BRRR! That’s the only thing to write, sweetie. Iyam scribing this message to yew whilst the windchills are about the single digits, and Cobina’s digits are gloved and pocketed in order to stay warm. We got a week or so of the January Thaw, but now we’re back to “polar vortexes” and threats of snow and ice. Of course, whilst we had the “thaw” we seemed to have rain every night or day, save a couple. Sooooo, things are wet regardless. Here in the Asylum by the Sea things seem to settling in for a long winter’s nap, with not a whole heck of a lot to relate. But we’ll try.
Now as we git on in years, we all seem to have a bit o’ ringing in our ears, tinnitus it’s called. And Cobina has it jest like most of the elderly population in the world. But Sammy Bluejay came in t’other afternoon and sez that while my belfry is ringing a lotta people are hearing a low humming sound all over town.
In fack, our esteemed editor was in his favorite morning emporium – The Elm Diner – when the topic of the strange humming came up. Himself hasn’t hoid it, but sez that given the fact he’s been suffering from whatever flu-type thing is going around since before the Yuletide, he ain’t the best person to ask.
But some people had heard the noise and one patron said that it is perty annoying. Well, whether some have heard it and some have not, but isshew has become a hot topic in the Actors Colony to the pernt the City Council has earmarked $16,000 to find out where in blazes the noise is coming from.
Some have speculated the humming might be wires or transformers that are working with all the wet and cold weather. Others are more worried cuz they think the buzzing is affecting their health and their wellbeing.
With all the noises we put up with in modern life, a constant drone would be the thing that would git to the average body. While the others come and go, this is staying.
It reminded Cobina and Sammy about the kerfuffle that was here about two decades ago when phone towers and microwave facilities were installed for the new phone services that were sprouting up. We remember that people were worried about how the radio waves would affect their health. And, every once in a while an article or two pop up about the matter.
One wonders if the two issues are related somehow. The buzzing seems to be of electronic origin and with the towers all over town as well as cables everywhere, it might be query that is worth the money.
Something tells both Sammy and me that this matter ain’t gonna just blip on the radar screen (pun intended) and go away. Nope, people are gonna stay on this until somebody comes up with an answer.
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Before we go any further, we wanna offer our condolences to two longtime families in town who have lost loved ones. Marge Connelly passed away on Jan. 3 and was a good friend of our editor. The two would have coffee at least once a week and jest kvetch. Marge was widow of the late Ed Connelly, who was a longtime member of the constabulary and its union boss. Marge had a short illness that took her quickly, and she is missed.
The Ronan family lost Daniel Ronan jest days later, and our editor remembers him when he and his siblings used to cavort around the dad’s diner, Ed Ronan’s diner, that is now Off-Shore Restaurant. Danny died suddenly and was well loved by family and friends. His wake was an out-the-door affair, showing how much he meant to many people and how the family has impacted so many.
Our condolences go out to both families, with our thoughts and prayers.
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I mentioned to you last time that the budgetary process – making the budgetary sausage if you will – was getting underway this month, and the Wag came in and began to regale with some thoughts about budgets past.
Most of what he had to say was not in a positive vein effen yew git m’drift. The wag remembers one thread working throughout the last several decades and one that really hurt this berg in the long run – tax hikes – or, more specifically, the lack of them. Like most politicos will tell you, after you get elected the foist thing you think about is getting re-elected.
Well, that was the paramount thought by most people. And, after the housing bubble burst in 1988 that thought was compounded by the matter of housing prices tanking. How does an administration deal with this problem? Well, in the case of the Azelio Guerra era, the matter was only put a few thousand in the contingency fund and hope for the best.
Well, that didn’t work.
Natchurly, when one hopes one wouldn’t have to use contingency funds, we had to use them and then find more. That kind of set up the problems that beset the city for the next three decades. Guerra was in an uphill battle with newcomer GOP candidate Clemente Evangeliste, a businessman, who wanted to operate the city “like a business.” But, the issue that really cooked Guerra – besides the problems with the housing market tanking – was his idea to sell Quigley Stadium (when it still looked like one) and balance things out on the sheet as best as possible.
Allingtown wouldn’t have it, and effen there was an issue that set up Guerra for a fall, it was this one. Now we fast forward two years later, and Evangeliste, who eked out a win against Guerra, puts together a budget that had more smoke and mirrors than Peter Frank’s Funhouse (old-timers will git the reference).
Here we are now, 35 years and two state review boards later, and the city is gonna be putting together a budget without the Municipal Accountability Review Board lookin’ over its shoulder.
I don’t know if there will be a tax hike. Historically, taxes go up on the off year after the election cuz it’s another year before the voters have to go the polls. But let’s hope that pushing numbers around and hoping for the best as done in years past if over. Effen the taxes need hiking, hike ‘em. If you can do something to offset the tax hike do it – even if that includes thinning the employment herd.
We shall see.
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Nelly Nuthatch brought in the fack that the city is gonna get a state grand of $9 million to revamp it’s traffic lights. That’s a good thing. But as Nelly brought up, a better thing would be people actually heeding them. I know, I know, Cobina has been on this tear for a while. But, people jest ignoring stop lights, turn signals and the like is getting the pernt that lights jest seem to be suggestions.
The city can put up all new lights, but effen nobody pays attention cuz it’s too inconvenient, or there’s no traffic coming from the other direction, or the rules are for others but not me, the money is wasted.
Here endeth the rant.
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Iva Lootey came by and we got into the most recent chapter of the saga that is the Allingtown Library. It seems that, according to Iva, the Village Improvement Association was blindsided by the recent sale of the former Lincoln School, former Blake Building. The VIA thought it had the purchase in the bag only to find out they lost the bid.
Now it’s back to the drawing board and where to go from here. That was probably the best of a bad situation for the group. It seemed everything was in place, and then, not so much. Iva sez that some of the VIA members are talking to themselves about it.
It might be that the idea to split a construction with the West Haven Fire Department – Allingtown is the only way to go at this juncture. We’ve talked about this before. The FD would take one side, and the Piantino Library would be on t’other.
No one knows what the future is gonna hold on this matter, but there is still hope that something could be put in place before this year draws to a close. Yet, if the VIA seems a bit antsy about things, who could blame it.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next mitt luff und kizzez,