Dear Felicia

Greetings, sweets! Here we are in the month of June – by the time yew git to see this missive – and as I gold yew last time, the year jest flies after May. What with summer sun and fun, and holidays and vacations, things jest seem to speed up. People our age remember Kitty Carlisle, she was Moss Hart’s wife, and died in her 90s. Well, she was once asked about life in her dotage. She said everything was fine, but that she seemed to have breakfast every 15 minutes.

Y’know, there are weeks like that as this ole gal keeps marking time. Things jest seem to git faster and faster. Before yew know it, the turkeys will be displayed and we’ll be talking about the holidays season. But let’s not rush things.

Here in the Asylum by the Sea the City Council passed the belated budget. Things were on a truncated schedule, with the council getting only three-plus weeks instead of the five it usually had. From what Sammy Bluejay sez the sessions were nightly at one point with the review trying to git under the wire of May 31, the final day the state allows budget ordinances to be passed.

From what Sammy sez, little if anything was expected to be changed, everyone thought the document was perty tight as those things go, and what changes that might be made would be cosmetic or slight as there is no time for big changes. The gen’ral consensus seemed to be amongst the councilors that whilst there was some time to make changes, and everyone seemed to be getting along (as opposed to a decade or so ago when factions were at loggerheads) nine votes for a change might be a bit too steep for any real alterations.

Nobody expects the budget ordinance, meanwhile, to be subject to a negative vote. Remember, under the charter, effen the council fails to pass a budget ordinance, the mayor’s proposal goes into effect by default. That has happened at least twice to my recollection, and neither times was it in the best interest of the city. The foist was 1991, and we all remember what happened very quickly afterwards. That was quite a contentious time, indeed, and we still haven’t recovered.

~~~

Whilst that was going on, the Wag happened by and we got into a discussion of the Charter Review Commish and its final report. Talk about fast-tracking! This group put the City Council to shame. The council had a review of the proposals, and the Wag sez that it was perty cut and dried. The things expected to be in there were there were there.

Of course, one of the things that they proposed I hear-tell was discussed for an hour. The topic: de-gendering the nouns! Effen there is a topic that summarizes the current state of nonsense in society, it is the attempt to neuter all references that might be “offensive.” Lawd knows, effen there is a capital sin in the modern political scene it is being “offended.”

The major consideration was changing “chairman” to “chair.” This is the most recent claptrap that has taken over everyone who takes setch things seriously – which means they need a life. The same yahoos that are offended with his also are offended when the term “guys” is used as in “Hi guys!” It shows that modern liberals are fat, angry, and, frankly, stupid. And you know you can’t fix that.

Effen yew thinks this is one of Cobina’s pet peeves, you’d be right. We stopped using the Associated Press Stylebook in these environs because the thing is jest a politically correct mess. Not offending anyone is the top priority. But they do offend people all the time, and mean to do it, jest not the people who agree with them.

I keep tellin’ you, when historians look back on this era, Shakespeare’s line from Midsummer Night’s Dream will summarize it: “What fools these mortals be.”

~~~

Nelly Nuthatch flew by recently and mentioned that the owners of the Debonair property on Beach Street have scaled down the footprint of their proposal to 23 residential units. I mentioned to yew a few weeks ago that word about the burg was that the original proposal might have some difficulties with revisions probably necessary.

That probably makes the neighborhood behind the property a bit happier. A.) The plan is now moving forward so the area will get a fresh, new look when things are done; and B) The building might not be the large construction some residents were worried about. We shall see as the weeks and months progress.

Meanwhile, the area itself is almost completely cleaned up, and will join the other construction sites only a half a block away sooner rather than later. The coffee shop at the corner of East Avenue and Beach is moving along nicely, whilst the pumping station across the street is continuing to be constructed. Soon, Cobina’s two-decades-old rants about Beach Street will be over cuz the whole street will be finally upgraded. And that is a good thing for everyone around there.

~~~~

While were speaking about the area, let’s move down to the Haven property. Nothing to say about that – again. Just another two week interval and another period of not knowing what in blazes is happening over there. There were people cutting grass and brush over there, but that’s about it. I guess we have a good chance of hitting the 30-year mark next summer.

In late summer 1997 the announcement of the “Water Street Project” was made with a lot of fanfare and hoopla. Four iterations of the project later and whilst the area is cleared, no one has a clue as to what will finally be constructed, and effen they do, they aren’t saying.

~~~

Cobina was perusing the papyrus and noted that Colleen Bailee, the head librarian, did a ‘State of the Library” address in the page 5 colyume that the system offers. She did mention the Allingtown Library and the hope that something will be done to get the project off the ground.

We hope so. It’s been seven years since the city closed down the Piantino Library from the former Forest School, now part of UNH. The books are in storage and several attempts have been made to put the library in other locations to no effect. We are hearing some rumblings but we’ve been hearing rumblings for a long time. Let’s hope something happens sooner rather than later, but don’t hold yore breath.

~~~

I see one or two of our beaches got bad grades from a conservation group recently, yet one next door did OK. Some people seem miffed by this. I git the notion that effen they did this review a day before or a day after things might’ve been different. Whilst groups like this try to be objective, the truth of the matter is the criteria are more subjective. Soooo, effen I was city officials or those in the know, I wouldn’t worry about it too, too much.

We got more things in this little spot on the Sound than worrying about what some outsiders think of our beaches on any given day.

~~~

Iva Lootey pernted out the city is now gonna git its $1.74 million to convert the Malloy School on Meloy Road (yes, I had to add that) into the community center that was announced some two years ago, already. Some compliance isshews had to be addressed and were, so things seem to be back on track. This was not a major bump in the road, and one suspecks it was kind of expected.

Once the kopecks are happily ensconced in the city’s bank account, one expecks that things will start percolating around the old school building. The senior center is expected to git its own digs over there – the foist time the senior group has had its own quarters since moving out of Noble School a few years back and billeting in City Hall.

Also, the building is expected to have other amenities for other groups. At least the grand announcement two summers ago gave the impression many groups will find a home in the new center, with various age groups involved.

Iyam sure we’ll hear more about the plans and what if any alterations they will make on the building. We shall see. Besides ADA compliance and other things, one expecks there will be more than jest a new paint job applied to the interior.

~~~

Finally, the kiddies must be chomping at the bit to see summer break come. With all the snow days that accumulated – though not as many as some districks – the end of school has been pushed back to around the 18th. Some schools are staying open until the 25th. Tennyrate, the break will be a bit shorter this year one way or t’other with the new term expected to open in the final week of Awgus.

With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this week till next, mitt luff und kizzez,