We are still trying to work out some bugs with our new look. Unfortunately for those of you who are using Internet Explorer 6 or Safari or Mozilla 2.0, I know you are having trouble seeing the videos and photos.

The problem is I.E. 6 was intentionally loaded with “bugs” so it is harder for one to program on it.  So, hopefully we will be able to fix it soon.

Now here is an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal sent to me by a local resident. I don’t think too many of you should be SURPRISED given the stagnating population in Connecticut and the nation as a whole and the sluggish economy.

Retailers at Open-Air Shopping Venues Cancel Expansion Plans, Shut Stores As Slow Economy Hurts Sales

By KRIS HUDSON

Wall Street Journal July 17, 2008;

The hottest trend this decade in shopping-center development has gone cold.

Known as lifestyle centers, the open-air shopping venues offer small parks, fountains and cafés amid name-brand retailers selling fashion apparel, housewares and other discretionary fare. Developers raced to add new ones as they became popular with shoppers, especially women between 20 and 50 years old, a coveted category. Meantime, construction of traditional enclosed malls all but stopped.
Kris Hudson/WSJ A Cedar Hill, Texas, lifestyle center is only half occupied. The storefront in back remains vacant.

But now, with the economy slumping and shoppers spending less, retailers that had flocked to the centers — like Chico’s FAS Inc., AnnTaylor Stores Corp. and Talbots Inc. — have begun canceling expansion plans and even shutting stores. Others, such as Linens ‘n Things Inc., have sought bankruptcy protection.This couldn’t happen at a worse time for lifestyle-center developers, which were putting up more of the shopping centers than ever. Last year they built 37 centers totaling some 12 million square feet, or roughly 40% of the total lifestyle-center square footage added this decade, according to market-research firm Portfolio & Property Research Inc. Double the 2007 total is now under construction, and three times as much is in the planning stages.The economic slowdown, of course, means many of the planned projects won’t leave the drawing board. But many centers where constuction has begun will probably have difficulty leasing space when they open. That raises the specter that eventually they may not be able to pay their debt, adding to the strain on the already ravaged finance sector.Leasing problems have clearly begun. Developer M.G. Herring Group opened its Uptown Village regional lifestyle center in the Dallas suburb of Cedar Hill in March with only half of the space occupied and the rest walled off with wood panels bearing the center’s marketing images. President Gar Herring says he has so far signed retailers for 60% to 70% of the 725,000-square-foot project, though it remains only half occupied five months after its opening.

Kris Hudson/WSJ The small-shop space at Prairie Center shopping center in Brighton, Colo., is mostly empty.

In Brighton, Colo., THF Realty Inc. has filled most of its new Prairie Center retail project with such big-box retailers as Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. and PetSmart Inc. But Prairie Center’s small-shop space — erected in a lifestyle-center format nearby — is mostly empty. Half-a-dozen tenants, including Heidi’s Deli, Verizon Wireless and Elite Nails, are sprinkled among vacant storefronts sporting “for lease” signs.Herring and THF executives say they anticipate no difficulties paying their debt service on the projects.Some believe that the lifestyle-center craze was about to run its course in any case. The metropolitan locations that are best suited to the centers are mostly taken. “There were a number of projects proposed in markets that didn’t really have the [sales] demand to support the projects,” says Stephen Lebovitz, president of mall owner CBL & Associates Properties Inc., which has built two open-air centers.Certainly the centers being built now show an evolution in the approach to the centers. Recent versions have larger formats and more diverse tenant rosters, including department stores and movie theaters. Few developers now propose the original format, which offers only small shops and spans 200,000 square feet or less. “Those are dead,” says Maury Levin, a retail-property broker at commercial real-estate firm KLNB Inc. in Baltimore.Construction of other retail-property formats is also slowing as consumer spending wanes. Portfolio & Property Research forecasts that in 2009, retail-space construction in the top 54 U.S. markets will drop 48%, to 71 million square feet, from this year. Existing properties are hurting, too. Vacancy rates at U.S. malls and shopping centers have climbed to 7.4% this year, the highest level this decade, according to market-research firm Reis Inc.

