Monthly archives: November 2008

 

 

High Maintenance

  • By: Cindy

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I wanted to add this “timely” story about mail delivery considering all the discussion that has been ongoing in Cheshire regarding this subject:

Click here

As most of you know, the local papers have been following ongoing meetings of the Cheshire Field Turf Study Committee which is deliberating the worthiness and cost of putting in artificial turf at Cheshire High School.

The town has already accepted over $500,000 in grant money from the state. However, estimates put the FINAL cost at nearly $1 million. This is probably true if Field Turf-Tarkett is chosen.  Representatives were at the last Cheshire Field Turf Study Committee.

They are very upscale and high quality.

There are many companies that manufacture and install artificial turf. Field Turf-Tarkett is an internationally known (like me), company. Many NFL teams have Field Turf-Tarkett installed at their stadiums.

I know many of you are wondering if some people in town have lost their minds with this type of high cost professional scale project for a HIGH SCHOOL. But, these people have plenty of company in justifying this type of expense, especially in Massillion, Ohio. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS FACILITY FOR THEIR HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS!!

IMPRESSIVE TO SAY THE LEAST. EXPENSIVE TO SAY THE MOST.

Click here for Field Turf-Tarkett site

Click on “Americas” and then click on “Turf”

I am linking you to another artificial turf company to compare:

Click here

And here is a site that touts “synthetic turf for sale”

Click here

Lastly, a SAD SAD commentary on our times: THE END OF NEWSPAPERS.

I LOVED the newspaper business. They said it was the worlds second oldest profession.

It was not a job, it was a way of life.  It was hard, intense pressure. But it was rewarding knowing that you produced a product that was different every day. And it was the ultimate in satisfaction and accomplishment.

But honestly, the reason newspapers are going down the drink is because people really don’t read. And if they do, they want it fast and to the point.

Today, many “reporters” don’t know how to report. They don’t know what interests people. I remember when I started in the late 70′s at my LOVE paper the Norwich Bulletin as a reporter. I had an editor whom I HATED. THIS MAN was the DEFINITION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT. I mean, he would try to come over and “visit” at 3 a.m. !!

BUT, this man whose name I will not mention, taught me how to be a reporter. The key: FOLLOWING UP ON STORYS!!! Getting leads on information by establishing good sources.

Many reporters today do not want or can’t spend the time doing this. I blame this trend on the 24 hour cable news services we have today.

Everything today is ‘breaking news” These people would not know real breaking news if it shoved itself up their backside. To them, breaking news is half-fact-fast fast fast, get it before someone else does.

I remember being at the Post the day the Challenger blew up in 1986. This was before the Internet. We had the AP and UPI teletype room. News would spew out of those machines all day and night. BUT, when you heard the BELL RING your heart would literally stop. Why? Because you knew something earth shattering was occurring and you were the first people to literally read each word of that incident as it was being typed out on the teletype. There was no CNN or MSNBC or FOX News then. You would race to the machine, read the words and then rush to confirm and make telephone calls. There was nothing more exciting than that!!

When I was a girl, I dreamed of being a reporter. And you know what–I WAS!! And I did it for many years, and will continue by writing on Undergroundtownhall.  My heart is breaking that in three or four years, there probably will not be any newspapers in Connecticut.

Let me give the local paper a hint: fancy mastheads and electronic tricks don’t work.

Taking the time to develop sources, track down leads, taking your time to make sure you are accurate and knowing what people want to read–HONESTY AND FAIR BALANCED REPORTING-FOLLOWING UP-MAKING GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE-KEEPING YOUR NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE-WAS AND IS THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL NEWSPAPER REPORTING.

As was with the blacksmith of a hundred years ago, so goes the newspaper business.

I always said, if I was breathing my last breath on this earth, I would be proud to say I worked as a newspaper reporter.  If God struck me now, I know I lived. I did what few people could do and do well.

There was and is no other job like it and there never will be-on this Earth.

Click here for commentary on the end of newspapers.

 

Oh No--Not Again!!

  • By: Cindy

Life is a lot like shingles, (the medical kind). You will get them, in the most annoying places, they will disappear only to re-appear a short time later, sometimes worse than ever.

