Local local topics
The case that led to the indictment of Cheshire’s trash haulers (Courant, By Lynne Tuohy) is in the Courant today. Prosecutors are moving ahead with their case against a high ranking member of the Genovese crime family. I imagine AG-for-life Blumenthal will jump on the financial aspect of this case, as soon as the criminal aspect is complete.
Cheshire Hockey (WRA) and Cheshire Wrestling (Herald, by Greg Lederer) are both making the news. Cheshire Hockey is hoping for another banner year.
Cheshire’s own David Telesca (MRJ, by Jennifer Manes) is getting headlines for his use of technology in the Southington school where he’s the principal.
And we’re moving forward on the West Main streetscape project (Cheshire Herald, by Leslie Hutchison).
Cheshire's sewer bills went out recently. Unfortunately, we haven't yet gotten to move to a user fee... although I'm not certain if WPCA has even made a decision yet on that.
Although we lost our clean energy bet with Bethany, Cheshire recently passed the 100 "clean energy households" mark. (Actually we blew by it. In one year, we signed up 92 households. Then we jumped to 165 in one month! I think Community Energy did a mailer.) That means we get a free PV... and we're hot on the trail of our second free PV!
And finally, I'm continuing to try to make this blog more user friendly. So I split the "links" section into two sections. Check it out and feel free to give feedback on what could make the site more interesting/helpful.
Tim White
Town Council, 4th District
6 comments:
The West Main Street revitilization project is a complete waster of taxpayer money. They are proposing puttin gin new curbs, walls, benches, street lights etc? What for, so folks can walk by and sit in front of the body shops, the 3 restaurants and a handful of other forgettable businesses? Exactly what is the attraction of West Main supposed to be? how about the local business start by renovating their store fronts? How about we first attract some local businesses that would give people a resident to even walk by there. The proposed project is a vast waste of taxpayer dollars. I am willign to vote against any councilor who votes or supports it in its current form, Republican or Democrat. I have a better idea, lets approve a major development for both retail, residential and commercial as has been proposed by a developer on the north end. That I can support.
Agreed. I do not want to spend scarce taxpayer's money on cosmetic stuff to make people think the town is more yuppie than it already is
Heard it from a member of the new West Main Street Study Group the cost of the project will be a total of 5.5 million dollars. Yes, you heard it right. The plan is to get the Sate to give the Town 5.5 mil, the Town will loan it to the businesses on West Main Street for the purpose of improving their storefronts.
Ask yourself this question: If you were a business owner, why would you borrow money from the Town to improve your storefront so the Town can increase your valuation and you can pay higher taxes?
The sidewalks already are there for the most part. New, prettier sidewalks will not increase the amount of walk up traffic or increase business profits. I know for a fact based on personal contact with the majority of the business owners; there is only one bbusiness out of the total that will support the plan. The Town is trying to pull a fast one on the public. The voters said no to spending money on the Linear Trail extension, yet the Town Manager allowed Public Works to do land clearing from West Main to Jarvis. At minimum the Town Manger and Director of Public Works should be fired.
People need to stand up and ask questions in public and force the politicians to explain their position and justify their thinking. When you challenge them in public, they have no answer that makes common sense to the average resident.
Isn't there a better way to spend $5.5 Million?
Remember once the state borrows the money it will tax us about $400K a year for 30 years to pay back the bonds, so it will cost the CT taxpayers about $12M in lifecycle costs over 30 years to do some cosmetic repairs which probably will need to be redone in
10.
I think the "sidewalks to nowhere" ought to join the "bridge to nowhere" on the scrapheap of pork barrel history
AB... my main concern for west main is to get rid of those yellow barrels and jersey barriers.
The current proposal is to replace them with a stone wall for $100,000.
I'm not particularly interested in putting up the $100,000 stone wall. I just want to get rid of those yellow barrels and jersey barriers.
As for the benefit of the STEAP program, I doubt that we could eliminate that stuff... and if it is impossible to eliminate, I wouldn't mind seeing that money dedicated to enery projects... either electric stuff (solar, wind, onsite generation, etc.) or to alt fuels (setting up a distribution network).
I hope something happens in the northend. I think most people in town would really like something to happen.
Tim, the only way this state returns to fiscal sanity is if local communities start realizing the state is not Santa Claus and returns these expensive and useless "gifts"
on that note, Merry Christmas!!!
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