The falling leaves drift by the window. The autumn leaves of red and gold.
Sweetie, I dunno what it is about this time of year, but Cobina gits a bit nostalgic, and like the “September Song,” and “September in the Rain” were weaving through my brain cells the last two missives, “Autumn Leaves” is staying rent free in my skull these past few days. Seein’ the leaves changing as fast as they are, especially around the homestead, has got me waxing nostalgic, remembering all the characters that have made our periodic letters so interesting over the last 55 years or so.
But Cobina is not a one theme gal. Also riding in her head over the last few weeks has been the “Judge’s Song,” from “Trial by Jury” by our favorite, Gilbert and Sullivan. Can’t git the ditty outta my head, and when I do, “Autumn Leaves” takes its place.
Here in the Asylum by the Sea, people are gearing up for Election Day – or what used to be a day, and is now the culmination (more or less) of weeks of “mail-in voting” or what the Wag calls, “legalized fraud.” Whoever thought putting ballots through the mail was a good thing, other than absentee ballots, was probably a political hack. We got plenty o’ those, that’s for sure.
Tennyrate, the big thing on the ballot, of course, is the charter revision that was ferried through over the spring and summer. The “big” part is the change in terms for elected officials from two to four years, which in today’s world is probably a good thing. The complexities of reconciling state and federal statues on anything is a lifelong task, and can’t be learned by newbies in two years. Add to that the city’s operational culture – or lack of it – and there is quite the learning curve. Besides, in this berg, one-term mayors are rare. It’s only happened twice since we went to mayor-council in 1965 from selectmen.
Natchurly, the world of politicians being what it is, there is also the “updating” of language that is being put to the voters. Cobina is gonna vote against the changes jest cuz of that. The dis-gendering of titles is the crux of the matter, and leads to the debasement of the language and shows a general lack of common sense. G.B. Shaw was right – it ain’t so common. Politicians of all stripes are the living example of setch a lack. So, yes, Iyam voting no just on that provision alone.
Of course, besides that it is a “national” election, so the various national leaders are on the ballot. One expecks that in our corner of the universe, she of the purple pate, Rosa DeLauro Greenberg will be elected to another two-year terms as the harpie ole gal she has become. We will see more of her rants on the telly with the likes of the gals names Hirono and and Maxine. Rosa fills out that triumvirate of lunacy perty well. The only people loonier than Rosa are the people who keep voting for her, cuz as we now hereabouts its (D)ifferent.
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We see the city is opening up the new Community Center, the erstwhile Molloy School (on Meloy Road) the very afternoon yew git this missive. Plans at this writing are still in the works, but I hear-tell that some high mucky-mucks from Hahtford will be attending and pressing flesh.
Sammy Bluejay sez that he’s been perched along the Actors Colony windows trying to git some info, but things were still up in the air when I started this note. Odds are that anybody who is on the ballot will probably show up and show their support – and their mugs – on camera. Things like this are all about the photo-ops.
We still are wondering what or who the center will be named after eventually. Cobina is sure there are some names floating about the berg and amongst the hoi polloi. Our offer is still on the table. We’d like to run a contest to see what John and Jane! Q would like to name it. We have a few suggestions, but think the public should be involved. It’s a thought.
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Sammy was also in talking about the kerfuffle concerning the Allingtown Library. One tends to think this matter is gonna be a problem in some form as we move. The City Council was expected to rule on whether the library board, the Village Improvement Association, can move ahead to try to use allocated ARPA money – the funny money given during Covid – to purchase the land along the Post Road and Newbern Street for its new Allingtown branch.
The ARPA Committee is objecting, citing fed’ral statutes and timelines. And the entire controversy centers about the elimination of the work “purchase” to the work “rental” when the library was contemplating the former Blake Building as a venue. That fell through, and the Dec. 31, 2024 deadline past for making changes. Now we have a Dec. 31 deadline for using the money. The committee has offered updating a book mobile rather than using the kopecks for the purchase.
The details are elsewhere, but suffice it to say that the matter has devolved into some name calling and condemning motives.
Whatever happens now, and it looks like the money will be diverted elsewhere, the scars of this matter are gonna be ongoing problems. This is the type of political issue that gives politicos heartburn. One side thinks the committee is being too strict, the other says the library board should have minded the store and know what does and doesn’t comply.
Meanwhile, the project for purchase of the property, which is gonna cost at least ten times the $1 million under dispute, gets put into limbo until a resolution can be reached. Cobina thinks this ain’t gonna go away quietly.
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Nelly Nuthatch fluttered in t’other afternoon and wondered effen I had been around Beach Street near Morse Park. I told her I had in fact jest been there yesterday. She asked effen I saw anything unusual. Well, Cobina sees a lot of unusual things, but effen she meant the tons of and that are parked off the parking lot, I had seen it.
Now, we all know the beaches took quite a hit from the non-hurricane that blew through here a couple weeks back. New beach sand found its way from whence it came back into the briny deep, and the shore was chewed up all over the place. Nelly seemed to thing it was sand for the rebuilding of the beaches, which is possible, but Cobina wondered effen it was sand for the winter season to be strewn about by city truck?
Either way, the city has the sand in mounds and mounds over there. It’s also the spot that is used to heap plowed snow. So, one wonders effen it will be used for sanding or rebuilding our shoreline. Either way, we shall see shortly.
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Jimmies is up for sale – as if that’s some surprise. The property is now listed for sale as our writer Dominic Konareski pernts out. What Cobina is waiting for is the time that the sale is going through and the new owner has to comply with all the regulations and the Land Trust in making decisions. A restaurant is probably the easiest move. But we saw something about “hotel.” That might be a bit more problematic.
The reason we bring this up is we remember all the angst that happened before the Land Trust and before the Redevelopment Plan lapsed, some 20 years ago now. While things won’t need the approval of the developers as it once did, the Land Trust is formidable when it comes to what can and cannot be allowed. Something tells Cobina this might be a thing to be looking for in the next year or so as the possible sale of the venue moves further along.
Let’s hope it’s a smooth transition, and not the food fight that some of these things can become. Still, here in our little berg, we like our food, and we like our fights. Stay tuned.
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Iva Lootey was in t’other day, and sez that he is old enuff to remember when the clocks changed last spring and there was a hue and cry over going to Daylight Saving Time all year, and get rid of the extra hour and loss of hour. That was then, this is now. It seems the member of Congress weren’t as hopped up on the idea as maybe people thought and the proposal has languished in the Halls of Congress as things tend to do. Sooooo, it looks like the foist Sunday in November we will be gaining the extra hour of shut-eye (witch ain’t so bad), and going back to Standard Time for the four-plus months that it will be in effect, and we’ll have the same stories and arguments about changing the clocks as last spring. And so it goes….
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Getting back to sales, we see the city is looking for a buyer of the former Noble School on the corner of Noble Street and Washington Avenue. That means at least one tenant may have to find new digs. My guess is somebody will buy it, and it’ll turn into an apartment complex, jest like much else around here. Quick turnover, quick money.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,
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