Howdy-do sweets! Things around the berg are now starting to get a bit more active as we get outta the purgatory that was the state shutdown. I ain’t gonna get into it again as to what Cobina’s feelings on the matter are. She’s made it perfeckly clear. Let’s jest say that things are starting to percolate and maybe, jest maybe, by the time we reach the Fourth of July, things will be back to normal, whether one is vaccinated or not, and no, I ain’t.
Of course, the Memorial Day holiday weekend here and throughout the state was a replay of the way it used to be. Effen people were thinkin’ of staying home, it was probably a passin’ thought. The traffic around these parts was brutal with bumper-to-bumper traffic all over the place, including here at times. Add to that the milling and paving that started in April is now goin’ full bore again. Streets all over the city are being shaved down to the bedrock and new asphalt put down. Witch brings me to this lit’le item.
Last time we exchanged notes, I told yew I thought the Beach Street corridor would probably not be up for repaving until the reconstruction of the roadbed takes place. As yew might remember, two or three years ago an announcement was made that the road would be heightened seven feet to aid in flood management. The pipes underneath the road were exposed a few years back after several major storms.
Well, out with the gassamobuggy one day, and sure as shootin’, Beach Street had been milled and is awaiting paving. Sooooo, methinks that a couple things might be gleaned from this. It could be that the road was seen as too far gone to let it stay; or, it could be that maybe some buyers are mulling over the vacant properties there, and this is a bit of an enticement to get them to move on it.
As I said to you last time, Sammy Bluejay mentioned that people in the city are saying the former Chick’s property might be in contrack talks, and one of the concerns was the roadwork. The restaurant has been closed for more than five years, and it is starting to go to seed. Wouldn’t it be a fine election year coup to have an announcement of a new buyer.
I hafta admit, I never knew the will that Chick Celentano left precluded the place from reopening as a restaurant. That’s what Sammy sez. That would explain the lack of buyers as it was a nifty place for an eatery.
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With the coming of Memorial Day comes the beginning of the long line of graduation ceremonies that won’t stop until the middle o’ June. Notre Dame High School had its graduation, and the University of New Haven was set for its. Meanwhile, effen you tried to get through the Elm City last week, you’d get in the middle of Yale’s farewell to the Class of 2021.
It’s all very bittersweet, ain’t it? One part of one’s life ends, with the possibilities of sooo much more. We hope the boys and girls who are moving on from college or high school well in the coming weeks. Hell’s Bells, they’re already doing better with the fack that last year’s class had to make do with virtual ceremonies and drive-by diplomas. It’s gonna be interesting to see how history treats these past 16 months.
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Nelly Nuthatch pernted out to Cobina a few days ago that the Memorial Day holiday kind o’ begins the long road toward the fall elections. The caucuses aren’t until July, but things start to simmer about now, with people making or trying to make deals on the two town committees, or, knowing they don’t have a snowball’s chance in the hot place, begin the fund-raising for the primaries.
We already know that two Demmies have announced: John Lewis and former Mayor Ed O’Brien. They are planning for a primary, and may or may not, go through the Kabuki that usually accompanies the caucuses. Even though herronner hasn’t given an inkling as to what she plans to do. The fack that she’s got some fund-raising going on, and methinks there is a reelection committee in place, it’s perty certain what’s gonna happen.
Nelly thinks she’s gonna wait until late June or maybe around the Fourth to make a formal announcement. Meanwhile, the two challengers are trying to get their campaigns in order and squeeze out funding where possible. I still would like to know how Lewis and O’Brien running against each other is playing amongst the faithful. Lewis was O’Brien’s executive assistant. It’ll be interesting to see how they campaign against each other, that’s for sure.
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Of course, in this calm before the storm that starts to rumble as we get further into the summer, the GOP has already announced one candidate: Barry Cohen. The tenth districk councilman has been a perty active guy and ain’t an establishment politico – something that is very attractive to some in the Republican camp. He’s also been a bit of a rabble rouser because of it. That makes him not so special in the eyes of the more established party members. That’s become clear.
Still, there is talk of some candidate in the shadows who will make an announcement as we git closer. In a town like ours Iyam shocked that whomever it is has been able to stay in the shadows this long! Around here, the old expression about a secret being something you tell one person at a time is lived out on a daily basis. So, we will have to wait like everyone else. Somebody is said to be out there, and when he or she determines the time is right, I guess we’ll hafta wait.
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Iva Lootey noticed that in our last edition, the two remaining independent fire districks had legal notices about the referendums for their budget. The things were perty calm affairs from what I can gather, and not at all like what they were about two decades or so ago. I can remember perty clearly how the West Shore Fire Districk budget meetings and the referendum hat usually followed were surrogate wars for the city’s politicos. That ain’t the case anymore.
A lotta people cut their political teeth on the fire districk level. The Center Districk used to have a budget meeting that resembled a papal election sometimes, with people being checked at the door to make sure they had property in the districk and setch – it was all perty interesting.
Here we are years later and the districks don’t seem to be the political hotbeds they once were. And they don’t seem to be the grooming spots for future politicos. That was one of the things some liked about it. O well, things change. Even the idea of consolidation under the city seems to have been disappearing. The biggest proponent – Allingtown – is under the city since it dissolved about a decade ago, and the other two are just going along as usual, thank yew very much. Ah, but the memories of things past.
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One of the things we hope kicks off with some purpose now that the unofficial beginning of summer has arrived is the Centennial Celebration of our becoming our own municipality. Right now, the only thing that seems to be planned besides the historic game they got on some app or t’other is a boat parade set for next month. That sounds nice, but what else is on the docket?
For that matter, what’s happening with the Third of July Fireworks, and the Savin Rock Festival. We ain’t heard much about it one way or t’other. The fireworks haven’t been around for a couple years besides the pandemic, and the festival has been off thee boards for pert near four years now. It was supposed to make a comeback last year, but, obviously, didn’t. Soooo, we’re all looking for it to make a return. Let’s hope that happens and an announcement is made asap.
It should be a good summer – at least compared to last year, and it has all kinds o’ possibilities. The cold weather will be back soon enuff. We wanna enjoy some sun and breeze and saltwater in the air.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,