to spend on the lot."

Comptroller James Bowes was not available for comment.

Gross, who has set up an email address for his petition drive at parking500k@aol.com, said the money approved for the lot could be reassigned to other projects in town, such as fixing school buildings and the Parks and Recreation Department building.

"In this economy," he said, "it's just too much to spend on private property."

Is this a time for a COLA? - Some councilors question pension cost-of-living adjustment

As published in the Record Journal on August 21, 2011

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — The Town Council voted last week to approve a 1.5 percent cost-of-living increase in pensions for retired town employees, but some councilors questioned the decision at a time when many current town employees face a wage freeze.

Personnel Director Terrance Sullivan said town employee union contracts require the council to consider a cost-of-living increase every three years. In the past, the increases have been 3 percent, but Sullivan said Tuesday the 1.5 percent figure was a compromise given tough economic times.

“We decided on an increase of less than 3 percent but more than zero,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said there are 406 retirees and beneficiaries in town, and 310 will be affected by the increase. The increase, which won’t go into effect until next year, will initially cost the town $93,215.

Councilor Craig Fishbein, a Republican, voted against the increase because he felt it wasn’t the right economic time for an increase in pension payments.

“We take the position of no wage increases for current employees, but increase pensions by 1.5 percent for past employees,” Fishbein said.

Fishbein also questioned the language of the contract, and whether or not it would be possible for the council to approve an increase, but delay the start by a year. Some councilors who voted in favor of the increase did so because they didn’t want pensioners to go five years without a cost-of-living adjustment. John LeTourneau, a Republican councilor, voted in favor of the increase.

“In these tough times, people living on a town pension, that’s all they get,” LeTourneau said.

As for the current employees with no wage increases, LeTourneau said that – for the people working – he felt the wage freeze will eventually be negotiated.

“They’re going to get their raises,” LeTourneau said.

Some councilors asked about an annual review for cost-of-living adjustments, but Sullivan said that, given the contract language, it wasn’t possible. Sullivan added that since the raises compound every year, a 1 percent increase for three consecutive years would cost the town more than a 3 percent increase every three years.

Fishbein said that he was worried the increases would affect the budget not just this year, but in subsequent years too. Sullivan said that his staff was still extrapolating the data to estimate how much it will eventually cost the town.
There hasn’t been a cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security recipients since 2008, a fact that Fishbein said shows it’s possible for town retirees to get by on their current pensions.

“Look at all the seniors on Social Security who haven’t seen an increase in two years,” he said.

Nick Economopoulos, a Democrat, also voted against the cost-of-living increase.

“The people that are paying for this increase can’t afford to put food on the table,” Economopoulos said. “I just don’t think it’s the right time.”

LeTourneau said that in the grand scheme of things, the increase doesn’t result in a lot of extra money. Going five years without an increase, he said, is “just not right.”

“I don’t think it’s fair to penalize the retirees,” LeTourneau said.

Jepsen: Town will benefit from Covanta settlement

As published in the Record Journal Thursday August 18, 2011

By Robert Cyr
Record-Journal staff
rcyr@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224

WALLINGFORD — State Attorney General George Jepsen told an audience at the Democratic Town Committee meeting Wednesday night that the town may benefit in some way through the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection from a recent settlement with Covanta Energy over dioxin emissions last year. “As you might guess, we’re under a lot of pressure from the Malloy administration to put as much money as possible into the general fund,” he said. “Our lawyers wanted $200,000 to go to Wallingford and it turns out it’s hard to write a settlement that is so narrowly focused, and the DEP, as a matter of discretion, will be focusing on Wallingford.”

The trash-to-energy plant on South Cherry Street was ordered to pay the state a $400,000 fine stemming from high dioxin levels in one of its operating stacks last summer. Former Attorney General Richard Blumenthal brought the suit against Covanta on behalf of the DEP.
Town Councilor Vincent Testa Jr., who is running for Mayor, told Jepsen the council had recently voted to authorize Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. to send the DEP a letter requesting that Wallingford be considered to receive part of the settlement. “Since it happened in Wallingford, Wallingford should benefit from that fund,” he said. “It was also suggested that we ask for the whole $400,000.”

