Well, honey bunch, we are headin’ into the last full week o’ April and finally it seems like it’s really spring. Cobina was able to crack open a window or two cuz it was so nice. But I gotta tell yew, effen April showers bring May flowers, we’re gonna have a bumper crop this year. In the last two weeks we’ve had a lottal rain. Good for the flora and fauna, not so good for allergy sufferers.
Tennyrate, here in the Asylum by the Sea, things were perty quiet. I dunno effen the guys and gals hereabouts were just getting ready for Easter and Passover, or effen it was jest cuz the school break, but, overall things seemed to be a bit quieter.
Jest to sew up something mentioned last week. An interesting side light to the story we had concerning the sale of the property – or more realistically the release of the purchase funds by the court – on the Haven property. The release came from the Actors Colony, not from the developers. Sammy Bluejay was about the Colony and sez that some mavens of the hallways there are amazed at how little is actually coming from the developers.
One would think that an announcement of finally completing the sale of one of the last properties – in this case the former check-cashing place that in former times was a Gulf Station and a convenience store on the corner of Water and Elm – would be a thing that should be trumpeted. ‘Twasn’t. In fack, Sammy sez that the press release was from the thoid floor.
That lends itself to the query that some are having concerning the future of the development. Press releases from the municipality rather than the developer means City Hall is looking to keep the projeck in the news. Given that this is an election year with herronner facing a three-way race, that might have something to do with the way events are unfolding.
Another likely explanation is that the developer, which is loath to let anyone know exactly what is going on to the frustration of the thoid floor, is being prodded into action by City Hall in order to let the public know a status report. We shall see.
This project being in a sort of limbo – though the story is now things are gonna percolate in June – and the lack of progress on Beach Street are troubling to some.
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Beach Street, by the way, was discussed by Madame Olga, who had some interesting takes on the lack of sales over there. Remember, the former Debonair Motel, former site of Chick’s, and the former site of Captain’s Galley are all up for sale, with nary anything happening.
Olga tied up the lack of sales with the tidbit that it could be the reconstruction of Beach Street that is holding things up. Two years ago, the city and state announced that a goodly portion of the roadway was gonna be raised up seven feet in order to stop the flooding that occurs over there on occasion, especially during hurricanes and big nor’easters.
With the reconstruction on the table, potential buyers might be put off that once they purchase the property their business will be hampered by roadway construction that inhibits travel in those areas. With the mantra that it’s location, location, location, buying a business and then having construction hold down traffic might be a recipe for financial hardship or disaster. Nobody wants to take that on.
With everything that has happened over there, Cobina ain’t surprised that potential buyers might be put off by the possibility of a long construction schedule and curtailed business. Nobody wants to throw good money into a projeck that has a potential for failure. We shall see what transpires.
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Meanwhile, sometimes we give Mikey Mercuriano a hard time cuz he seems impatient at what’s going on at the railroad station. Based on last week’s story, it would seem city officials are getting a bit antsy about it as well. Of course, the state wants to develop the area around this station and others with residential properties that would be easily accessible for young commuters.
That idea flies in the face of commercial and retail construction that was touted when the station was in its planning stages. But, a good piece of news is that the Stiles School building and/or property is playing into the plans of city officials. The building has been closed for the better part of a decade, and it seems like the property is gonna be deteriorating more than has already happened if things don’t move over there soon.
Plans never exactly happen the way they are portrayed in the initial stages, but we’d like to see some commercial construction over there that includes Wagner Place, the former Armstrong Building, Hood Terrace, etc. With the location and the station, it doesn’t seem impossible to git someone to come in here and do some nice things. Of course, we hope we don’t have to wait a decade before it happens. It’s been five or six years since the station opened, and not a thing has happened.
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Effen yew think the buy-back isshew is over, think again. Iva Lootey sez that people in the know expeck the matter to be a cornerstone in the campaign against Mayor Rossi and Ed O’Brien. That means the person doing the talking will be Deb Collins.
As I said last week, Tracy Morrissey has a pernt effen thee is a legislative memorial of the practice, which she sez happened in 2007. The problem is that it is only a resolution, not an ordinance. One is binding, the other is not. Still, there is the matter of former mayors being allowed to enter pension plans, and get other perks that are in collective bargaining agreements for managerial workers. That muddies the waters somewhat.
Still, this ain’t gonna be the only isshew that’s gonna be brought forth over the next little while. It might not even be a big isshew when all is said and done. There’s a long time before November and things are gonna transpire that we ain’t even thought of yet.
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Nelly Nuthatch tells Cobina that there is serious concern by the MARB (Municipal Accountability Review Board) cuz herronner ain’t put a tax increase in the budget. Could it be that the MARB will mandate one? Remember, the five-year plan sez that over the course of the plan taxes will rise to 40 mills in order to create cash flow.
Nelly was wonderin’ effen herronner thought she could git away without one this year, or whether she might be taken off the hook if a tax increase is mandated by MARB. It ain’t her tax increase, it’s there’s. She gets some good political cover, and the city gets new revenue.
We shall see. The budget has to be approved by the first Thursday in May, and there is only one week to go. So far, there’s been little to report from the City Council in its deliberations, but we are hearing a few tidbits concerning the education side of the plan.
The council is gonna meet in special session to put the budget ordinance through one way or t’other. The only question is whether it goes in with some modifications or it gits put through by default through lack of a majority vote. That’s what happened twice in recent history.
This might be the last budget under this charter anyway. The charter revision commish is gonna be bringing forth its ideas soon, and this process we are told is right up there in the discussion.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,