It seems Cheshire has a case of the shingles namely with pools, boilers and municipal vehicles. Just when you think you have the issue solved-it pops back up to annoy you once again.

When I was in the Finance Department on Wednesday afternoon shortly before 2 p.m., a man came in and asked for “Lou.” He said he had a bid. His shirt said “Connecticut Combustion” so I immediately thought of the Norton Boiler drama.

The man was directed to the Lou Zullos office and off he went.

So on Thursday, after I got home from work I called the Town Hall and found out that INDEED there is another BOILER bid and Connecticut Combustion, whom I thought wasn’t going to be bothered with Cheshire anymore after the Norton School drama, has yet again put themselves in the fray.

This time, the boiler is located at the Hitchcock Philips House, which is the headquarters of the Cheshire Historical Society on the Congregational Church Green.  When I was gathering information about this, I was told that the the town has been tinkering around with this boiler or what seemed to me to be trying to band aid on a ruptured aorta. Not going to work.

So now, the town has taken bids to replace the boiler at the Hitchcock Philips House. The bidding closed Nov. 19th, the day I happened to be at Town Hall.

OH MY GOD-DON’T TELL ME–ANOTHER DRAMA WITH YET ANOTHER BOILER?? I hope not. When is this town going to learn?  Stop dragging things around in the mud. Last year my “furnace” died in the dead of winter. WITHIN 24 HOURS I HAD A NEW FURNACE–NO DRAMA.It is like this pool. Another $45,000 to fix this leaking roof again.

Anybody with common sense could tell you that a round or sloping roof connected to a flat roof will produce–PUDDLES OF WATER!! RESULT–LEAKS. This is because someone was asleep at the wheel when this pool was first constructed. He didn’t see the foundation for the pool was originally dug in the wrong place?  Luckily that BIRD flew the COOP!!

I hope the people involved in this bid process for this Hitchcock Philips House boiler will PAY ATTENTION TO DATES AND HAVE A MORE SUCCESSFUL, LESS EXPENSIVE OUTCOME THAN WITH NORTON SCHOOL.

The economy is really bad and this town or any town for that matter, cannot afford the same mistake. Heads will have to roll if this repeats itself. The Town Council has to demand this project be handled in a professional manner. NO MISTAKES!!

Click here for Hitchcock Philps Boiler Replacement Project

Now the next issue that really gets my blood boiling is YEP–TOWN VEHICLE REPLACEMENT involving my favorite department-THE POLICE!!.

According to the Cheshire Town Government website, the town “will trade in one 2000 Ford Crown Victoria unmarked solid blue color cruiser with approximately 70,000 miles.”

“The town shall purchase one 2006 or 2007 four door Chevy Malibu or Impala or a 2006-2007 four door Ford Fusion or Taurus or a similar year and equivalent model vehicle.”

The bids for this WASTE OF MONEY vehicle replacement will take place Dec. 4th at 11 a.m. in Town Hall in Room 207/209.

For those of you who have been following this blog since I started it in late 2003, then you know how I feel about trading in a vehicle with LESS THAN 100,000 miles. I DON’T LIKE IT!!

Now I am NOT saying that any of our police officers should drive unsafe vehicles. But, think about it, if the vehicle is TOO OLD or has too many miles on it, (which it doesn’t) or is unsafe, than why is it being traded in to a dealership for SOMEONE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO DRIVE???

Just because the car is eight years old does not mean it is not roadworthy. As I have stated time and time again and I guess needs repeating to thickheaded people out there, my spouse who is a FIELD auditor, emphasis on the word FIELD, with the Ct Dept. of Labor,  drives his own vehicle, has a 1991 Toyota Camry with 265,000 miles on it and IT IS IN TOP CONDITION. He drives this vehicle ALL OVER NEW HAVEN COUNTY, even to Vermont!! He is not just driving in one town. And he does this EVERY DAY–well, he doesn’t drive to Vermont every day but you get my point.

I know he does not feel unsafe in this vehicle. My kids ride in it. IT IS SAFE.

And I know he doesn’t engage in high speed chases ( how many do our Police engage in over the year?) so it is not a factor. Neither is idling. Besides, my spouse probably does more idling in traffic than the police. That does not kill out a car engine. Look at the hacks in New York and how much mileage they have on them. CASE CLOSED.