Many developers that have the option are canceling or scaling back projects. Citing slow progress in leasing, Opus Corp. opted to proceed in phases at a lifestyle center in the Seattle suburb of Issaquah, Wash., scheduling the opening of 150,000 square feet of shops in 2010. It had planned to open three times as much space in 2009.In Canonsburg, Pa., developer Cullinan Properties Ltd. has delayed by a year, to 2010, the opening of 200,000 square feet of small shops intended to accompany a 14-screen movie theater as it struggles to lease

The other day, I happened to be driving up Rt. 68-70 and as I approached the traffic light across from the Post Office, I looked to my left and noticed that someone had spray painted something on the side of a utility box. I had seen it before, in fact, it has been there for many years but is starting to fade.

So when I had a chance later on in the day, I went over to that utility box. The words on the box said:”Welcome to Cheshire, Where Only the Strong Survive.”

I swear I DID NOT spray paint that!! Amazing. So there is someone else who notices that Cheshire is a nice town but it is a town that really tries to protect itself and its image. I believe Cheshire had put up a proverbial “wall” if you will over the years, but recently I have seen it starting to come down.

That saying got me thinking about the old Simon and Garfunkel song: “I Am A Rock–I Am An Island.”

I know you baby boomers remember that song. Basically, Paul Simon said it was about loneliness, but I always interpreted the song as describing someone who was either hurt by love and put up an emotional wall to protect themselves from ever being hurt again. It sort of reminds me of Cheshire with its “wall” of protection.

So, I decided to tweak the lyrics of “I Am A Rock-I Am An Island” by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel to:

“I Am A Rock-I Am An Island-I Am Cheshire.”

I have posted the original song and video by Simon and Garfunkel under the “Featured Video” so you can play the video and read my tweaked lyrics at the same time.

Now listen, don’t get upset, THIS IS SATIRE and I did this only for a laugh. Or did I?

YOU MUST PLAY THE MUSIC VIDEO AND READ THESE LYRICS AT THE SAME TIME FOR THE FULL EFFECT.

I Am A Rock-I Am An Island-I Am Cheshire

Original lyrics by Simon and Garfunkel

Re-written lyrics by Cindy-Dedicated to that spraypainter.

A winter’s day

In a deep and dark December

I am–Cheshire.

Gazing from my window to Rt. 10 below

On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow

I am a rock

I am an island

I am Cheshire.

I’ve built a Police Department

A fortress deep and mighty

So Meriden and Waterbury may not penetrate.

I have no need of free speech, free speech causes pain,

It’s Undergroundtownhall that I disdain.

I am a rock,

I am an island,

I am Cheshire.

Don’t talk of the Police Commission,

But I’ve heard the words before,

It’s sleeping in my memory.

I won’t disturb the slumber of feelings that have died,

If that horrible home invasion never got leaked to the press, I never would have cried.

I am a rock,

I am an island,

I am Cheshire.

I have my Channel 14

And my Cheshire Herald to protect me,

I am shielded in my armor.

Hiding in my Town Council Chambers, safe within my womb,

I touch no one and no one touches me.

I am a rock,

I am an island,

I am Cheshire.

And a rock feels no pain,

And an island never cries.

I have run into a few people who wanted to know about these speed monitors they keep seeing around town, especially the ones on a pole. I know the “pole” speed monitor is located on Maple Avenue, down from the Waverly Tavern approaching Rt. 10.

Apparently, these “pole” monitors are called “Stealth Stats” and are made to be positioned on poles or even in trees. Usually these stealth stat monitors are temporary, but I believe the one on Maple Street is permanent. I know there is another stealth monitor in town but the location escapes me right now.

Click here for “stealth stat article

Now when I see these speed monitors, it usually doesn’t bother me because a lot of people really overdo it, so it is a good thing. But the other day I was driving and all of sudden on the right hand side of the screen, there appeared a flashing white strobe light. I really got worried. I wondered if the monitor had a camera on it and my license plate number was being taken. I went home and prepared an alibi. But then, I decided to go on the web and look up just what these speed monitors actually do and what this “flashing” strobe light is.

As you know, I never speed, so I just couldn’t understand what that flashing light was for. Well, here is good explanation of this entire speed monitor scene. Thia is NOT from the Cheshire Police Department.

Speed Trailer

The Police Department has a new tool to help drivers maintain proper speed while traveling through the Village. The “speed trailer” can be seen anywhere around town – main streets, side streets, or even Village Park.

The purpose of the trailer is to warn drivers when they are going too fast and remind them to slow down for safety.

What the speed trailer DOES do:

• It displays the speed of approaching vehicles.
• It displays a flashing speed to warn vehicles that are traveling too fast for the posted speed limit.

