In all the years I have been doing Undergroundtownhall and living in this town, I saw something in the paper on Monday I KNOW I would not have seen several years ago.
Now don’t get me wrong, it is nothing to be proud of and I am sure the faculty and staff at Dodd Middle School are upset over this incident to say the least–BUT the main point–IT GOT INTO THE PAPER!!
You know how for years I have been harping on openness and honesty in Cheshire and every municipality for that matter. Well, I think over the past few years, SOMEONE is starting to get the message. Especially after what happened on Sorghum Mill Drive.
I just happened late last night to log onto the Record-Journal website and lo and behold–there was a story about an incident at Dodd Middle School which resulted in a student being arrested.
This issue with openness and honesty brings to mind the speech I ran last Saturday on the 45th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination. I believe this speech was given in front of a newspaper editors convention. It is very moving and powerful. I will re-run in under “Featured Video.”
On Monday, my spouse wanted to make a few suggestions to the Plan and Zoning Commission regarding a proposal by this Carducci Associates to build three homes on Jarvis Street in a lot behind the old Greenshire, now Curtis School.
If you know this area, that hill is very steep. Also, there are many blind spots. Where the main entrance or driveway if you will, to this development is located is halfway down the hill behind the Curtis School.
My spouse (of course with me accompanying him), expressed some concerns about that hill, i.e., if a school bus had to stop and let children off, would they be seen by cars going down that hill, would there be a sidewalk for the children to walk on so they would not be in the street, and in the winter, how would the bus get up the hill.
Now one of the P & Z members noted that when it snows or ices, the police department uses Jarvis Street hill to determine whether or not school should be canceled or delayed.
But, my question is: what happens when it snows while school is in session and there ends up being early dismissal?
I remember several years ago, it started snowing unexpectedly around 10:30 a.m, one school day morning which resulted in early dismissal. By the time school was let out, there was already several inches of snow on the ground.
I remember being home that day and looking out my kitchen window to see a school bus stopped on Dundee Drive. I wondered why it wasn’t moving. It WAS STUCK because the bus could not make the slight incline up to the stop sign on that street.
I ended up going down there with my Rav4 and getting my kids off the bus. That street has only a slight incline as I noted above, you can imagine what would happen on that Jarvis Street hill– FORGET IT!!
This has to be taken into consideration. The area I live in is the epitome of blind spot!! I am grateful for that sign on the other side of Jarvis Street indicating a side street approaching (Lancaster Way), but as I said before, there really needs to be a worded sign stating “CAUTION: TRAFFIC ENTERING FROM RIGHT” or the sign that is there now needs to have a yellow flashing light because people ignore it.
We almost got clobbered Monday night coming out of there because the driver coming up the hill was speeding.
A few years ago, I did a show for Public Access on UTH TV called “Dangerous Intersections” I know some of you saw it. Believe me, I could have done a three part miniseries there are so many blind intersections in this town it is unbelievable!!
I really think the entire Jarvis Street area is DANGEROUS!!. There really needs to be more signage alerting drivers to entering traffic. I hope the Plan and Zoning Commissioners who have not walked that area where this housing development is being proposed, will get out and do so, preferably when it starts snowing or sleeting.
Water runoff from the driveway of this proposed housing development onto Jarvis Street was also discussed. The engineer representing the developer assured the P&Z that this would not happen.
HELLO!! Do you want to see a good example of runoff gone wild? Then take a drive on Rt. 68 towards Prospect when it is raining heavily or better yet, drive there after the snow starts melting and then refreezes at night. The run-off from peoples driveways onto Rt. 68 makes it TREACHEROUS!! And that is an understatement.
Lastly, I would like every member of the Cheshire Town Council to sit down and watch a meeting of the Cheshire Plan and Zoning Commission. THEY ALL WORK TOGETHER–THEY ALL ASK QUESTIONS. They vote bi-partisan most of the time. REFRESHING!!!
IN OTHER NEWS:
I did get a call on Monday from a friend asking me if I heard a rumor going around that Macy’s was not going to renew its lease at Meriden Square Mall. I had not heard that rumor, even though I know most Department stores are struggling.
I called Westfield and they DENIED that Macy’s is not going to renew their lease. They told me it was just a rumor going around. But, what would they say, honestly?
I checked a few websites that deal with this issue and they are not reporting anything about this but it makes you wonder. I mean, Macy’s is one of the anchor stores at Meriden Square so it would not bode well if they left now would it.
I know Macy’s took over Filenes a few years ago. So if Macy’s took over Filene’s lease at Meriden Square, the question is: how long is their lease agreement with Westfield?
I have a link to a few sites that discuss this issue:
Here is a 2007 article from The Consumerist:
I have to leave now to meet with a client but I did want to link you to an article on my other blog that I work on with a few other people: BOING BOING.
