Well, honeybunch, here we are at the end of Awgus already, and the kiddies will be traversing back to the classroom within a week. That is jest hard to believe – I bet that’s what the kiddies are saying, too – that the summer has gone by as quickly as it has. Cobina was taking a walk around the neighborhood t’other day and noticed that some trees are starting to show signs of getting ready to shed.
Some are turning color already, whilst others are going to seed. Heck, where I have my domicile the acorns are aplenty, and the squirrels are having a field day collecting them up and getting ready for what winter might bring about.
The weather people are already talking about El Nino this and El Nino that, and it’s gonna be a wet, but maybe warmer winter. It’s jest to make everyone go a lit’le anxious methinks. It jest seems that all the sturm und drang is for more clicks on their websites, and to get people watching.
Tennyrate, back to school opening. Like I told you last year, tho’ it’s been many a moon since you and I darkened a classroom, it’s amazing how the academic year seems to dictate the way we think of normal. Things will git back to “normal” once school is in, all the clubs, organizations and even businesses git back into the swing of things.
Summer vacations are done, business gets into a rhythm, and life gets back to “normal.” The older I git, the more the calendar operates surprises me. Before you know it, we’ll be talking about the holidays.
~~~
A small but important note, it seems that ex-Westie, Mike Freda, who has been the First Selectman of North Haven (Or as I call it, West Haven Nawth) for more than a dozen years is stepping down to take a job. Now, Mike is known for his organizational skills and his no-nonsense approach to things. Heck, he was a baseball player for decades in the local Twilight League as well as player-manager, and was respected in everything he ever did.
Iyam sure effen he goes the way of the corporate job he has been offered, and I guess it’s the Water Authority from what we’re told, he’ll do a top-notch job.
Why do I call it “West Haven Nawth”? When the city property base collapsed with the burst of the housing bubble of 1988, things went downhill fast in this city, and jest got worse. Many people of the middle-class variety headed to other parts of the state, but none more than North Haven. Sooooo, effen yew wanna know where many well known families ended up, just look in the town directory of that little commune. It will tell you a lot.
~~~
Now, Sammy Bluejay came in t’other day to croon about the fack that the Village Improvement Association got an option on a building on the Boston Post Road, which effen yew remember was, until about a decade ago called “Orange Avenue.” The info is that the VIA was able to git option to buy the building, which is jest down the road apiece from our own little corner office. Jest to put a fine pernt on it, this is six years – almost to the month – that the library closed from the former Forest School building, now called Allingtown Hall.
It’s been a long haul about getting new digs for the Piantino Library, with things in cold storage until setch a time as things could be finalized. And whilst the City Council has given its blessing, and things seems to be “ducks in a row” ready, Cobina will believe it when the ink is dry on the purchase agreement.
As they say around here, not for nothin’ but, we’ve seen this movie before. There have been to my recollection at least two false starts and maybe three since the library was unceremoniously left hung out to dry by the previous administration. The library has been treated like the red-headed stepchild, much like the borough has over many decades.
Sooooo, I will be from Missouri on the this until setch time as there is definite planning, and a deed in hand. Once burned is twice cautious. Also, when it comes to city workings yew can never take things at face value. We shall see. Effen it takes less than six months we’re in good shape, effen it takes longer than that, a familiar pattern will have emerged, and those holding their breath better open their craw and inhale.
~~~
Robby Raven sez this week that the city is really out there replacing storm drains. He was perched in the second districk recently and saw city crews working diligently cutting out old drains and putting in new ones. Whilst we might think of it as a “summer” thing, it really is a “budget thing.” The new fiscal year happens in the summer, and the city is flush with new cash. Also, it’s harder to do these things when the snow starts to fly.
It’s like the paving that’s going on. There is paving aaaalllll over the place, and will be for the next little while cuz the city has the kopecks and it has to git done before things get messy.
~~~
We see Herronner is asking for a set of regulations on the explosion of electronic vehicles, called “e-bikes” and “e-scooters.” I’ve mentioned these things in our recent missives, sweets, cuz there is something to mention. The problem with the new vehicles is they are betwixt and between. They ain’t motor vehicles in the traditional sense, but are used that way, and they ain’t scooters or bikes in the traditional sense, but are used THAT way.
The problem is the way the users are using them. Sometimes they’re in the street, and are weaving between cars and buses or trucks, and not paying attention to stop lights or stop signs. And sometimes they’re on the sidewalks and moving at a pace that could hurt somebody effen the driver wasn’t careful. The fack that many of the users are young people puts it into perspective.
Kids act most of the time, and think later. They don’t “think” their actions are gonna be harmful, and don’t go beyond what they are attempting to do. But there have been times on several streets, the bikes or scooters have been going at a perty good clip, and jest dart out into an intersection whilst others are stopped for lights. Thank goodness no one is hurt, but it won’t be setch forever. Someone will git hurt.
The city is trying to git out in front of this problem, and it looks like they’ll restrict the use of the streets and the sidewalks, particularly around the shore, where they weave in and outta people and walkers. We will be watching this little situation very closely.
~~~
Nelly Nuthatch came by to tell me that the city has jest completed the rebuilding of the beach in front of Riva, on Beach Street, and at Prospect Beach. Whilst traveling around those areas in the gassamobuggy I thought things were happening. There were mounds of sand at Prospect and dump trucks everywhere, with graders placing sand and spreading it.
Over at Beach Street they used a conveyor system to put the sand in a rather tight area. The street was closed for a few hours, but the reconstruction took place in a day or two. That’s a much-used piece of the city’s shore, so I ain’t surprised they did some late-season work on it. Usually, these rebuilds are done in March or April, but this year it was stretched out until jest a few days ago.
~~~
Speaking of Beach Street, Nelly has been monitoring the progress of the new pumping station and the new coffee house, which are jest across from each other. The new coffee house, which is rebuilding the only remaining building of the old Savin Rock is moving along perty well, whilst the building across the street is going slow but steady.
Over a few doors to the West, the former Debonair site has been clean up and is getting ready for the new housing development over there.
Meanwhile, Cobina was in a local establishment having din-din when talk about the Haven property sprung up, and not by my prompting, I can tell you. This was between a local and somebody from out of town, and the thing that surprised this out of town-type was the fack that the city has little idea what’s going on over there.
When told that is the way it has been going for years, he looked gob smacked. The look was priceless. He heard about the surveying that happened about a year ago, but that nobody knows what the group that owns the lot is going to do.
It was the look for sheer disbelief that struck me. It was something.
~~~
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,