‘Twas quite a time at the Savin Rock Festival last weekend, sweets; and for once, the weather wasn’t sweltering, but a mighty fine couple o’ summer days. Mixed with the breezes it was quite pleasant, and not anything like the Turkish bath humidity we had over the previous couple o’ weeks. I can tell you that things in the manse were getting quite damp with the hovering humidity. But, as someone pernted out, in no time we’ll be complaining about the on-coming cold. With August rolling around, you start seeing that summer is fast fleeting, and the chill of fall will be here sooner than we realize.
Over here in our little Asylum by the Sea, the big news is that NEBCO, or the New England Brewery Company, has decided once and for all to abandon the plans for the Savin Rock Conference Center. The reason: the ongoing law suit that Jimmies has on the plan. And, that’s perty much where Herroner put the blame in her statement this week. She was none-too-happy about it.
Sooooo, the plan that was approved in 2022, litigated soon thereafter, altered and resubmitted for new approval and approved, and relitigated has now done what many of us thought was gonna happen, deep six the project.
Remember, the plan was pulled once and it took a lotta negotiations to get the plan back on the boards, only to have the litigation resumed. No developer wants to be hung up for months and months in court, spending thousands of dollars.
Now the city is lookin’ to re-bid the project out with other developers. How much you wanna bet the thing becomes kryptonite? Restaurants are gonna pass on the property for fear that either Jimmies or the Land Trust of West Haven will haul them into court. The NEBCO project was pared down more than once, and never resembled the original plans only to find itself on the business end of a summons.
And the question arises, effen it ain’t a restaurant, what else could go down there? That building has not had the best of histories, and was always some type of bistro throughout its life, until the city tried to make it a conference center.
The developer was offered to get into contact with the Haven owners and maybe get some shorefront property there, but that wasn’t in the mindset of the owners of NEBCO, who had a certain plan and business model they are follying. So, that idea quickly went the way of all flesh.
There might be some hope in making it a wedding venue, which was one of the ideas floated when the place was closed five years ago by the city, but one wonders effen lawyers will be drawing up some writ or t’other once that plan is put into place.
And, don’t forgit that the street has been closed off for a couple o’ months now due to some undermining of the roadway, according to the stories we’re hearing. It’s got a gate shutting it down, and those who wanna traverse to Jimmies – though most locals don’t it’s mostly out-of-towners – they hafta go through the overflow parking lot adjacent to the building from Capt. Kangaroo Boulevard (haven’t called it that in years!).
What happens now is anyone’s guess, but I fear developers won’t exactly been stampeding into our little corner of the universe to get that property. Like I said, it is kryptonite. And Jimmies? Like most locals effen Cobina wants a taste of Old Savin Rock, she crosses the street on the Boulevard.
So, we are back to square one with the Conference Center, and the city takes another black eye on trying to git something done. You can’t make it up!
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Meanwhile, Sammy Bluejay told me the developers over on the former Chick’s property have got their approvals to put in an eatery over there. The condominiums, which are part of the overall development are completed with only some landscaping being done, and from what Sammy sez, they are all sold, and people are moving into their new domiciles.
Work should be commencing perty soon, and we hear it’s gonna be quite something once it is finished with a sun deck indoor eating and amenities. That thing had been held up due to the reconstruction of Beach Street, and until the final vote was cast last week there was some apprehension as there any time businesses work with municipal boards and commissions, not to mention the various inspectors and setch.
Try to remember that our little burg has a very nawsty reputation when it comes to dealing with developers and whilst we have a new administration, and one hopes a new attitude, the reputation the city has is a hindrance to people coming in here.
It seems now that all the approvals are in, we can see the completion of something that has gone on for almost a decade since Chick’s was closed and a buyer was sought by Chick Celentano’s estate. Cobina chugged by there in the gassamobuggy and it’s quite a piece of property, I must say. It’ll be interesting to watch the new establishment get constructed.
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Whilst we are thinking of things at the Rock and elsewhere along the shore, one wonders whatever happened to the carousel that was supposed to be brought into the city. Originally planned for the Conference Center as a pavilion of the Savin Rock Museum (now closed), the plan was to bring a Victorian/Edwardian carousel similar to the one that rolled at the amusement park.
That carousel was moved to Magic Mountain in California, and its carved horses and figgers were remade into fiberglass, with the originals disbursed to the diaspora. The museum was able to git one of the original horses.
Tennyrate, the plan was designed and was not immediately embraced by the powers-that-bee. That was more than 20 years ago, and, though there was a flurry of activity in the mid-20teens, nothing more has really happened.
Now that the Conference Center’s fate is in limbo, one wonders exactly where the idea for a carousel is now. Mikey Mercuriano was the chairman of that committee, and every once in a while he reminds this office that the idea ain’t dead – but it ain’t kicking either!
Effen this city could somehow find a commercial way to sell its ideas as commodities we’d be as rich as Greenwich. Lots of ideas, not much on follow through…and this ain’t a criticism of the carousel or the committee. It’s jest that soooo many good ideas have died on the vine in this town over the last half century, and not much is done to put those ideas into reality.
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Nelly Nuthatch came in t’other afternoon and she had the giggles. Two weeks ago, the city had a street grater chewing up street after street, getting them ready for the summertime ritual of paving. With the coming of July 1 and the new fiscal year, you can set your watch to the fack that some type of paving and roadwork will be done.
The grater was all over town, and going from place to place with an entourage of other vehicles in tow. It got quite funny. It seemed every time one was going to another part of town, the same parade of vehicles with the grater was traveling somewhere else.
Cobina tested out Nelly’s commints, and sure enuff, the streets all over town were grated and are now awaiting paving. The flivver did not like some of the results, and myself had to keep both hands on the wheel at all times to keep things on track.
Still, Nelly was giddy about the fack that wherever she went that grater seemed to be heading to another street to chew up.
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Iva Lootey was in tow the other day and wondered why we haven’t hoid from the MARB, otherwise known as the Municipal Accountability Review Board. Ever since the budget was approved and all the other matters that are with it, we ain’t hoid much from the board.
Of course, I told Iva that “no news is good news” when it comes to the MARB. Methinks, also there might be a new relationship betwixt it and the new administration. We might still be in the honeymoon period, but one would think that would have ended during the run up to the budget approval. Budgets have a way to test one’s mettle and one’s patience. The MARB is not known for patience.
Then again, there is talk that the panel is looking to exit the scene sooner rather than later, but will continue to monitor things from afar, so to speak. Again, no news is good news.
It’s been seven long years since a state panel darkened our door for the second time in three decades. In fack they left from their foist visit 30 years ago in the fall, I believe. Let’s hope once they see the city in the rear-view mirror, we don’t hafta see the again.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next mitt luff und kizzez,