If the town is going to purchase another vehicle, stop dick dooing around and get A NEW VEHICLE. What is the nonsense with another USED CAR?? And while you are at it–get a green (environmentally sound) vehicle. GET A TOYOTA OR HONDA. Besides, Ford, GM and Crapler will probably be out of business soon, as they should be. Get out of the FORD HABIT WILL YOU??

If these cars are conking out at 60,000 or 70,000 miles than I think it is time to re-evaluate what model police vehicles we are purchasing wouldn’t you think?

Click here for bid specifications on the Police Vehicle

Let’s take a look at Sequim, Washington’s discussion on replacing Police Vehicles.

 

Trips

  • By: Cindy

Because of the large amount of “chatter” regarding Municipal Employee trips, I decided to expound on this very subject and find out how much was being spent by the town of Cheshire.

Now if you read my “Tattletales” post several days ago, you read that APPARENTLY, the Cheshire Police Chief had gone to San Diego, Ca. to attend a Police Chiefs convention last week. I received a tip from a person connected with the Town Government about this but little else. Nothing could be confirmed. And you know what, if it was budgeted for this past year, there is nothing to be done about it.

BUT, I wish the Town Manager would have mentioned this alleged trip and other trips as they occur-and provided details such as: where the conferences are taking place, who is attending them and how much money it costs.  This needs to happen and the taxpayers (who ARE footing the bill) deserve to know.

So to find out more information, I first contacted the Town Managers office and was directed to the Finance Department where I met up with Jim Jaskot, deputy finance director for the Town of Cheshire. Jim is a REAL NICE MAN, very professional and a pleasure to speak with.

He provided me with copies of Page 502 of the Fiscal Year 2008-2009 operating budget that deals with the various departments and the conferences and seminars they went on.

I DON’T HAVE EVERY DEPARTMENT. I asked for the Police Department, (you all knew I would get that one, if I got any of them), the Fire Department, Public Works and the Finance Department.

i was interested in WHERE these conferences and seminars were taking place and WHO was attending them.

Unfortunately, the operations budget doesn’t list WHO attends these conferences and seminars and I was also sort of disappointed to see that of the several departments I did look at, only the Finance Department listed the locations of the conferences and seminars they attended.

I am going to emphasize here that I have NO PROBLEM with conferences and seminars for educational and networking purposes. They are necessary to enable our town employees to gain knowledge and to be able to network.

But, I am wondering if it is possible to limit these conferences and seminars to CONNECTICUT or neighboring states within a certain radius.

I can ask for hotel bills and cost receipts-this is public information, but I am hoping the Town Government will take it upon themselves to take the current economic situation in light and use discretion and add limitations when allocating these monies.

I did ask Mr. Jaskot what if family members or friends wanted to attend these conventions and seminars? He told me the Town is very strict about that issue and that friends or family members would have to pay. I take him at his word.

Let’s look over what I received from Town Hall: (oh look, Ms. Stupidaire, I used a COLON)!!

Fiscal Year 2008-2009  Police Administration Operating Budget shows: Meetings, Conferences & SeminarsFY 2009 Department Request-$4,500; FY 2009 Manager Recommended-$3,000. THE EXPLANATION-IACP, SCCOP, CCOP and NEACOP.

Well that is all well and good but WHAT DO THESE ABBREVIATIONS STAND FOR? Civilian minds want to know.

I am glad the Town Manager cut this request from $4,500. AND  HOW ABOUT LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION PLEASE!!

The next department was Police Investigations-Meetings, Conferences & Seminars-(NOT CUTTING IT)  WHERE WHEN AND WHOM?? FY 2009 Department Request-$100. Manager Recommended-$100.

Now look, I know $100 isn’t a lot of money these days. That is not the issue. More specifics are needed.

The Fire Department was next. “Meetings & Conferences” FY 2009 Department Request-$1,300; FY 2009 Manager Recommended-$1,200. Big savings here!! Again, these conferences and seminars are important BUT WHERE ARE THEY LOCATED!! AND WHO IS ATTENDING!!

The explanation given is:

“Professional development for full time staff as requested. Various Chief/Marshall meetings and field service conferences.”

Next was Public Works-Administration-”Meetings, Seminars” FY 2009 Department Request-$300; FY Manager Recommended-$300.