Committee Chairman Vincent Avallone, who had requested Jepsen’s presence at the meeting to answer questions about the Covanta suit, said the recent court ruling differed from other cases in which the company violated emissions standards and were only sued. This was the first instance of an enforceable court ruling, with stiff penalties for future violations.

“Covanta now sees this and they’re on their toes,” he said. “The penalties get worse and worse.”

According to the suit brought by the state, the plant was fully operational after officials discovered on May 27 that a stack was emitting more than twice the allowed limit of dioxin. The stack remained in use until Covanta shut it down. The lawsuit called for Covanta to pay a fine of $25,000 for every day the stack remained in use.

Under terms of the settlement filed last month in Hartford Superior Court, the company will pay $200,000 to the state treasurer and $200,000 to DEEP for a project to enhance environmental protection or conserve natural resources. They will also be held to more strict emissions standards for the next three years.

State Attorney General George Jepsen will be at the Wallingford Democrat Town Committee meeting tonight–Wednesday August 17, 2011

State Attorney General George Jepsen will be at the Wallingford Democrat Town Committee meeting tonight–Wednesday August 17, 2011.

The public is invited to come meet the State Attorney General as we welcome him back to Wallingford.

He is scheduled to speak regarding the recent judgment against Covanta Energy which has been ordered to pay a $400,000 fine and upgrade one of its incinerators as terms of a settlement with the state over emissions violations last summer.

The meeting starts at 7:30pm and is held at 350 Center Street in Room 212.

Sheehan High School cheerleaders plan fundraisers

WALLINGFORD — The Sheehan High School cheerleaders will sponsor the fundraisers in August and September to defray expenses for the season.

A fundraiser will be offered from 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 18 at Burger King, 888 N. Colony Road. The restaurant will donate 20 percent of the evening’s sales to the team.

The cheerleading team will perform at the New Britain Rock Cats baseball game on Aug. 19. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

A bus trip to Mohegan Sun Casino will take place Sept. 24. A fee will be charged.

For information or tickets for the Rock Cats game or Mohegan Sun trip, call Lisa Eroh at (203) 269-6161.

FROM WALLINGFORD - I have a local list

This week’s FROM WALLINGFORD  was written by Mike Brodinsky who is a former town councilor, chairman of the School Roof Building Committee and host of public access show “Citizen Mike.”

I like lists. One of my favorites is the list of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time. It brings me back, way back. A list of the longest running Broadway plays is terrific reading, too. I want a list, it would be short, of the best, left-handed second basemen from Nebraska who played baseball for the Cincinnati Reds. That’s not for everyone. But here is a list I have wanted to write for you: (drum roll, please) a list of the most significant Wallingford news stories of 2011.

My rating system is not scientific. A story could make my list because of the amount of press it got. The impact of the news on Wallingford matters, too. A story could make the list because it may serve as a warning of things to come; or, it could be representative of a trend. The story could make the list only because it appeals to my quirkiness. The list will grow with each column I write. This is but my first installment.

Because of its impact on Wallingford, I pick the new commuter rail service as the top story of the year, so far. Facts about the plan are still evolving. Currently, the plan calls for 25 round trip trains instead of 6. I foresee lines of cars at eight signaled crossings, waiting for the gates to rise during rush hour when trains will be more frequent.

Emergency vehicles are in line, too, waiting. The trains could reach speeds of around 80 miles per hour in the Wallingford area. I see accidents, maybe around the two crossings without traffic lights. I see new passenger loading platforms, but I do not see a lot of passengers. I see the parking garage the State wants to build in the downtown area. I see that it doesn’t bring in taxes or create much downtown vitality.

The DOT and others predict huge benefits, and some public officials have, ahem, jumped on board, too. Together, they have heavily promoted the new train service, but their claims are theory. No one really knows what the total costs or specific benefits will be. Their speculation as to the benefits, which come at a very steep price, is an important part of this story.

The second top story is about roofs. The schools need to replace 11 of them. They are nearing the end of their useful lives and the Town Council has started a needed and costly replacement program to deal with the problem. It’s not just the school roofs that landed this topic on my list. In 2010, a Record-Journal headline warned, “Rain doesn’t wait for grants.” The story reported that leaky roofs had been a problem in the Parks and Recreation building. Money was put into the 2011 budget to fix the problem. Too little, too late? In June, another headline read, “Parks Rec roof still a mess; company has until July 5.” The headline was right. The rain didn’t wait. Almost a year later, the building had water damage. Also in June, we read that the police department roof had a leak. The Council authorized almost $100,000 to replace it. But, by then, water damage had already plagued the police department for months.

