Happy New Year, honey bunch! There weren’t too many people who were unhappy to see 2020 in the rearview mirror, that’s for sure. In a year that started out with soooo much positive going on, it’s amazing how it all turned so sour so fast. Here in the Asylum by the Sea, things are still in somewhat of the doldrums as the China virus has continued to spike through these colder months, and Goodness knows when this is all gonna turn around.
Over the past few weeks, though, things seem to be going in a more positive direction effen yew’ve looked at our publication. Of course, herronner had a bit announcement this week For the foist time since yew or I can remember, the city has published its annual audit on time. Needless to say, the news was perty good, with the municipal government coming in with a surplus.
Sammy Bluejay was here t’other afternoon and reminded Cobina that in past years, becuz then audit was probably gonna show a lotta bad news in red ink by the barrel, the audit was usually kep’ under wraps until it could be safely published by the Actors Colony. With this publication “on time and under budget” as some are wont to say, look for things to at least start off positively in the new 12 months.
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Of course, before we closed out 2020, we had the big story about the Enterprise Zone in the Front Avenue neighborhood.
As Nelly Nuthatch reminded me, this area has been rumored for a big overhaul for years. Foist it was gonna be the University of New Haven that was gonna be building over there with expansion plans, but this is actually a bit better in the long run. The new zone will allow actual taxpaying businesses into the area with the state picking up the slack for whatever tax breaks are given.
It is a good thing for the city, and is all but a done deal at this writing. Natchurly, all the legal stuff has to be dotted and crossed before it becomes official, but for the foist time in a dog’s age, things might actually be moving in the right direction.
Nelly had to laugh, however. This announcement showed the way politicos work when a big announcement is coming down the pike. They trip over themselves looking to git their names attached to it. Cobina can’t go into a lotta details, but the leap-frogging for credit was something to watch, and something to savor. It shows just how shallow some of those in public office are, and jest how fragile their egos are. It was a sight to behold.
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Iva Lootey came in to with a Happy New Year, and mentioned that he hoped with the city paying sooo much attention to part of Allingtown, maybe the decision will be made on opening a new venue for the Piantino Library. The library was closed in the fall when the Acorn Group, the corporation headed by David Beckerman that is doing so much in Allingtown, purchased the old Forest School Building, which had housed the library since the mid-1970s.
There is some dickering going on as to where the new library is gonna be located. There are a few possibilities. And, of course, rental space, and how much the Village Improvement Association will cover is something that is being negotiated.
Let’s hope the “city fathers” understand that the taxpayers in Allingtown pay top dollor and get not a lot of bang for their buck, so giving them a library – or better – ‘Providing” them with a library seems the least that the denizens of City Hall can do.
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Cobina was out in her gassamobuggy over the last few days and wanted to see what is happening at the “Haven” site. Well, more demolition seems to be taking place, mostly along Elm Street. I guess they wanna get some of those old buildings down before they take care of the former domiciles that are located thereon.
Tennyrate, we wuz wondering whilst we observed this is if the 2022 opening date is still in the offing. Let’s face it, it’s been two months since they started demolition, and to Cobina’s count three buildings have been removed. At this rate, it may take until 2022 jest to get all the buildings down. Meanwhile, the residents in the area hafta deal with the decay.
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Whilst we were out tooling in the flivver, we used the new thoroughfare along Beach Street from Monahan Place up to the Second Avenue intersection. After months of construction, the new stretch has been opened up, and we can see how it will no longer be subject to closure following big rains. The new roadbed is about seven or eight feet higher than the old, and will have the water run off into the swamp areas that surround. It.
The neighborhood has to be happy with the completion of the projeck as the traffic was causing quite a problem over there on Second Avenue for months. Of course, the way we hear it, more construction will take place along Beach Street, particularly to prevent beach erosion from exposing drain and sewer pipes as happened about five years ago. When that starts is anyone’s guess, but it is a good way to get things underwqy.
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Madame Olga is always a good person to check in with at this time of year, and Cobina went in for a reading. Olga had her crystal ball out and we wondered what things see might see. Of course, what she told us we really didn’t need a crystal ball for, but it’s always fun.
As yew know the city is gonna be celebrating its 100th anniversary as a municipality. Yup, we separated officially from the Town of Orange in 1921, and became the Town of West Haven. In fack, effen yew walk around certain areas of town, yew can still see manhole covers that say, “Town of Orange.”
Tennyrate, only in this burg can there be a controversy about who will be the official committee. Effen yew ain’t heard, through some confluence of circumstances there is a fight going on over the name, and who started the committee. No, I ain’t kidding.
At one pernt there were two committees with exactly the same name, and both professing to be the official one. There seems to be some discussion about settling the issue, but talk about a metaphor for the way things happen in this town – and yew wonder why we call it the Asylum by the Sea.
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Finally, as we enter into 2021, Cobina is still wondering what in blazes is happening to the three properties on Beach Street. It’s been years since the Captain’s Galley has closed, same with Chick’s. The galley buildings was torn down, but the Chick’s site remains perty much the way it was the day they closed it. No takers for either.
Then there is the former Debonair Motel. That is fenced in, and rotting away. It’s been about six years since its sale was announced to a former Democratic big-wig, and now it’s up for sale. No takers there, either. Not good, sweets. Not good.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,