Explanation: “Attendance at Various Profession Conferences.

Next Department: Public Works: Highways, Sidewalks and Drainage: FY 2009 Deparment Request-$2,000; FY 2009 Manager Recommended: $2,000.

Explanation: “Meetings, Conf. & Seminars.”

What!! $2,000. Home Depot and Lowes have free Do It Yourself classes every Saturday. SIGN UP!!

I am NOT BEGRUDING ANY DEPARTMENT FOR USING THESE MONIES BECAUSE IT WAS PUT INTO THE BUDGET, but remember people, over the next two years the State of Connecticut will be SIX BILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT!!

Next Department: Public Works-Trees-”Meetings, Conferences & Seminars” FY Department Request- $300; FY 2009 Manager Recommended-$300.

Lastly, Finance-Collection of Revenue: FY 2009 Department Request $1,465; FY 2009 Manager Recommended: $1,465. Now what is different is that this department ACTUALLY LISTED where the conferences and seminars were taking place, to their credit.

“Northeast Region in Lake George, N.Y.; Ct-Mystic Marriott; Fall & Spring-Ct-Meeting”

You need to go to a convention to learn how to collect money?? Next time, CALL THE GODFATHER!

It makes you wonder, did these people not go on family vacations when they were kids?

I am linking you all to an article that addresses this conference and seminar issue in Natick, Mass.

Click here

Thanks again to Triple J!!

 

Hitting The Skids

  • By: Cindy

The big question that has everyone waiting for an answer is: what will happen to the United States if the “Big Three” automakers, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, are not bailed out by taxpayers AGAIN and end up laying off hundreds of thousands of people?

We know unemployment will go up. It has already been extended for an additional 13 weeks and will more than likely be extended again under the Obama administration.  As I have stated before, unemployment is ALREADY 6.5 percent. BUT, those figures only include people who are collecting right now. It does not take into consideration people who have exhausted their benefits or are underemployed, i.e working for less money or less hours than their original jobs.

Leading labor department personnel have estimated that if the BIG THREE went under, nearly 2.3 million more people would be added to the unemployment figures which would jump from 6.5 to over 11 percent.  And, don’t forget, these figures just count people who are receiving unemployment checks each week.

And, what happens to the Big Three retirees? Will they lose their pensions and health care.

You see, in Canada, Ford and GM going under would not have the impact it would have in the United States because as most of you know, Canada has free health care. It is nice in a way, but COSTLY.

Quebec’s sales tax is 16 percent. My son went to buy a roll of aluminum foil and it cost $10. That little brick of Cracker Barrel cheese was OVER $8.

Do you want to pay  high sales tax for free health care and LOW and I mean LOW cost higher education? How LOW?

Click here

Click here for “virtual tour”  of Concordia University in Montreal

McGill University-Quebec Residents-$1,868 for 30 credits!!!
Here is an interesting article to ponder on the automakers:

click here

I briefly wanted to touch on education once again. I know Connecticut has the ECS, ( Education Cost Sharing) formula for each city and town. Some say it isn’t fair, some say it is fine.

Click here for ECS overview

But in New Hampshire, they get most of their educational funding from property taxes. And what the state does is take more property tax monies from wealthier communities and distribute it to less fortunate areas of the state.

This has been a topic of discussion in New Hampshire, but I have not really heard too many complaining about the “redistribution” if you will. It is fine by me.

Speaking of education and New Hampshire, that state is thinking of allowing children to graduate high school at age 16  (grade 10), if they complete a battery of tests.

Click here for story

 

Activities

  • By: Cindy

When I was a reporter many years ago when newspapers made a profit (that is because I WAS WRITING FOR THEM), my tactic was to try to go to as many meetings of the different boards and commissions as possible. Why? because no matter how innocuous it seemed, a lot of interesting things occurred. And it sort of put the pieces of the puzzle together on how a municipality operates.

It takes many people to make a town or city run. Things happen, problems arise, they get resolved, sometimes they don’t. But one does get a feel for how a municipality really operates by going to these various meetings.

Besides, people love to read about drama. You don’t have to make it up–every town has it–Cheshire notwithstanding.

Now I was doing some researching and happened to come across the Oct. 21st public hearing minutes of the Cheshire Inland Wetlands Commission.

