Howdy do, sweets. Here we are in the Merry Month of May, and to prove it, somebody sent via the computer a “virtual” edition of the Magdalen (pronounced in this case Mawd-lin) College Choir, Oxford, singing as they always do at 6 a.m. British time on May 1. It’s a 500-year-old tradition starting a usual May festival – not this year. But the Brits push on and had their annual sing anyway. It was a bright spot in what has been a long slog of a shutdown.
Personally, and this is jest my opinion, the powers that be in Hartford and here, can start putting the brakes on these restrictions. I happened by more than one or two local parks and the basketball nets were taken down so as to not let the kids play. They don’t get this thing, we are told, so let ’em play. Also, the city closed the boardwalk a month ago cuz somebody complained about social distancing. Have you been to a supermarket? Regardless of the six-foot perimeter, yore in a place with people passin’ by, at least in a park there is the fresh air. It all makes no sense. Methinks the powers like all this new-found authority, especially in Hartford, and they ain’t ready to give it up. We don’t have maniacs like that gal in Michigan, but the General Assembly has pert near given up its own part in the process.
I jest been around too long with yew, honey bunch. When it comes to politicians and power, it can be, and usually is, a heady thing not given up gladly.
Just like there shouldn’t be a “one size fits all” approach from state to state, there shouldn’t be a one for the counties within a state or cities within a county. The local authorities know what is best. It’s just easier to make a catch-all rule than use any kind of common sense.
~~~
Nelly Nuthatch came in and said that the biggest push so far on the city budget is that which has to do with the library. The Village Improvement Association has been leading a fight to get some of the cuts – and they were perty steep – put back in the budget. Somehow or t’other the thoid floor seems to think the library is one o’ those programs that can be pared down. But, it is one o’ the departments of government that is actually used by the people paying the taxes – and Goodness knows they get little or nothing for their money as it is.
Now there is a fight over the old Forest School Building. Now remember, there is a branch of the library, and we only have three, at the old school building. The VIA put in a bid for the property of 500,000 kopecks we are told, which was on time and under the rules a local bid, which should give it some clout. Instead it was rejected.
Now, there could be many reasons why this is so, and Iyam sure there is an explanation for rejecting the bid – effen that’s what happened. There always is. But we wonder effen nickel and diming the library and then making sure it loses its Allingtown location is a good idea? Many people use the library services – even in this electronic age, and most of those are voters – older voters – who can make life for local politicos heck.
Let’s hope this newest kerfuffle can be settled in a manner that is in the best intereste of all. Just don’t bet the mortgage on it.
~~~
Sammy Bluejay has been fluttering over to Water Street to see what’s going on there. The old thoroughfare, around for many a century and there when we were a ship-building mecca, is now closed and will be eliminated when the “Haven” is under construction. The street closure took place a week or so ago. Right now, it looks like there is a lotta prep work going on before demolition of the houses can take place, and then there’ll be prep work for the construction phase.
Tennyrate, Sammy had some good questions concerning the closure. Water Street has been a secondary outlet for traffic off the Kimberly Avenue Bridge comin’ into the burg. It has helped the congestion coming into the city. Now that it is closed, and traffic can no longer siphon off Elm, the traffic is gonna be more of a nightmare than it has been.
Sammy said that with the lock down, the traffic comin’ back into the city at evening rush hour isn’t anywhere near what it was before. Once we get past this lock down, things are gonna get really interesting. Of course, this is what we’ve been saying all along.
With the closure of the old Exit 43 ramp three years ago, the traffic patterns changed to the point that traffic along Elm Street got less in the morning, but still was heavy at night. Businesses noted this that are on Elm Street. Now with the closure of Water Street, don’t be surprised effen traffic patterns into the city change as well, and it’s not as heavy as it once was.
If and when the shopping center opens up, that will create more traffic – we hope – and more problems (not a good thing). Add to it a 50-odd year-old bridge that was only supposed to last for 20, and you’ve got the possibility of a major difficulty.
~~~
Of course, the announcement that the Memorial Day Parade is canceled for this year came as no surprise. Iva Lootey was here t’other day and said that most people involved in the parade and the festivities had been waiting for a couple o’ weeks to see when that shoe would drop. This is because no one is sure whether the state will be in whatever phase of reopening they come up with, and whether social distancing will have to be in force. See my thoughts on that above.
This follows the announcement about the July 3 fireworks. This is the time that the Fireworks Committee does the bulk of its fund-raising for the fireworks, and everything is still in a state of flux. No one is sure what is gonna happen around the Fourth, and with lower traffic, social distancing, restaurants closed where special events take place for the fireworks, there was the thought the whole venture was being set up for failure.
According to Iva the committee needs $15,000 in order to have the display. It doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but when you don’t have it, it seems farther away. Iva hears that some locals might wanna venture in and try to git the fireworks back on. It can be put on as easily as taken off, they say. And the money can be got. We shall see. That would be bright spot for a lotta people in the city.
Next up is the Savin Rock Festival. That is supposed to reappear this year now that the city seems a bit more solvent. Nobody reckoned for a pandemic. Sooooo, I guess we’ll hafta wait a few weeks before that shoe will drop too. How about having the Fireworks at the Festival this year? It’ll be a win-win.
~~~
Lost in all this is the senior rites of passage that are gonna be missing in some places this spring. No decision has been made locally yet, regarding graduation. Prom has perty much been ditched. I guess that was the topic of a conference call at the CAS-CIAC last week. That is the federation of schools that operate programs and the state’s sports. Some school systems are talking about having a double graduation next year for 2020 and 2021. That seems a little silly, but we understand why people are thinking that way.
Some schools, and our own superintendent, Neil Cavallaro, has mentioned this, there might be a ceremony in the fall. That could be problematic. Some colleges ain’t even sure they’re gonna open in the fall, and kids aren’t sure what’s gonna happen, either.
It’s jest a mess.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,