Well honeychile, it looks like the Mystick Maidens of the Marsh are set for their annual summer kick-off at the bogs. As yew remember, this weekend is Memorial Day, being the last one of the month. Not like the old days when it was celebrated on May 30. In fack, ole Aunty used to refer to it as “Decoration Day” to her dying breath. Some things never change for some people.
Tennyrate, the MMMs are planning to perch themselves near Sandy Point for this year’s gatherin’. The new Grand Maiden o’ the group is Tina “Devil with the Blue Dress” Peckingham. She takes over for Merle Stevens, who is still recoverin’ from the fire at her domicile last year. Tina should be a real hoot. And for the umpteenth time, the Mystick Maidens were refused a float in the parade. It’s become a yearly tradition to ask fer a float and be turned down…and we’re one o’ the oldest organizations in the city.
The big news is that the parade, besides havin’ Billy Benson as the Grand Marshal, is having an assortment of bands – the largest number o’ musical units the parade has had in years. It wasn’t long ago that bands from various high schools from Milford, Trumbull, etc. took part in our parade. Then somebody had the magical idea to change it from Monday to Sunday. That put a lotta units outta the running as they had other gigs.
Then it was a double whammy cuz they then hooked onto parades in other towns that were gonna step off on the traditional Monday. The change only lasted a year, but the damage was done, and the parade hasn’t been half o’ what it used to be. Maybe with a few more musical numbers, it’ll be more like the old days. Watchin’ people march with no music is kind o’ boring….
Meanwhile, the things that make this burg the interestin’ place it is continue. Last week the MARB – the review board in charge of city finances – met and considered alternatives to the budget it rejected two weeks ago. Sammy Bluejay was there and the consensus is that homeowners in town are gonna see a tax increase come hell or high water.
Sammy sez that whilst the verbiage did not say “raise taxes” outright, the talk of “not following the outline of the five-year plan” and not having things “expected” in the new budget lent to the overriding understanding that the mill rate will see an increase.
Like I sez to yew last week, this is a win-win for herroner. She put out a budget in an election year with no increase due to the surpluses expected in this year’s budget linked with the surplus from last year’s plan. The MARB wants the city to sock that away, and use it as a contingency. Sooooo, taxes are gonna increase by way of the MARB and herroner has insulation from the fack cuz she was forced to do it.
As we said last week, the new budget has to be in place in the next couple o’ weeks, the banks and other lending institutions hafta know what to do with their mortgage-holders. People hafta know what their payments are gonna be for the next year, and can’t wait until the last minute. So, Cobina expedts it’ll be done before the month is out or the foist week in June the lastest. Then we’ll know what in blazes to expeck.
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With the announcement o’ Steve Mullins seeking the GOP nod, the number o’ people seekin’ the mayoralty went up to four. Of course, we’re anticipatin’ that Deb Collins, current City Clerk, will put her chapeau in the proverbial ring and determine to run against incumbent Mayor Rossi in a September primary. Also announced is former Mayor Ed O’Brien, who is, by all indications, running as an independent, saving his kopecks from an expensive primary, and using them for the general election.
As Nelly Nuthatch pointed out the three-way race, regardless of who wins the primary, is a real toss-up. There are plenty o’ people in the Democratic Party who support O’Brien, even though some of the party bosses have determined to go another route. Those same people who supported the former mayor in the past have put their political capital on Collins, we are told. That means that O’Brien could be takin’ votes from at least one or two of the three factions that make up the city’s majority party. When that happens, any result is up for grabs.
It’s gonna be an interesting summer and primary season, but more so cuz we’re gonna be able to let events play out and see who supports whom, and how much stress is being put on the factions that never seem to tire of battlin’ one another.
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Iva Lootey came by and sez that the Carousel Committee – yeah, it still exists – is lookin’ at some other plans that might be interesting to the community. Personally, I’m wonderin’ where in the process the committee is concerning the carousel. It’s been many years since it was formed – more than a decade – and many years since it announced that it wanted a carousel for the Savin Rock Museum, housed in the now-closed Conference Center.
Iva seems to think it might have something to do with the new look of Savin Rock itself. You’ve probably been by there and noticed the clean-up that took place there in March. It’s quite something it now looks like it did at the turn of the 20th Century. The trees up there are supposed to be up there and all the other stuff that grew has been taken out.
People are climbing the Rock itself cuz there is a natural stair case near the base of it near the conference Center. It’s quite a view. Mikey Mercuriano, who heads the Carousel Committee, had an idea about 10 or so years ago to put a pavilion up there – a belvedere – for people to look out on the Sound. There was one up there in the heyday of the amusement park’s early days, and post cards that show it.
Now that the monument to our past is nice and tidy, maybe a pavilion is a good idea up there. We move forward by looking backward, so to speak.
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Madame Olga was here and sez that over the summer things are really gonna be percolating over the summer. Effen yew saw Josh LaBella’s little story last week on students getting a tour of the new nigh school wing, it said that it will be given over to the system for use.
Well, word is that over the summer teachers and classrooms are gonna be moved all over the building cuz part of the old school will be coming down and parts of the new school will be put into use. Moving companies have been quoted and one chosen, and the builder, Gilbane, is involved in the move.
Word is that nearly 50 teachers are gonna need to be relocated in parts of the old building and parts of the new building. Then one of the sections will be demolished so that the new gym can be constructed, and the finishing touches put on the new entrance.
Olga sez that the new entrance will be in use come the fall term, and that the auditorium and media centers will be in full use.
All in all it seems that things are going according to schedule. The entire thing is supposed to be done in a little more than two years. We shall see.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,