Most people think Inland Wetlands is boring. WRONG!!

Inland Wetlands is the most important commission any town or city could have. God knows what more would go on without them. They rank right up there with Planning and Zoning.

I remember YEARS AGO, when I was a reporter for my love paper the Norwich Bulletin, I covered a very very tiny town near the Connecticut/Rhode Island border in the late 70′s and at that time, they had NO ZONING laws!!

People were going apes–t. Developers were coming in, buying up land.

I remember this tiny town struggling to put together zoning rules and regulations. What a mess. It was at that time that I really appreciated and respected Zoning. They, like Inland-Wetlands, are akin to the Patriot Act in keeping terrorism at bay.

I am going to provide a link to these Inland-Wetland minutes, but the big story was some “unknown” person or persons dumping asphalt into a wetlands behind a private property located on Sindall Road in Cheshire.

I guess when town officials walked the private property of the applicants, they discovered this activity just beyond the private property owners boundary.

Apparently, these wetlands are on the Cheshire/Meriden border because the minutes state that the asphalt is evenly dumped betrween the two boundaries. That was considerate.

You know, now that i think of it, this sort of reminds me of what I discovered at the Lock Park off Cornwall Avenue in Cheshire over the late summer. Remember? Someone had cleared out brush several hundred feet from the pedestrian bridge on the Lock Park trail. It was cleared from the left hand side abutting the private property owners land.

There again–NO ONE KNOWS who did this either!! Isn’t that STRANGE?? You see the drama? This would have been a great story for the Herald or any of our other local papers.

Dumping any sort of fill in a wetlands area is SERIOUS BUSINESS. But thankfully, our town officials discovered it. I remember when I covered Easton, there was an elderly woman, whose name now escapes me, who was a member of Easton’s Inland Wetlands Commission. And boy, she took her job BEYOND SERIOUS.

She literally used to drive to every construction site that was on or near a wetlands EVERY DAY to insure nothing was going amiss. She was the best!! I remember many times when she let me into her home so I could peek out her window and see her neighbor, Dan Rather, get into his limosine to take him to CBS News!!

Cheshire Inland Wetlands Minutes of Oct. 21st

Now, onto my favorite topic: THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

Well as most of you know, I do keep up on those Monthly Reports. The October report had a  lot of drama. Too bad the local paper did not pick up on it. I, and I am sure you, like to read what really goes on in this town, not the whitewash press releases.

Now, we all know about the Coleman Road home invasion that resulted in three arrests.

But, I don’t recall reading about the theft of the big screen television from the Senior Center or the theft of SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS of gift cards from an undisclosed local business or the theft of several hundred gallons of oil DO YOU!!

DRAMA!!

I do commend the Police Department in Cheshire. They ARE getting better at disclosing these incidents. BUT AGAIN, WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE THESE INCIDENTS ARE OCCURRING!! We don’t need an actual street address, but we the public, should know what business these thefts occurred from. MAYBE SOMEONE SAW SOMETHING!!

On one hand, the police department is thanking people for getting involved, and on the other hand, they provide skimpy information on the oil and gift card thefts. I am going to go down to that police department maybe in a few weeks and show them how I wrote up the burglaries and thefts when I was a reporter. And believe me, many of the towns I covered were smaller than Cheshire and VERY PROTECTIVE OF THEIR IMAGE!!

I remember several years ago, seeing a photo of our solar system taken by that Voyager spacecraft that had been sent out to take photos of Uranus (GOD, will they PLEASE change the name of this planet) or Saturn, I can’t remember.

Well, Voyager had performed its duties and was left to the voids of space, when it snapped one last photo. It showed the planets of our solar system. I remember looking at that photo and seeing a tiny blue speck. And I mean TINY. Like a point of a pin.

The article said that was EARTH!! I will never forget to this day, what impact that photo had on me. How insignificant we all are in the vast realm of outer space.

So, how important is our towns IMAGE compared to this photograph??

Click here for CPD website:

You will have to click on “Monthly Reports” on the left hand column

And speaking of Police, I have a link to a report by the Wallingford Police Department discussing their “space needs assessment.”

Click here

I have a link to more outrageous things people do with cars–SOME of it is funny–

Click here