My favorite roof story, however, is about solar panels. Superintendent Dr. Sal Menzo, is investigating whether Wallingford could put solar panels on school roofs at no cost to the town. Some people will challenge this idea but the Council and Board of Education should support that investigation. This is more than a plan to save or spend a few dollars. It is about whether Wallingford has the spirit to do something bold and innovative. It’s a story about whether roofs with solar panels can be educational for students, and a message to prospective residents and businesses: Wallingford is a happening place. Join us as we move forward.

900 sign petition against Simpson Court plans

As posted online at MyRecordJournal.com and as published in the Record Journal, Tuesday August 16, 2011

Robert Cyr
rcyr@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224

WALLINGFORD - Town Councilor Nicholas Economopoulos was out on a rainy Monday afternoon, talking to voters in front of Stop & Shop on Route 5, but he wasn't campaigning to retain his seat on the council.

Economopoulos was collecting signatures, as were others circulating the petition to force a referendum on a council decision last week that entered the town into a 30-year, $500,000 agreement with four North Main Street businesses to pave and maintain their collective parking lot in return for free municipal use.

The intent is to create a safer, more attractive municipal parking lot that will continue to provide an alternative to the often crowded parking area in front of the Simpson Court businesses. Economopoulos, a Democrat, voted against it, saying the town should not pay to upgrade private property.

Robert Gross, a local man who has run for council, started the petition drive Wednesday and has until Sept. 8 to collect 2,491 signatures, or 10 percent of the town's registered voters. That's the amount needed, by town law, to force the council to reverse its decision within 30 days or go to a town-wide vote on the matter.

Economopoulos was in good spirits and said he's gotten a positive response so far. A small group of people had collected about 900 signatures over the weekend. In his hand were three full pages of official signature pages, with 50 signatures on each page.

"People have been great and they really want to find out what's going on," he said.

Holding more pages at the store's other entrance, local resident Robert Hogan said he was confident the signatures would come and a referendum would take place.

"Everyone I talk to has been unbelievably responsive to what we're doing," he said. "When we tell them what has happened, they are awestruck - they can't believe it."

Petition supporters, who have called it an example of "democracy in action," included 24-year-old Troy Livingston. While he works in New Haven, he was born and lives in town, he said.

"I don't think it's really necessary for the town's money to go to something like a parking lot," he said. "We could be using that money for something more important in town."

Scott McLean, professor of political science at Quinnipiac University, said Wallingford's case of petitioning for referendum has a rich tradition in American history and is an example of a government process that once astounded foreign visitors who were accustomed to turmoil in Europe.

Among visiting dignitaries was 19th century French historian Alexis de Tocqueville, whose book "Democracy in America" is still read today.

"He thought it was remarkable that Americans were so involved in their municipalities," McLean said. "It was very different in Europe at the time, when revolutions were sweeping across Europe, but Americans put their political interests very close to home."

Whenever a community petitions for a referendum to overturn a government decision, they are evoking the spirit of early America, he said.

"Of course the right to petition the government is in the First Amendment and it's a very fundamental idea, a right that goes back to Colonial days," he said. "There's a long tradition of seeing petitions as vital to the health of democracy in America."

Simpson Court project may go to referendum

As published in the Record Journal Sunday August 14, 2011

By Robert Cyr
Record-Journal staff

WALLINGFORD — Business owners are expressing support for the Town Council’s decision to make a half million dollars’ worth of improvements to the parking lot behind Simpson Court, while opponents of the project planned to spend the weekend collecting signatures in hopes of sending it to referendum.

The Town Council approved an agreement with four property owners last Tuesday night, giving the town the authority to make $500,000 in improvements to the lot while extending public use for the next 30 years. Under the agreement, the town will also provide maintenance, including snow plowing.

The intent is to create a safer, more attractive municipal parking lot that will continue to provide an alternative to the often crowded parking area in front of the Simpson Court businesses.