What the speed trailer does NOT do:

• It does not take photos that could be used to issue citations at a later date. THANK GOD, PHEW!!
  
• It does not monitor vehicles that are traveling away from the trailer.

How the speed trailer works:

The speed limit is posted at the top of the trailer. As a vehicle approaches, its speed is displayed in large, amber numbers below the posted speed limit sign. If the approaching vehicle’s speed is excessive, the amber numbers will flash and a white strobe will activate. The flash and strobe are meant to draw extra attention to the fact that you are exceeding the speed limit, and need to slow down.

IF ANY OF MY READERS WITH INTERNET EXPLORER 6 WOULD LEAVE A  COMMENT ON WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN SEE THE NEW GRAPHICS I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. THANKS. THIS SITE IS MADE TO RUN ON MOZILLA AND INTERNET EXPLORER 7.

Ok, I haven’t been posting for a while (as some of you might have noticed), maybe you haven’t, because I had a slight mishap over the weekend and I just HAD to find out who the next FoodNetwork star was going to be!!

For those of you who know me I am always involved in something dangerous: my three favorite sports are rock climbing, skydiving and butting heads with the Cheshire Police Department.

I have been doing all three of them for nearly 25 years. Well, this past Saturday, I went skydiving in Vermont. Actually, it was base jumping, where one jumps from a tall object like a bridge or a high cliff or building (if you can get away with it). “BASE” is an acronym that stands for Bridge, Antenna, Span and Earth.

This was a high cliff, and I guess when I went to deploy my chute, manu.ally, I must have waited too long, because I came down hard and hurt my left leg and right arm. But it is soooo much fun I will never give it up–ever!!!

I am OK thanks to Tylenol and Advil!!!

Also, my son and I are in the process of re-doing the website again. So hopefully within a few days, I will unveil the new site and hopefully you will all like it.

Now I just received my alumni newsletter from the University of New Haven. And yes, they too are re-doing their athletics, including their football team. I go from time to time to the UNH football games, they are really fun and the UNH team is pretty good.

But now, they will be even better. Why? They are getting artificial turf!! Actually, they are installing what is called “sprinturf” The UNH team is called the Chargers, and the UNH colors are blue and gold. So, guess what? The turf will be Blue and Gold. Pretty cool huh?

In fact, the colored turf will be just one of two of these type of surfaces in college football. I plan on going to UNH within the next few weeks to see how the installation is going and why the school decided on the colored turf instead of the natural green look. The field will be ready for play in the fall just in time for the first UNH home football game. It might behoove some of you to travel to University of New Haven, which is located at 300 Orange Avenue, to see for yourselves and ask questions.

I don’t know the final cost of this project, but I am sure it was not cheap. It doesn’t really matter though, because the ENTIRE cost was paid for by a UNH alumni!!!

Here is a link to Sprinturf–pronounced “Sprint Turf.”

Click here

Now I found out about this “travel tour” the Town Council will be doing this coming Thursday, Oh, damn, I forgot to go to Home Depot and get that big box of nails to throw on the road. Oh well, I will have to wait until next year.

Again we have this pool issue. Another $192,000 to repair some of the pool, including the locker rooms, and the bottom of the pool. Do you mean to tell me we could not get volunteers to help paint the bottom of that pool? Come on. It seems people in this community are ready to volunteer for SOME things, that are high profile and high drama. But when it comes to volunteering for something that is low key or a maybe a little unpopular, FORGET IT!! I am telling you–the motto of Cheshire should be “Wham Bam Thank You M’am!!

And I also noticed this extension of the linear trail off of Jarvis Street to West Main street is in the news again. Well I hope the DEMOCRATS, who ditched it a few years ago as being “too costly” will get on the stick and tie this into the revamping of West Main Street.

This is some peoples attitude about Cheshire:
Yep, we got what we wanted, used the town’s resources, left it in a hole, and when our kids graduated, we left town. REAL GOOD. The people on the Town Council better start listening to the “same old people” that seem to show up at the Town Council meetings. I mean the people who have lived here most of their lives, and moved here, as my husband and I did, before kids and marriage. Actually, my husband has lived in this town ALL HIS LIFE–55 years!! These are the people who are going to be left holding the proverbial “tax bag” when the “I wants” get through raking the town over the coals and leave.

In other news: I am posting a link to the Cheshire woman who is searching for a kidney donor. This story is running all over the United States.

