Howdy-do, sweets. October already! And, like October always is, yew don’t know what the weather will bring or how to dress. We had a really cold day, and then it’s been like Awgus out here. Our esteemed editor had to traverse out to Nawth Dakota for a wedding this past weekend, and sez effen yew wanna realize how big the country is, go out thata way. Miles and miles of more miles and miles. It was quite somethin’ he sez.
Here in the Asylum by the Sea, things are starting to gear up for the campaign and the candidates are taking the initiative. A couple weeks back, this papyrus asked three queres in an editorial – just things we’d like to see addressed during the next five weeks or so. Well, one week we have the mayor’s answers, and one week we have the opponent’s answers. Mayor Nancy Rossi took lit’le time to respond, and her opposition, Michele Gregorio — one “L” effen yew please – follied. We shall see.
Right now, we ain’t hoid of any debates or forums where the good ladeez would air their differences, but we figger the Chamber of Commerce or someone else will sponsor a do, and we’ll git to hear the candidates in their own words – sooner rather than later, we hope.
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Iva Lootey made mention o’ the fack that with various celebrations comin’ almost back-to-back, the people in the Actors Colony must be a bit dizzy. Last week, the city ended its celebration of Hispanic History Month with a presentation of its Latina of the Year – it’s similar to what happens at St. Patrick’s Day time and what is to follow.
Ya see, that presentation was made Friday, and we have the coverage for it. Right on the heels of said celebration is the Columbus Day celebration by the city – yes, Columbus Day – and that means the burg with honor its Italian of the Year. Mikey Walsh, the guy who handles all the publicity for these things has been like the proverbial one-armed paperhanger. It can’t pump out the stories from his Underwood fast enuff.
This week the celebration will be related in a story, whilst the Columbus Day celebration – scheduled for this Friday – will be featured as well. Effen he got paid by the word, this would be a banner week. One wonders effen other ethnic groups are gonna be included? Hmmmm. How far will this or could this go?
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Sammy Bluejay came in with this tidbit. It seems the MARB – the Municipal Accountability Review Board – the mayor and the developers of the Haven, were in a confab last week up nawth in Hartford. What was actually discussed has been hugh-hush, and that’s got the tongues wagging. Already the rumor mill has begun, with some suggestions that the Haven people were requesting a “sweetening of the pot” in order to git the projeck underway.
One hopes any sweetening will not be at the expense of John and Jane Q. Usually developers want some perks in the form of what is known as “incentives.” Those “incentives” usually mean that the expected windfall from taxes and other things might be shorn a bit in order have the project done.
We hope that ain’t the case, but there are some people who are saying that is so. How they know is anyone’s guess, but effen the White House could have leakers, what kind of genious would it take to have leakers in the Actors Colony? Not many I’d say.
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The entire history of that project, from the time it was announced in 1997 until now has been one big, hot mess. In fack, it was a hot, balmy day in September when ole H. Richard Borer, Jr. did a big announcement and presser for the “Water Street Project.” Heck the thing has had about four iterations since then, including name changes – our favorite is West River Crossing – but nary a spade has been turned over.
The original projeck, effen yew remember, was to run all the way to Wood Street and end at the railroad tracks. It was gonna include commercial, industrial, office space and lotsa street design to make it attractive as a “gateway” projeck. Even Bilco Door was part of the plan.
Here we are 22 years later and Bilco has moved outta town, the plan is no closer to getting finished than back then, and it’s been cut in half. The whole thing to Wood Street is a faded memory.
So, let’s hope we see somethin’ there PDQ. Ole Cobina ain’t getting any younger, and we’d like to see something over in that neck o’ the woods before we really go into our dotage.
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Nelly Nuthatch was here and noted that – once again – the city is gonna go through “revaluation.” That means that the properties in town are to be reassessed and their new values will determine the tax base. Usually this is a good thing for cities, cuz property values tend to rise. Well, that hasn’t been the case here for some time.
Reassessment or revaluation used to happen every 10 years, and it usually meant a windfall for the cities and towns. Then a few years ago, the cities and towns began to move toward more reassessment, saying the increases were so huge, people complained and tax bases were hurt. Y’s ee, they used to do it once a decade.
Now they do it every four years, I think, and that means that the increses aren’t quie as dramatic. The problem, though, has not been with the increases everyone thought would happen. Instead, over the lst two reassessments, a lotta properties have lost value, and their assessments have gone down – and that ain’tjest happened here, it happened all over the region. So, this ain’t jest a West Haven thing.
For our little corner of the universe, the grand list went down more than once. It seems to be rebounding a bit, but the drop in property value doesn’t help either the homeowner or the city. Whilst the values might have decreased, the need for cash doesn’t. Ergo, yew have more financial problems in a city that has more than its share. More on this as we get geared up.
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I see, via the Wag, that the city is gonna do something about the grates that trees around town have grown out of. Effen yew look at many trees, they have masonry around the trucks. Well, those were put in quite a while ago, and those “pits” have become torn up due to the trees growing. Many are mashed up to a pulp, whilst others have become broken and overgrown with other weeds.
It was interestin’ to hear this, cuz Cobina was constitutionalizing once or twice and found those trees “pits” – don’t care much fer the term – were an eyesore, and needed repair. It was quite a coincidence that this new plan came across our desk.
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Effen yore wondering, the City Charter recommendations were filed in the City Clerk’s office at the proper time, and now we’re all on pins and needles to see jest whot happens next. Will the council jest put things to the voters in proper time, or will the politicos ditch the deal again. We shall see.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,