Hard to believe it, but September it is, honey chile, and Labor Day is upon us. It seems like only yesterday – even in Covidtide – that we were lookin’ forward to the summer and all that it brings. Truth to tell, it’s been an usual summer in an unusual year. ‘Twas also one of the hottest. It ain’t over, but psychologically, with Labor Day, things start returning to normal.
Last week, the area got hit with its second big storm o’ the year, and our little corner of the universe was lefty perty much unscathed when one looks at what went on in neighboring towns. Heck East Haven and Branford got hammered. The East Haven High School’s new football carpet, just laid down, was ripped up by the storm. Ninety-five percent o’ Branford was without power. We got off lucky this time.
And we were gonna star this off this missive with the commint that the Dept. of Public Works is starting to make a dent in collecting the leaves and branches that were ripped off trees, both those still standing and those that came tumblin’ down. Sammy Bluejay sez that a couple o’ districks at this writing were collected perty much, but there’s still a long way to go.
Yew wouldn’t o’ thought it, but it looks like the number o’ trees that were ripped outta the ground four weeks ago was in the hundreds, according to Sammy, and the residents of the city have been perty good about cuttin’ them and stackin’ them for collection. But, like most else, it takes time. If anyone needs dry kindling it looks like they have their pick of many places in the city that haven’t been collected yet.
~~~
With the comin’ of September, the governor is allowing school systems to open up, and it looks like our little collection of elementary and secondary schools is opening up Tuesday – as was traditional when we were toting the books. Over the last two decades or so, systems tried to get things begun in the last week o’ Awgus, but the powers that be determined with the Wuhan Flu that things couldn’t git underway until after Sept. 1.
To recap, our schools will open up with five-day-a-week, half-day classes for the time being. Once it is determined that things can get even further back to normal, that will change and things will really kick in. Nelly Nuthatch sez that most parents are happy to see some semblance of normalcy in this decision. Even though the kiddies are only going for half-day sessions, at least they are getting back into the swing of a schedule. That is impawtant. And we’re better off than most, Hamden pushed back its opening another week, and some school systems were hit with the storm last week, and had to postpone.
Meanwhile, the topic of extra-curriculars has been much in the news, and Nelly sez that what is really happening is that everyone is lookin’ for someone else to make the determination of whether to allow them or not, be they athletics or debate team. Nobody wants to be the bad guy, and they’re all lookin’ for the medical people to say yay or nay. Amazing how people who make six-figger salaries are unable to make some decisions, ain’t it?
~~~
Of course, yew knew that the Wuhan Flu reality was gonna become somewhat of a personnel isshew, and that collective bargaining agents were gonna git involved. In the Elm City, schools ain’t gonna open until Halloween time as many instructors are reticent to go into schools, and the system has more or less admitted it ain’t ready to receive people.
Here in the Asylum by the Sea, the local collective bargaining agent, the AFT local, has put out a “Memorandum of Agreement” to the Bored of Ed, that it received late last week. In it is an eight-page 58-item list of concerns that the union has about opening of schools.
According to both union people and Superintendent Neil Cavallaro, the memo is something that is sort of boilerplate with some local adjustments that’s being sent to school systems all over the place. The memo has been sent to the board’s attorney, and nothing has been signed…yet. It might take days, weeks or months before anything is signed, as each item has to be vetted, and talks take place. It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out. Right now, things are nicely-nicely. As things get underway that might not be the case. We shall see.
One thing we did git outta the situation is that teachers are expected to be in the classroom daily unless things change, which is good for them, and good for the kids. Also, about 20 teachers have opted outta the year because of concerns. That’s not as many as some expected. We shall see how things start to pan out.
One thing is for sure, cases will increase. Effen the college openings are any indicator, once we git kids into confines cases will shoot up. But, these are in the “least lethal” demographic. Let’s hope cool heads prevail and people’s hair doesn’t catch on fire effen things start to spike.
~~~
Whilst all that is going on, we see that the Haven’s developers have said they are waiting for a sign-off by the fire marshal before they can begin demolition. Well, we don’t wanna take credit for this announcement, but we editorialized two weeks ago that it was getting pert near time that the developers either “fish or cut bait.” It guess they determined they will fish.
So, we shall see how long it takes for this to occur. The last time it was waiting for a sign-off from the DOT that took months and months. Now it’s taking a while before we git a sign-off from a local official. While all this is going on, things are decaying over there at a rapid pace, and the neighbors have to endure the effecks.
While all that is going on, Mikey Mercuriano has re-upped his idea that we should put a casino in the locale. He made this suggestion months ago, and we reported it in this space. He sez a 1930s-era carve out allowed gambling in the city when the amusement park was extant. He thinks we should try to take that precedent and work on it to make a casino happen.
Can you picture it, we try to git a casino in here, and the fight with the local tribes would commence. It would be a fight that would years in the making. Meanwhile, the idea was sent to herroner, who said she is for whatever the developers decide.
~~~
Iva Lootey made an interesting comment while here for tea t’other afternoon. Usually in the city’s majority party there is a persona that comes across as the “heir apparent” when the current administration either is voted out or retires. With the tripartite Democratic Party, no faction really seems to have someone who would fit that description. No real voices are heard above t’others. That’s very unusual. Maybe the other factions of the party are in hiatus. Maybe they are in retirement. It’s just a very strange thing that there ain’t strong voices coming from within the party – or its factions – that would lead one to believe that they are being tapped for the next go-round.
~~~
Final thought: Ain’t Sen. Chris Murphy just a putz? With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,