Click here

HERE IS THE NEXT FOOD NETWORK STAR!!

Click here

See Ya!!

As most of you know from various reports, blogs and newspapers alike, the Town Manager Michael Milone usually comes up for review this time of year. Now I have covered many towns and cities along the way when I was a reporter years ago. I never covered a town that had a Town Manager though.

But as things go, Cheshire’s Town Manager does a decent job of making Cheshire look good. However, I am not saying there aren’t areas that need to be improved. There are!!

First of all, I believe our Town Manager needs to get more in touch with the public and the press. When I covered Orange for the Amity Observer over 10 years ago, I made it a habit of meeting with the First Selectman every Friday to discuss issues. The First Selectman knew this and would always set aside some time for me and other members of the press which was a good thing.

Another thing I hate is this closed door thing. No government official should be closing a door to discuss an issue EVER!! Everything, except personnel issues of course, should be discussed within earshot of everyone.  When I covered  an unnamed town,  it seemed that the minute I went into that community’s town hall the First Selectwoman would see me and abruptly shut her door. I never had any respect for her for doing that because I wondered what in God’s name was so “secret” that I could not be allowed to hear it!!

To this day, and I know it isn’t government issues, but I don’t think it matters, my husband and I discuss EVERYTHING out in the open in front of our children. Well, not the you know what issue, but EVERYTHING ELSE. There are no secrets in our house and no closed doors except the bathroom and bedroom–that is IT!! I mean we are not perfect in our house, but we do discuss all issues with all of our children, not in a belittling way, because we have problems, but in an informative way.

I also got the First Selectman to write a column once a month in my paper discussing Town events. I think this is also a good idea for Cheshire. The Town Manager should write a column at least once a month, maybe even once a week, in the Cheshire Herald so all residents can read about the issues, of course, from his side. I realize the Town Manager is busy, and that he has from time to time done the videos “Your Town Government” which is also great, but that needs to be expanded.

I suggest a combination of Channel 14, the Government Channel and the Cheshire Herald so as to keep the residents informed as much as possible. I believe these two avenues are not used enough.

It also would be nice if once in a while, the Police Chief wrote a column about police issues. Cheshire is starting to come out of its shell, but it still has a long way to go.

Also, when a question is asked of the Town Manager, I noticed sometimes he appears to get a little agitated. Who does he think he is, ME?? I mean, I get agitated sometimes when people ask me questions about my work, but I have a right to, because all my work is perfect, so I am insulted when someone questions what I have done!!!

But, seriously, the Town Manager takes his work seriously as he should. He spends countless hours in his office and during budget season, I am sure he and his staff practically reside at 84 South Main Street. But, there is no need to get “defensive” when a Town Councilor or member of the public ask about a town issue. It is not personal. It is just a question. I don’t think anyone can question the Town Managers integrity.  I believe this man gives 110 percent every day and he does take it personally, as I do, when he believes someone may be questioning a decision he has made or work he has done. I feel the same way about my work because I am a workaholic and I believe the Town Manager is also.

He dedicates himself to this town. But Cheshire needs to keep opening up and not be afraid to speak about issues that some people might deem “image damaging.” Things in life happen, and sometimes, I mean probably most of the time, it is out of our control. Life is life we have to deal with events as they come along.

I know a few people called me and asked me to speak about the one year anniversary of the Petit Home Invasion. Well, I will be brief, but all I can say is that my heart goes out to the Petit/Hawke family. The mother and two daughters, again I say are victims of our society and its attitude towards women and children. Women and children everywhere will always be victims of men who feel they can dominate or intimidate.

Many men who act this way would not dare behave in the same manner towards another man. It is just that plain and simple. When will our world ever learn. It seems that women are the scapegoats for many of our worlds problems. It really galls me when you read stories of a woman who abandoned her child and SHE gets blamed for everything. Well, fine, but what about the MAN!! It took two!!  If you ever have called to report child abuse, they ask you– “What is the mothers name?”

What is the MOTHERS NAME? What about the father? They just assume it is always the woman. Well, let’s face it most of the time it is the WOMAN who tends to the childs care now isn’t it? This is what I mean? Even in the Bible, the WOMAN got blamed for eating the apple.  In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, it was the WOMAN, Ruth, who looks back, against God’s wishes and turns to stone or salt I can’t remember.

It was never the MAN!!

Ok, back to the Town Manager issue, here is an interesting history of the Town Manager form of government.

Click here.