Debbie Pacileo, owner of Gaetano’s Tavern at 36 N. Main St., spoke to customers on the restaurant’s sunny sidewalk patio Friday afternoon, saying she had heard of the drive to reverse the council’s decision.

“I think anything they do uptown is good for the town, and everyone knows how bad the lot looks,” she said. “People tell me all the time they want to come here but don’t have the time to look for a place to park. Businesses are hurt in this town for a lack of good parking.”

The improvements, first planned more than a decade ago, will include paving, installing lights, marking off 130 parking spaces, and reconstructing a concrete wall that borders the lot and Holy Trinity School on Center Street. The project has stalled over the years because the building’s owners have not always agreed with the use agreement.

Next door to Gaetano’s, at 48 N. Main St., was a busy Half Moon Cafe, where tables were packed with local lunch-goers.

Amy Lipper, a Guilford resident who owns wholesaler Lipper International on Washington Street, said the improved parking would benefit not just the businesses abutting the lot, but would make it easier to access shops across the street as well.

“There isn’t a whole lot of parking in town, and that one gets a lot of use,” she said. “I realize it’s private, but it really services the whole town. If it wasn’t free to park there, I would expect who­ ever charged to park there to pay for the paving.”

The cost of the project, which has more than doubled since the inception of a plan a decade ago due to material and added labor costs, will be covered by annual contributions the Electric Division makes to the town for capital improvements. The Public Works Department, which was once slated to perform the work, will be replaced by a private company that will be able to work on sections of the lot while businesses remain open. Ernest Frattini, treasurer of the Masonic Temple Corp., is one of three principal owners of the building that houses the Half Moon. He said the lot has been a municipal space since 1961 and the recent agreement is a continuation of that arrangement, which has so far benefitted the town.

“I believe it’s going to bring people in and give them a safe place to park,” he said. “I know the price went up, but my concern is our tenants. To shut the whole place down and repave it, they would be hurt. I think it will improve the town. If people see it, they might start redoing their own parking lots.”

Some who lived in Wallingford in the early 1960s remember the lot and its usefulness in accessing the shops along North Main Street.

Bart Bramby, 63, sat talking with a friend at a cafe table, lunching while visiting from Dallas, Texas to see his mother, Jean Bramby.
Bart Bramby said he left town for college in 1965 and returns often to visit family.

“My perception is that helping the businesses right here — this is a wonderful location — helps the town as a whole,” he said.

The deal was met with opposition a day after the council’s decision.

Two town councilors voted against it, and one who supported it, Jerry Farrell Jr., was accused by a local man, William Comerford, of a conflict of interest because his recently opened business is in one of the four buildings. Farrell said he has no relationship with John McGuire, the building’s owner.

“I’m there as a guest of the tenants, David and Jane Smith,” he said. “I don’t believe that my presence or absence has any effect on what gets paid to Mr. McGuire by the Smiths.”

Robert Gross, a local Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for the council, started a petition Wednesday to get the issue sent to referendum to overturn the council’s decision. The argument against the project is that the town should not use its money to improve private property.

Gross has until Sept. 8 to gather signatures from 10 percent of the town’s registered voters, which works out to 2,491. He said Friday that he and others who circulated the petition had collected more than 100 signatures per day since Wednesday, and would be collecting more Saturday morning at various locations throughout town.

“It’s a tough battle,” he said. “We have to get a lot of signatures really quickly.”

Nothing new about parking plan - Simpson scheme has been around more than decade

As published in the Record Journal on Friday August 12, 2011

By Robert Cyr
Record-Journal staff
rcyr@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224

WALLINGFORD — The recently approved project to rebuild the parking lot behind Simpson Court businesses has a history that stretches back more than 10 years, and the cost of renovations has nearly doubled since officials first looked at designs.

The Town Council approved an agreement with four property owners Tuesday night, giving the town the authority to make $500,000 in improvements to the lot while extending public use for the next 30 years. Under the agreement, the town will also provide maintenance, including snow plowing.

The intent is to create a safer, more attractive parking lot that will continue to provide an alternative to the often crowded parking area in front of the Simpson Court businesses.

