By the time yew git this missive, m’dear, it’s the beginning of June! It seems hard to believe in many ways. It seems Cobina was shoveling the slush out of her way jest weeks ago, when, in fact it was three months ago, already. Tempus does very much fugit, and the older yew git, the faster it goes. I remember reading an article wherein Kitty Carlisle of Broadway and quiz show fame in the 50s and 60s was interviewed. The ole gal lived well into her nineties. She was asked how things were going, and answered something to the effect, things were fine, but “it feels like I’m having breakfast every 15 minutes!”
The way time is going, it’ll be time for the Holly and the Ivy before you can blink the proverbial eye. Yet here we are after Memorial Day, getting ready for graduations and other events that signal the hazy, crazy days of summer. But getting back to Memorial Day for a sec, Sammy Bluejay had some interesting details.
It seems whilst the signs were posted for the parade three days or so before the event, meaning that parking had to cease at 7:30 in the ayem of the holiday, some people didn’t git the memo. Sammy was fluttering around, trying to git the best perch for the parade about two hours before – meaning round 8:30 – and members of the constabulary, who had given a grace period, were workin’ in tandem will towing companies moving cars that hadn’t been moved yet.
He made mention of this cuz the number of vehicles was quite more than even he expected. People do git up later on holidays, hence the grace period, but they had to git quite a shock when they darkened their doors along the parade route only to find an empty space where their flivver was once parked. And, that is quite the fine and impound fee. Methinks some of our locals started their holiday with quite the tension headache.
Meanwhile, the Mystick Maidens of the Marsh had their annual do at the bogs near Painter Park and it was quite something. This was the foist time we’ve had an event without a Grand High Maiden, but we’re sort of in an interregnum. Effen yew have any ideas who might fit the bill, we’d be more than happy to have them join.
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Whilst all that was going on, and I don’t wanna git in the weeds about this, but Cobina got a refresher course in how politics in these parts is not just a hobby, it’s really hardball. In most things people who have disagreed over things, whatever they were, find a way to communicate with each other and at least be civil. Not so politicos.
Cobina was reminded of this when various names came up recently during a conversation, and, instead of there being a “let bygones be bygones” attitude, there is still a dislike and distrust soooo many years later.
It just pernts out that in our little corner of the universe things political are still taken more seriously than in many places. Friendships and Foe-ships are forged in the political arena here, and woe be unto the person who is seen as a political foe. Though, I don’t know why I should be so surprised. Back in the old days when the Democratic Party, for instance, was trifurcated into the Johnson group, the Allen group and the Roper group there was a Hatfields v McCoys vibe that lasted for decades. Why I would think anyone would be different today might be on me, I guess.
And effen yew think it is only in the majority party, the GOP finds itself in the midst of quite the intramural battle with people angry at others for this support or that support. It must be something in the water.
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Nelly Nuthatch came in with the news that the purchase of the North End Field has been completed with the University of New Haven, and the former playing grounds will be part of the new business school that is planned for the former Railroad Salvage property just purchased a few months ago, and the adjacent field. Baseball and softball used to be played down there, but I don’t think a bat (of the ash or metal kind) has been seen down there since the second Clinton administration. With that purchase set, the new school can be put into motion, which this papyrus highlighted a few weeks back.
UNH has been much in the news lately with the acquisition of those properties and the announcement its athletic programs are expected to move up to Division I play in the next year or so. One would think that would entail more improvements on the campus and more expansion as needed. That has got some people wondering. Where is the school gonna expand in the next several years. The original campus on the Allingtown Hill is perty much filled to the brim. There is some land in the North Campus where the athletid facilities now are placed.
It’s a far sight different than the old New Haven College days, that’s for sure. It and Quinnipiac College (now University) were two sleepy campuses. Now both are bustling and moving with bigger programs. As the years have progressed properties are being built or taken over by the college. One wonders what is in the offing for the next several years? I guess time will tell.
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Iva Lootey noted that the new restaurant on Beach Street – where the old Chick’s Drive-in was – is hoping to be completed and open by Fourth of July. I think I told yew a few weeks back the owners had hoped to open for Memorial Day weekend and get a full summer in, but various construction-related hurdles had to be met.
Cobina went by in her gassamobuggy a few days ago, and saw that things are progressing perty fast, and the July 4 opening might be a good target date.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens over there. With the parking, the road, and newly sanded beach area, that stretch has always been a favorite for lotsa people. That should serve the new eatery well in the coming days.
With that said, not much seems to be happening at the old Debonair Motel site. We know the new owners have some plans, but the machinery of doing things in this burg run very slowly at times. We had heard a new condo is being considered, but there are some details that hafta be hammered out. Let’s hope by the time the leaves start turning colors we’ll have a better idea of what’s going on.
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A few weeks ago, I mentioned to yew that there was some problems at Quigley Stadium apart from the usual. Some paraphernalia was found in the outfield that wasn’t baseball related, and it prompted city and school officials to suspend games at the site, forcing Notre Dame to play its baseball elsewhere.
Tennyrate, things have been cleaned up and a new protocol has been set up, we are told, to make sure that whatever night creatures are traversing the area, they will think twice before trying to congregate near the stadium.
The West Haven Twilight League opened its new season, and has been playing there for about 30 years or more, and the added traffic, both people and vehicles, might help in keeping the night creatures at bay. From what we understand, things have been worked out.
Let’s hope the other problems with the field will be fixed as well. No sense having a facility if it’s not kept up. It only is a waste of taxpayer money.
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Still waiting for the traffic shoe to drop. Weeks after the city and state had that presser along First Avenue announcing the rebuild of the two bridges on I-95, we are weeks later, and no indication that work will begin. Some companies, organizations and even school athletic directors in the area are wondering about the logistics of trying to work around the new reality, which is supposed to last until 2027.
Long Wharf in either direction is a bear to navigate on good days with merges everywhere and hundreds of thousands of cars passing through every day. At one point it was said the I-95, I-91 interchange one of the top 10 busiest in the country. How people are gonna git through the lane closures is something we all have on our mind.
One suspects as things git closer we’ll have a better idea, but the powers behind the decisions don’t seem to be in any rush to let the public know what it has in mind.
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The Wag was in t’other day and said the quarterly payments of house and property taxes the new budget allows for is a good thing for taxpayers and maybe a good thing for the city itself. Getting two jolts of tax money might be better for the city, which seems to be in a financial doldrum in the second and fourth quarters. We shall see.
It surely is good for the public. Goodness knows shelling out big payments by July 1 ain’s the easiest thing to accomplish at this time o’ year.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,
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