Not everyone is happy about the deal, however. Two town councilors voted against it, and Robert Gross, a local Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for the council, started a petition Wednesday to get the issue sent to referendum to overturn the council’s decision.

Gross and councilors Craig Fishbein and Nicholas Economopoulos said they oppose the project because they feel it’s inappropriate for the town to spend money to improve private property. But Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said the project is nothing new, having been discussed for more than a decade, and that the lot has long been dedicated to public use, which will continue over the 30-year life of the agreement.

“We’re getting back the value we’re putting into it,” Dickinson said. “How is that not a significant benefit to the public?”

The town budgeted $250,000 for the project in 2006, according to Record-Journal archives, but had to put it aside after negotiations fell through with businesses, some unable to decide whether they wanted to enter into a long-term agreement.

“Those are original estimates, and it was certainly an old number,” Dickinson said. “Once we had designs everyone agreed to, then a new estimate was put together.”

Town Engineer John Thompson confirmed the original $250,000 figure, which he said had doubled over a decade because the cost of materials and labor has continued to climb, and the Department of Public Works will no longer be doing the paving work.

“We felt that because the owners were imposing conditions about maintaining portions of the lot for use during construction, public works would not be able to phase the work like that,” he said. “This has more to do with the allocation of manpower. The project is essentially the same as it was.”

The project will be paid for out of the town’s capital nonrecurring fund, which consists of revenue from the municipal Electric Division.

For several years, a fifth business on North Main Street, the Wachovia Bank at 86 N. Main St., expressed interest in being included in the project, but it officially pulled out in 2009, causing Thompson to have to redraft the plans.

Jack McGuire, CEO of local insurance company Ferguson and McGuire, owns two of the four properties through a limited liability company, one at 2 N. Main St. and another at 26 N. Main St. He was not available for comment.

Masonic Temple Corp. of Wallingford owns 48 N. Main St., home to the Half Moon Cafe. Ernest Frattini, a principal of the corporation and president of Masonic Compass Lodge No. 9, did not return calls.

The building housing Gaetano’s Tavern at 36 N. Main St. is owned by Gail Debaise, Mary Lee Pimentel and Barbara Farrell. Farrell is of no relation to Town Councilor Jerry Farrell Jr., he said. Pimentel said the arrangement has been talked about for many years and stems from easements on the lot the town has held for 40 years.

“We are paid no rent, so the only thing we are getting out of this is maintaining what’s there,” Pimentel said. “I really saw this as a benefit to the town as well as the property owners.”

Tracking the rail project in Wallingford

As published in the Record Journal, Monday August 8, 2011

By Mary Ellen Godin
Record-Journal staff
mgodin@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2255

WALLINGFORD — Travel speeds, downtown traffic, land acquisition and changes in the Judd Square area are some of the concerns being raised by the public over plans for commuter rail service from New Haven to Springfield, Mass.

Plans call for upgrading signals along the 62-mile stretch, which could begin as early as next spring. But locally, the public voiced concerns at a meeting last week over a proposal to move the train stop to Judd Square, with an elevated platform and parking for 200 cars.

The state Department of Transportation held the first of many informational sessions last Thursday with residents and town officials over where and how to lay out the new station. The rail line will increase commuter and inter-city service while also providing high-speed Acela transit along the corridor.

Springfield will become a central connector with service to Boston, Vermont and finally to Montreal. The project consists of double tracking 62 miles of track, upgrading the signals, building new stations in North Haven, Newington and Enfield, relocating Wallingford’s station and building new elevated platforms, walkways and parking garages in each town.

“Nothing has been set in stone,” said DOT Project Manager John Bernick.
He asked town officials to create a panel to act as an advisory board throughout the project.

Wallingford has the most crossings of any municipality along the corridor — 10, eight with signals and two unsignaled gates. The most heavily trafficked areas are Parker, Hall, Ward and Quinnipiac streets. The town now has five or six trains passing through per day. The rail project calls for 25.

Public officials have said they are concerned that more trains, which can go as fast as 110 mph, would pose a safety threat to residents and disrupt nearby businesses.

City Councilor Jerry Farrell opposed Amtrak’s taking any land from Most Holy Trinity Church. Bernick assured him that wouldn’t happen.

Farrell also he had concerns about 25 trains roaring through a very densely populated section of town every day. The crossings are at grade. He was assured that just because the trains had the potential to reach 110 mph didn’t mean they would travel that fast through Wallingford or other high density areas. “No matter where you place it or combine it, grade crossings are going to be a problem,” Bernick said.

A traffic study conducted by Wilbur Smith & Associates reviewed the traffic signals at Parker, Hall, Ward and Quinnipiac streets and gave several of them failing grades should the anticipated commuter and intercity service start with no changes in existing traffic routes. Solutions include some road widening in certain areas, signal changes and right-turn-only lanes.

Residents of Judd Square and the nearby area expressed concerns that their parking, already in short supply, would be impacted. Bernick said no parking would be taken away and Amtrak plans to use land now housing a warehouse for that purpose.

There were only rough schematics of the site, parking garage and walk-up from Route 5 because project leaders hope to gather more public input on the location of the new train platform and design specifications. Judd Square is not a definitive site — moving the stop several blocks to the north has also been discussed — but is the best for the project, Bernick said.

Councilor Craig Fishbein questioned the cost of the project and the amount Amtrak receives annually in subsidies to support its operation. He said that without an obvious demand by people working in other towns, he didn’t see how the operation could sustain itself. The cost of the project is set at $647 million, and a $110 million shortfall is expected for the Hartford-to-Springfield leg, which planners expect will come from the federal government.

“You would be better off giving the money to the people,” Fishbein said.

Bernick replied that demand has already been proven and the project will offer significant economic development opportunities to communities with train stations. He also said increased usage of Metro-North has made it the most profitable service in the U.S.

Other benefits are that the ability to travel to Boston and New York in one to two hours could make office space in Meriden or Wallingford more attractive. Shuttle buses to and from industrial parks are also a possibility and the station will connect with the public service bus lines.

The public meetings in the cities and towns along the rail line will become part of the environmental impact study expected this fall. Upgrades to the signals could begin as early as next spring, Bernick said.

Gail DeLucia, president of the Judd Square Homeowners Association, got on board with the project after she learned the residents would not lose any parking. She was careful to say she was speaking as an individual and not for the group. But the sluggish economy and job market offer more reasons to invite commerce and create jobs.

“We have to look to the future,” DeLucia said, “or we don’t get any solution.”

Muscular Dystrophy Fundraiser - No more Jerry, but Jim Zandri is still raising funds for MDA

As Published in the Record Journal, Tuesday August 9, 2011

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — Jim Zandri said it was Jerry Lewis who inspired him to start his own muscular dystrophy fundraiser, which continues for its 15th year next month.

“His involvement inspired me to do what I did,” Zandri said.

Lewis, who has been the face of the Muscular Dystrophy Association for nearly 60 years. won’t be hosting this year’s national telethon for the first time since 1966, but Zandri said he doesn’t think the departure will hurt fundraising efforts.

“The cause is still there, this is still needed,” Zandri said.

Before last week, when Lewis’ departure was announced, the MDA had already prepared changes to this year’s telethon. The event, which used to last 21 hours, will shift to prime time, from 6 p.m. to midnight on the Sunday before Labor Day. Traditionally, the telethon began Sunday night and continued into Monday.

Steve Fredrickson, executive director of the MDA’s New Haven district, said the changes were adopted for a number of reasons.
“We wanted to bring it into prime time,” Fredrickson said. “It’s the 21st century; we’re trying to capitalize more on Internet donations.”

Fredrickson has been with the MDA since January. He said he joined because he believed in the organization’s mission.

“Sunday I had my first chance to go to an MDA summer camp, and really see our funds at work,” Fredrickson said.

Zandri said that Lewis’ departure didn’t change too much in the planning of the event, and that he’d expected Lewis, 85, to step down from the association in the next few years.

“At some point it had to continue on without him,” Zandri said.

In a statement, R. Rodney Howell, MDA chairman of the board, said, “Jerry Lewis is a world-class humanitarian and we’re forever grateful to him for his more than half century of generous service to MDA. We will not be replacing him as MDA national chairman, and he will not be appearing on the telethon.”

The MDA has become synonymous with Lewis, Zandri said, but it was important that the organization create its own identity. It’s been a slow transition, but Zandri said that he thinks people are aware of the MDA for reasons other than Lewis.

“There’s a need for a transition,” he said. “It’s a new generation. My kids don’t know who Jerry Lewis is.”

Zandri expects turnout for the event to be the same as in years past.

“Most people come regardless,” he said. “I don’t expect anybody to abandon the cause because Jerry Lewis is gone. People support the cause because they’re affected personally by it.”

Fredrickson said that the MDA is expecting viewership of the telethon to be up this year because of the primetime hours.

Zandri’s telethon party will be hosted at Zandri’s Stillwood Inn, 1074 S. Colony Road, from 5:30 p.m. to midnight on Sept. 4. For a $50 donation to the MDA, guests have access to a buffet, an open bar, dancing and a silent auction. Zandri said that in 14 years, the local event has raised more than $300,000.

“There’s no gimmick,” Zandri said. “It’s just a donation, and it’s a good time.”

Lemonade? Don’t try it!

This op-ed piece was written by Rich Lowry who is the editor of The National Review. It was published in the Record Journal on Sunday August 7, 2011

There’s no more poignant symbol of American childhood than the lemonade stand, evocative of long, lazy summer days and pie-in-the-sky entrepreneurial dreams.

It inevitably was a subject for a Norman Rockwell print, with a brassy kid confidently hawking cups for 5 cents each. If Rockwell were to update the image today, he might have to include an officer of the law nosing around the stand to ensure its compliance with all relevant ordinances.

In various localities around the country this summer, cops have raided and shut down lemonade stands. The incidents get — and deserve — national attention as telling collisions between classic Americana and the senseless pettifogging that is increasingly the American Way.

There should be an easy rule of thumb for when enforcement of a regulation has gone too far: When it makes kids cry.

Setting up a lemonade stand has always been the occasion for early lessons about the importance of hustle and perseverance, and some business basics — like location, location, location. It shouldn’t be the occasion for dealing with the unreasoning dictates of The Man.

Police in Coralville, Iowa, a few weeks ago conducted a sweep and shut down three lemonade stands, some within minutes of their opening. The offenders had started their renegade operations the weekend of an annual bike ride across the state. The town requires vendors to have a permit during the days of the event. None of the perps did, including one 4-year-old girl who shamelessly made $4 before police intervened.

One mother said she could only laugh when the police told her the cost of a permit was $400. Uncomprehending, her kids cried. They figured only the inadequacy of their handmade signs could have made the city’s law enforcement want to put them out of business.

A Coralville civic eminence subsequently explained that the ordinance was in place to protect the health of the bike riders, who are apparently robust enough to bike 472 miles but might be felled by 6 ounces of lemonade.

In McAllen, Texas, two kids were shut down and their grandmother threatened with a fine on similar grounds. Audaciously, the youngsters started selling lemonade for 50 cents a cup in a park without a health permit or licensed food handlers to prepare or serve their lemony libation. Hoping only to fund the upkeep of their two hermit crabs, these two children had stumbled into a murky world way over their heads.

In Midway, Ga., three girls were told they needed a business license, peddler’s permit and food permit to set up a lemonade stand on their front lawn. It might have taken all summer just to navigate the bureaucracy necessary to begin selling the lemonade. The chief of police explained why she had to act to protect the public from the unauthorized sale of the unknown substance purporting to be “lemonade”: “We were not aware of how the lemonade was made, who made the lemonade, of what the lemonade was made with.”

Chances are that it was made of the usual dangerous cocktail of lemon juice, sugar and water. If children — or their parents — aren’t to be trusted to prepare lemonade, presumably people lured by the prospect of a cool drink on a hot day can calculate the risks on their own and take their pocket change elsewhere if they feel safe only with professional-quality product. Invariably, the parents of illicit lemonade stand vendors protest to the authorities, “but they’re just kids.” That should be a clinching, self-evident argument. But not when an unbending legalism is ascendant, and there’s a law for everything. It’s in this spirit that we pat down children in the security lines of airports.

People in authority are afraid ever to be caught rendering common-sense judgments.

For now, the lemonade-stand crackdowns are a bridge too far. They usually bring cries of public outrage and embarrassed backpedaling from officials. So belly up to the lemonade stand — while you still can.

Some object to Simpson parking deal - Petition campaign seeks to force referendum

As published in the Record Journal, Thursday August 11, 2011

By Robert Cyr
Record-Journal staff
rcyr@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224

WALLINGFORD — A group of residents is trying to collect thousands of signatures to fight the town’s half-million dollar investment to improve an uptown parking lot during a 30-year use agreement.

The Town Council approved the agreement with four property owners Tuesday night. It gives the town the authority to make improvements worth $500,000 to the lot and make it available for public use, but it also requires the town to provide maintenance for 30 years. Robert Gross, who has run unsuccessfully for the council as a Democrat, began a petition drive Wednesday to overturn the council’s decision under the referendum provision of the Town Charter. He has until Sept. 8 to collect signatures from 2,491 voters — 10 percent of the registered voters in town. If he meets his goal, the council has 30 days to rescind the vote or else the matter will go to a town wide referendum.

“I don’t care who owns the property — I don’t feel that the town should pay to pave and maintain a privately owned parking lot,” Gross said. “It’s up to the people to decide whether this is a reasonable issue or not. This is just democracy at work.”

But there’s more at stake than the town simply sprucing up the 130-space parking area behind four businesses on Simpson Court, off North Main Street, said William Comerford, who keeps close watch on town government and is a member of the group Concerned Citizens of Wallingford.

Comerford claims the business relation­ship between a town councilor and one of the property owners involved in the agreement represents a conflict of interest.

“We feel the people need to know what’s going on,” he said. Town Council Vice Chairman Jerry Farrell Jr. recently opened a law business on the second floor over TD Bank North, 2 North Main Street, adjacent to the parking lot. The building is owned by a limited liability company that owns a portion of the lot and lists John McGuire as its principal. McGuire is also listed as principal of the company that owns a neighboring building, home to Body & Soul Day Spa, 26 N. Main Street, according to state records.

Farrell denied any conflict, saying he doesn’t pay rent on the business space he has been using for the past two months for his legal consulting firm.

“I’m not Jack McGuire’s tenant, I’m there as a guest,” Farrell said. “I don’t pay him any money, so I don’t see any particular gain or advantage for me to voting on it.”

Town Engineer John Thompson said Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. told him to hold off on any improvements to the lot until the matter of a potential referendum is cleared up, but to continue preliminary work. The council approved the project with a bid waiver, allowing the town to get started right away without a competitive bidding process, Thompson said.

The first step in repairs will be to fix a long section of concrete wall that supports the lot and has been damaged by freezing and water. Work will also include paving, grading and drainage improvements.

“If the wall failed for some reason, it would compromise our whole investment,” Thompson said.

Dickinson said the project is being paid for by revenue from the Wallingford Electric Division, and the town pays nothing to use the space. The town has traditionally plowed and maintained the lot, along with three others it leases, he said.

Republican Councilor Craig Fishbein voted against the lease agreement, and said it was unwise to invest town money in a privately owned property.

“In this economy, $500,000 is a lot of money, and I think it could’ve been spent better elsewhere,” he said. “It’s a tough decision because you’re trying to portray a safe, well maintained downtown area, but the long-term outlay is bad. On top of the outlay, we have the ongoing cost of maintenance.”

Democrat Nicholas Economopoulos was the only other councilor to vote against the lease.

“I don’t think we’re in a position to improve private owners’ property; they’re some of the more affluent people in town,” he said. “There is not one item of proof, one report, that those improvements will help the town or increase people shopping in that part of town.”

But Mario DiNatale supports the agreement. The local businessman owns East Side Market on East Center Street and the former Town Hall at 350 Center St., now occupied by offices.

“The lot is used by everybody, so maybe it’s not so bad,” he said. “They’re not paying anything, so if the town’s going to use it, they should fix it.”

Parking is already available in the lot behind Simpson Court, but the area is in poor condition and not well lighted. Still, Don Blynn wonders why the project is necessary, since the lot is already getting a lot of use.

“I’m going to vote no on the half-million dollars,” said Blynn, who was having dinner with his wife Ginny Wednesday at Half Moon Cafe on Simpson Court. “The parking lot fills every night anyways.”

Ginny Blynn also thinks “the money could be spent better somewhere else,” she said, “like paying for sports or schools.”